The final paper for this course is a report on an interview you will conduct (either by phone or face-to-face) with one of the following health care professionals:
•a manager in a local health care organization (either for-profit or not-for-profit)
•an administrator in an agency within your local public health system
You may interview a health care administrator or manager you already know, or you can search online for a health services organization you think may be suitable. Once you\’ve identified the organization, you should call to introduce yourself and request to speak with an administrator.
Make sure that the administrator or manager you choose is able to speak knowledgeably about the organization and his or her role in facilitating or managing change in the organization.
Different health care organizations that you may wish to contact include:
•Hospitals
•Managed care organizations
•Medical group practices
•Ambulatory care facilities
•Long-term care facilities
•Home health care agencies
•Health insurance companies
•Pharmaceutical companies
•Health care consulting firms
•Government agencies
•Nonprofit organizations
Week 1 will be devoted to identifying a suitable person to interview and setting up an appointment.
It is suggested that you try to schedule the interview for Week 4, if possible. This will give you several weeks to absorb the material that will be covered in this course. The more familiar you are with important principles and concepts, the more you will get from the interview.
When you do conduct the interview, you\’ll want to explore the ways in which the organization has changed in recent years. Be sure to discuss the primary forces behind this change and the methods used to determine what to change and how to change it.
If you choose to conduct more than one interview, meet with the same person each time in order to develop an in-depth understanding of the organization.
The interview should take approximately 1 hour to complete. Suggested interview questions are provided in a separate document below.
HLTH 4100 Interview Questions
Note that you are encouraged to modify the questions and/or develop your own, which will enable you to tailor the interview appropriately and honor the time constraints of the person with whom you will speak.
Below is a link to a document that may assist you in setting up and conducting the interview.
Tips for Conducting Interviews
To complete the final paper, write a 3- to 4-page report that summarizes the interview. Your paper should be written in APA format and include the following headings:
•Introduction
◦The Purpose of This Paper
◦The Interviewee and His or Her Organization
(Include whom you interviewed and his or her role in the organization, as well as why you chose to interview that person.)
•Interview Questions and Answers
◦Question #X: [insert question]
◦Response to Question #X
◦Question #X: [insert question]
◦Response to Question #X
◦Question #X: [insert question]
◦Response to Question #X
•Question Analysis
◦Summary of the Responses
◦How the Answers Relate to the Course Content
