PESTLE Analysis and Health Care Reform

Federal, state, and local health care policies are continually instituted or amended to address emerging issues and trends and to rectify problems in healthcare delivery. For instance, reform may be required to address cost containment challenges or disparities in access to health care services. When addressing reforms, it is helpful to consider issues from an external, environmental lens. A PESTLE analysis is one such method. Taking this approach can broaden your focus when dealing with complex factors. A solution may seem ideal, until you realize the economic impact it would create, the legal problems it presents, or technical limitations that prevent it from being a possibility.

For this Discussion, you will explore the political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environment circumstances surrounding the continued evolution of value-based care for the delivery of health care in the United States. You will also consider where you envision the future of delivery of health care in the United States and evaluate what this development might mean for your work in healthcare administration.

Resources

Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.

Required Readings

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Identify an issue currently in the news that relates to federal, state, or local reform, and research it through a variety of news sources, such as government websites (e.g., the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Mental Health) and online newspapers. Review the information in the Learning Resources and conduct additional research using the Walden Library and credible websites to assess this issue and associated reform efforts. Do not use blogs or other informal sources.
• Consider how the issue is related to your understanding of the U.S. healthcare delivery system and value-based care. Reflect on health care reform from an external, environmental lens and consider how to address the issue while incorporating the PESTLE approach.
• Perform an informal PESTLE analysis on the issue and associated reform efforts, making note of how your selected issue would be impacted by each factor of the PESTLE analysis (i.e., the political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental factors). The purpose of this exercise is not to submit a robust PESTLE analysis but to use the analysis as a basis for this week’s Discussion. You will summarize the results of your PESTLE analysis in the Discussion.

By Day 3

Post an evaluation of the potential impacts of healthcare reform on healthcare administration through an external, environmental lens. Be sure to include the following:

• Summarize the issue you identified and the results of your PESTLE analysis for the issue and associated reform efforts.
• Of the six factors addressed in your PESTLE analysis, identify which one you feel might have the greatest impact on your future as a healthcare administrator and explain why.
• If more issues were addressed through an external, environmental lens (such as PESTLE analysis), assess what the overall impact might be for the future delivery of health care in the United States.
• Relate at least one aspect of your PESTLE analysis to the social determinants of health, including how focusing on that aspect could lead to positive outcomes.