Economic Dynamics of Health Care Deliver

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Section A

Notably, the three expected improvements constitute the direct costs that the HIV Help-Inc Organization expects to incur. However, the question that ensues is; which of the three interventions shall elicit the highest benefits at minimum cost? Since the organization is not profit oriented, its principal objective is to reduce the number of HIV infections in the community. As a result, to meet the goal, proper workspace, workforce, and equipment are imperative (Lin, Lasry, Sansom, & Wolitski, 2013). In this regard, $ the 2 million should be directed to acquiring an appropriate workspace so as to actualize or facilitate efficiency and effectiveness in its objective operations (CNBC LLC, 2010).

Evidently, HIV prevention drive is a health provision that demands modern workspace from which the operations are centered. Thus, all the money should go into repairing the facility, which can later adequately and safely house the organization’s equipment and workforce. Economically, repairing a house constitutes an indirect cost of building the actual facility, which is cheaper. On the contrary, procuring new equipment results to other multiple indirect costs; this could cumulatively surpass the money at hand. For example, after the procurement, other subsequent costs will include maintenance, wiring, training operators, operators’ wages, insurance, installations, time missed, and power costs among others (Lin, Lasry, Sansom, & Wolitski, 2013). Comparably, hiring one new staff using the $ 2 million might bring little benefits than the cost. Employing a person to receive calls and contact the community using that amount is ridiculously expensive in relation to the expected benefits.

Section B

The best intervention should improve the number of HIV cases prevented, which can be economically calculated using tools like “new HIV diagnosis,” “number of infections averted,” and “treatment cost per infection.” Therefore, to effectively achieve the best outcome, the cost incurred; for example “the cost for every diagnosis,” “cost per averted infection,” and “cost per quality-adjusted life year” must herald positive outcomes (Burkholder & Nash, 2014). Considering all these parameters, the organization ought to use the $ 8 million to distribute condoms and education materials and uphold HIV testing to the population at risk. Qualitatively, the two programs are mutually reinforcing and aim at the same impact. Thus, the programs should be allotted the same divvies of the $ million.

If $ 4 million is used for education materials and condoms and the other half for HIV testing, the infections averted will increase immensely. Adequate and accessible prevention instruments and measures to the target population is surrogate to increased infections averted and prolonged life years. In analogy, for one year (2009-2010), CDC HIV prevention programs averted 361,878 infections that in turn saved $ 129.9 billion (CDC, 2013). Therefore, the 0.8 billion shall help avert up to 2230 infections per year. Noting that the lifetime treatment cost is $ 379,668 per infection (CDC, 2013), this is far much greater than the expected lifetime treatment cost if the two programs are implemented. The interventions’ lifetime treatment cost will equal to $ 0.8 billion/2230 infections averted, which gives $ 358,744 per infection. Since the 358,744 is less than $ 379,668 per infection, then the programs mentioned above are feasible and viable.

How cultural norms impact the risk of getting HIV. Explain one method or action to address the challenge

Cultural gender-based norms and values that define the femininity or masculinity may determine the vulnerability of people to HIV/AIDS (CDC, 2013). For example, traditional male chauvinism; especially in sub-Saharan Africa, enhances gender-based violence and sexual abuse against women and girl child. Inevitably, the female gender becomes susceptible to the unscrupulous male sexual abuse, which in turn increases their vulnerability to HIV infections from the male oppressors (CDC, 2013). In order to curb this health menace, stringent laws on equality and gender-based impartiality should be enacted and enforced to prosecute the male offenders and protect the female population (Burkholder & Nash, 2014).

References

Burkholder, D., & Nash, N. (2014). Special Populations in Health Care. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013). HIV Cost-effectiveness. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/prevention/ongoing/costeffectiveness/index.html This article provides an overview and examples of the cost-effective analysis. Lin, F., Lasry, A., Sansom, S. L., & Wolitski, R. J. (2013). Estimating the impact of state budget cuts and redirection of prevention resources on the HIV Epidemic in 59 California Local Health Departments. Plos ONE, 8(3), 1-10. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0055713 The full-text version of this article can be accessed through the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. CNBC LLC (Producer). (2010). The future of Health Care: Meeting of the minds [Television series episode]. In Meeting of the Minds: Americaâs Economic Future. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: CNBC LLC. Retrieved from the Films on Demand database