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The National Healthcare Clearinghouse: Its History, Status and Potential for Creating Community Through Educational Development
Abstract
Schools and healthcare organizations face questions of validation in leadership and investment in human capital, which raises important public policy questions. External forces such as economics, pressure groups, and oversight organizations as well as worker availability are at issue. Unlike education, segments of the healthcare industry are doing very little long-range planning concerning human capital development. A new paradigm must be developed for the healthcare industry if it is to face the challenges of a shrinking, less prepared workforce, in an aging nation. This case study uses the home health care and supplemental staffing industry to focus on an emerging public policy issue--requiring criminal background checks of healthcare workers. The study looks at the development of the National Healthcare Clearinghouse, critically analyzing the plan to determine how original goals shifted and affected its actualization. The primary and continued concern was on a negative aspect of hiring workers for the industry--that is to "screen-out" persons with an unacceptable criminal record. To assess attitudes among healthcare organizations, 3273 surveys were sent out to agency directors, with 28% responding. Subsequently and through research of the literature and follow-up interviews, a positive agenda emerged related to staff development through firm-specific and industry recognition of a career lattice. This recognition leads to potentially improved employment practices. The negative agenda raises issues such as privacy rights, due process and consumer protection. The positive agenda could reduce turnover, better protect clients and improve competency and salaries. Many significant steps to improve service work are closely linked to political processes and those legislative steps are poorly suited to achieve effective and efficient solutions. An industry based clearinghouse should be a proactive and positive corporate solution to a public concern that has advantages, especially in terms of costs, but may not survive a major financial crisis. This project was no exception. The survey results indicate that current criminal background checks are not effective. An accompanying survey of human resource needs provides a wealth of information to evaluate the current employment environment, and develop collaborative solutions. Recommendations are made to bring the project, although abandoned by a trade association, to fruition.
Subject Area
Health education|Public health
Recommended Citation
Keefe, James Anthony, "The National Healthcare Clearinghouse: Its History, Status and Potential for Creating Community Through Educational Development" (1994). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9434498.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9434498