| Course | DNP 708 Systems Thinking in a Complex Health Care Environment |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 3 |
| Paper type | Revised systems map with written narrative |
| Length | About 698 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Arizona State University |
| Program | Doctor of Nursing Practice |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for DNP 708 Module 3
Who Pays for a Cool Room? Map Version 2 Places Heat Deaths Among Older Adults in the National Health System
Student Name
Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University
DNP 708: Systems Thinking in a Complex Health Care Environment
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Who Pays for a Cool Room? Map Version 2 Places Heat Deaths Among Older Adults in the National Health System
What Changed From Version 1
Peer and faculty feedback on Version 1 said the map stopped at my agency's door. Version 2 keeps the local branches but adds a fifth branch for national payment and policy and redraws the solution so that it no longer depends on one agency's budget. The local evidence still anchors the map: heat deaths in the county cluster in neighborhoods with more poverty, more older adults living alone and less vegetation (Harlan et al., 2013), and those are the places where national payment rules matter most.
Branch 5: National Payment and Policy
Medicare. Traditional Medicare pays for medical care after heat illness but not for the cooling that might prevent it. Home health benefits require a skilled need, so an older adult whose only risk is a hot home does not qualify for visits.
Medicaid waivers. Some states now use Medicaid demonstration waivers to pay for health-related social needs. Oregon's waiver, for example, has allowed payment for devices such as air conditioners and air filters for eligible members at risk from extreme heat or smoke. Arizona's own waiver work has focused on housing, which matters for heat because stable housing is often the precondition for reliable cooling.
Utilities. Arizona's utility regulators now limit shutoffs for nonpayment during the hottest months. Shutoff rules protect people who are already connected; they do nothing for people who switch cooling off to avoid a bill.
Reform from a systems view. The Affordable Care Act and later value-based payment models shifted some attention toward prevention, but most payments still reward treating illness rather than preventing it. A systems perspective explains why: payment, housing, energy and health sit in separate sectors with separate budgets, so the savings from preventing a heat admission accrue to a different organization than the one that would pay for cooling (Peters, 2014).
The Challenge of Systemness
Systemness means that the parts of health care act together toward shared goals. For heat deaths, the parts that would need to act together, the hospital, Medicare, Medicaid, utilities, landlords, the county and home health, do not share a budget, a data system or a governing body. Leadership texts in this course describe systemness as something built through relationships and shared purpose rather than ownership (Albert & Pappas, 2025). Version 2 therefore adds a "connector" layer to the map: the people and data links that would let separate organizations act as if they were one system for a few summer months.
| Connector | Links | What it would carry |
|---|---|---|
| County heat-relief network | Health system, cooling centers, faith groups | Lists of high-risk addresses during warnings, with consent |
| Medicaid health plan care coordinators | Home health, waiver-funded supports | Referrals for cooling devices where the state allows them |
| Utility assistance navigator | Patients, utility programs | Enrollment before summer bills arrive |
Benefits and Drawbacks of Systems Thinking Here
Systems thinking exposed loops that a single-cause view missed, especially the cost loop in which savings and costs land on different payers. It also shifted the solution from one agency to a network. Its drawbacks showed too. The map grew large enough to be paralyzing, and it was tempting to keep adding branches instead of acting. Peters (2014) notes that systems approaches must still produce practical decisions. For that reason, Version 2 marks three pressure points in red: enrollment in utility assistance before June, a shared high-risk list during warnings and referral for cooling devices where payment exists.
Revised Solution
The nurse-led spring check from Version 1 remains, but it now feeds a network rather than ending with the agency. Each high-risk patient is enrolled in utility assistance, added with consent to the county's warning list and, if covered by a Medicaid plan that offers cooling supports, referred for a device. Patients without home health would be found through primary care clinics and paramedic reports from the Week 1 case.
Map Notes
Branch 5 and the connector layer appear in a new color; the three pressure points are marked in red; arrows from the payment branch to the cost loop show where national policy feeds the local problem.
References
Albert, N. M., & Pappas, S. (2025). Quantum leadership: Creating sustainable value in health care (7th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Harlan, S. L., Declet-Barreto, J. H., Stefanov, W. L., & Petitti, D. B. (2013). Neighborhood effects on heat deaths: Social and environmental predictors of vulnerability in Maricopa County, Arizona. Environmental Health Perspectives, 121(2), 197-204. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1104625
Peters, D. H. (2014). The application of systems thinking in health: Why use systems thinking? Health Research Policy and Systems, 12, Article 51. https://doi.org/10.1186/1478-4505-12-51
DNP 708 Module 3 instructions, in plain terms
The posted syllabus places Map Version 2 in Weeks 4 to 6, under innovation in the global healthcare system. The outcomes for those weeks ask you to summarize U.S. healthcare reform efforts from a systems perspective, identify current challenges in achieving systemness and weigh the benefits and drawbacks of systems thinking in health care. The rubric in Canvas defines what the revised map must add. Expect to keep your Version 1 problem, respond to feedback, widen the map beyond your organization to national payment and policy, and revise your solution so it fits the larger system. A short statement of what changed from Version 1 helps faculty grade the revision. The optional peer review is open again for this version.
How this DNP 708 Module 3 example is built
The narrative opens by naming the feedback on Version 1 and the change it prompted. A fifth branch on national payment and policy covers Medicare, Medicaid waivers, utility rules and reform, each stated as a specific gap. A section on systemness explains why separate sectors cannot act as one and adds a connector layer, summarized in a table. The paper then weighs the benefits and drawbacks of systems thinking for this problem and responds to the main drawback by marking three pressure points. The revised solution shows how the Version 1 idea now feeds a network. A short map note describes how the new elements appear in MindManager. The course leadership text and a systems thinking source support the analysis.
Reading the DNP 708 Module 3 grading rubric
Version 2 is likely graded on how well the revision responds to feedback, the accuracy and relevance of the national and global perspective, analysis of systemness, critical weighing of systems thinking, the revised solution and the written explanation. Specific policy gaps earn more than general summaries of reform. Showing how national factors feed local loops connects the two levels. Admitting the drawbacks of systems thinking, and doing something about them, shows critical use of the approach. The revised solution should be clearly different from Version 1 and fit the wider system. Policy facts must be accurate and current.
DNP 708 Module 3 help with common mistakes
Students often add a national branch that summarizes the Affordable Care Act without linking it to their problem. Ask what each policy does or fails to do for your patients. Another common issue is a map that grows so large it loses its central question; mark pressure points to keep it usable. Check state policy details carefully, since waivers and utility rules change. Pass your Version 1 file and the faculty comments to the desk if you want the revision modeled on them. Keep a short change log between versions. Read classmates' maps in the peer review, which often suggests connections you missed.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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DNP 708 Module 3 questions, answered
Where can I find a free DNP 708 Module 3 sample paper?
The narrative above is a full DNP 708 Map Version 2 sample that places heat deaths among older adults in national payment and policy and adds a connector layer for systemness.
What does Map Version 2 add in DNP 708?
It widens the first map to the U.S. and global system, summarizing reform from a systems view, examining systemness and weighing the benefits and drawbacks of systems thinking.
What is systemness in health care?
It is the degree to which separate parts of health care act together toward shared goals, which is hard when sectors have separate budgets, data and governance.
Can Medicaid pay for air conditioners?
Some states use Medicaid demonstration waivers to cover health-related supports such as cooling devices for eligible members; coverage depends on each state's waiver.
When is DNP 708 Map Version 2 due?
The syllabus places it in Weeks 4 to 6, with an optional peer review and a course update attendance quiz in the same period.