| Course | HCR 321 Advanced Concepts for Health Care Coordination |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 7 |
| Paper type | Short paper |
| Length | About 373 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Arizona State University |
| Program | BS in Health Care Coordination |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HCR 321 Module 7
From Plan to Practice: Implementing Care Coordination in a Primary Care Clinic
Student Name
BS in Health Care Coordination, Arizona State University
HCR 321: Advanced Concepts for Health Care Coordination
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
From Plan to Practice: Implementing Care Coordination in a Primary Care Clinic
Whom to Serve
Coordination works best when it is targeted. Programs in the Medicare Coordinated Care Demonstration that reduced hospitalizations did so among patients at high risk of near-term admission (Brown et al., 2012). Our clinic would enroll adults who live with at least two chronic conditions and who were admitted or seen in an emergency department during the last six months, identified monthly from a registry report.
What to Build In
The evidence points to specific features. Successful programs supplemented phone calls with frequent in-person meetings, met in person with providers, served as a communication hub, delivered evidence-based patient education, provided strong medication management and offered timely transitional care after hospitalizations (Brown et al., 2012). By contrast, most programs relying mainly on telephone education did not reduce hospitalizations (Peikes et al., 2009). Our program would include a home or clinic visit within seven days of any discharge, pharmacist medication reconciliation and a weekly team huddle.
Staffing and Payment
One full-time nurse care coordinator and a half-time community health worker could serve about 150 high-risk patients. Medicare's care management billing codes for chronic and transitional care management, along with value-based contracts with health plans, could support the cost. Because the Medicare programs were cost-neutral at best once fees were counted (Brown et al., 2012), the clinic should plan for improved outcomes rather than guaranteed savings.
Starting Small and Scaling
| Phase | Months | Activities |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | 1-2 | Hire and train staff; build registry and workflows; set measures |
| Pilot | 3-6 | Enroll 40 patients; review process measures monthly |
| Adjust | 7 | Revise workflows based on pilot data and staff feedback |
| Scale | 8-12 | Expand to all eligible patients |
Sustaining the Program
Sustainability depends on leadership support, steady funding, staff who are not overloaded and regular reporting of results to clinicians and leaders. Well-tested transitional care models give the pilot a template, notably the advanced practice nurse model that combined discharge planning with home visits and calls (Naylor et al., 1999).
Conclusion
Implementing care coordination means choosing the right patients, building in features with evidence, funding the work realistically and learning through a pilot. Done this way, coordination becomes part of how the clinic works rather than an add-on.
References
Brown, R. S., Peikes, D., Peterson, G., Schore, J., & Razafindrakoto, C. M. (2012). Six features of Medicare coordinated care demonstration programs that cut hospital admissions of high-risk patients. Health Affairs, 31(6), 1156-1166. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2012.0393
Naylor, M. D., Brooten, D., Campbell, R., Jacobsen, B. S., Mezey, M. D., Pauly, M. V., & Schwartz, J. S. (1999). Comprehensive discharge planning and home follow-up of hospitalized elders: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA, 281(7), 613-620. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.281.7.613
Peikes, D., Chen, A., Schore, J., & Brown, R. (2009). Effects of care coordination on hospitalization, quality of care, and health care expenditures among Medicare beneficiaries: 15 randomized trials. JAMA, 301(6), 603-618. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2009.126
HCR 321 Module 7 instructions, in plain terms
The sixth and final short paper closes HCR 321 in Module 7, the implementation module, and it shares the week with the VoiceThread final project. It counts for 50 points. Keep it inside 500 to 750 words; the syllabus describes that as two to three pages without the title page and references. Canvas lists the module's implementation questions, and the paper should answer each, using the assignment template, APA 7th edition and three or more primary sources beyond what the course assigns. Implementation prompts usually come down to who is served, how the program is designed and staffed, how it is paid for and sustained and how it is rolled out. The earlier modules on need, leadership, evaluation and teamwork are your building blocks, so reuse your own earlier sources and arguments rather than starting from nothing in a busy final week.
How this HCR 321 Module 7 example is built
The sample answers implementation questions in a practical order: whom to enroll, what features to build in, how to staff and pay for the program, how to roll it out and how to sustain it. Each design choice is tied to evidence from Medicare coordination programs, including the cautionary finding that most telephone-based programs did not work and that successful ones were at best cost-neutral. A phased table shows a pilot before scaling, and the conclusion summarizes implementation in two sentences. Three primary sources are used, and the paper fits the 750-word limit by letting the table carry the timeline. Costs are stated plainly rather than hidden.
HCR 321 Module 7 rubric: what earns full marks
The Module 7 paper is scored on a 50-point Canvas rubric. Credit goes to plans that name a defined population, build in features the evidence supports, staff and fund the program realistically, roll it out in phases with measurement attached and say how it will last after the first year. Primary sources, length and format are scored too. Deductions come when a plan promises savings the research does not support, when design choices are asserted with no study behind them, when the rollout happens all at once with no pilot and when nobody is named to do the work. Implementation is the module where the earlier papers pay off, and readers often reward a plan that draws visibly on the writer's own evaluation and teamwork papers, because the course is built as a sequence from need to practice.
HCR 321 Module 7 help: mistakes that cost marks
Treat the paper as a plan your clinic manager could approve: name the patients, the staff, the funding and the timeline. Use the features from successful programs as a checklist. Be honest about costs and savings. A short phased table saves words. Connect to your earlier papers where it helps, since the course builds toward implementation. Check the word count carefully, as the final week is busy with the VoiceThread project. The desk can review whether your plan is realistic before you submit. Note the risks of the plan as well, such as staff turnover or a funding gap, and say how the pilot would reveal them early enough to adjust before scaling.
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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HCR 321 Module 7 questions, answered
Where can I find a free HCR 321 Module 7 sample paper?
This page has a full HCR 321 Module 7 sample: a short paper on implementing care coordination in a primary care clinic.
Which patients benefit most from care coordination?
Evidence from Medicare programs suggests patients at high risk of near-term hospitalization benefit most.
What features make care coordination work?
The Medicare programs that worked saw patients face to face, passed information among physicians, taught patients well, watched their medicines and acted fast after discharges.
Does care coordination save money?
Successful Medicare programs were roughly cost-neutral once fees were counted, so savings should not be assumed.
When is the HCR 321 Module 7 paper due?
In Module 7, the final module, alongside the VoiceThread final project.