Question

Trends are heavily informed by local, state, and federal health care legislation. Write a 750-1,000 word paper that evaluates the effect of local, state, and federal health care legislation within organizations by identifying trends. Be sure to address the following: 1.Describe general trends in health care legislation over the past 5 years. 2.Describe a specific piece of legislation occurring within this timeframe across the United States. Discuss how it governs a long trending health care concern. What have been the motivating factors that have influenced this particular legislation? 3.Discuss the effects of the trending legislation on health care overall in the United States. 4.Describe how the selected legislation effects one type of health care setting (transitional care, hospital, primary care, home care, primary care). 5.Identify changes in your selected health care setting that have occurred during this time in order to meet the requirements or needs of this legislative trend. 6.Discuss how stakeholders (patients, underserved populations, health care providers, staff, etc.) have been affected by the trending legislation. Please include 5 sourses to your answers.

Answer 1

1. ANS: US health care system is the most expensive health care system in the world, so the federal government implanting a strong public health system. Us health services are one of the best in the world and the people getting quality health care each and every day. Healthcare legislations in USA over the past 5 years have been introduced to make the health care settings in USA more efficient and more inclusive. There was a time when the Academic Health Centers (AHCs) were threatened by the decline in the perceived value of patient care that was provided by health care professionals like doctors. Legislations ensured that there is a substantial reduction in direct payments being done to physicians in AHCs. This has resulted in AHCs becoming more efficient. Thus the quality of patient care has improved. Secondly the trend suggests that there has been a steady increase in research funding by the National Institute of Health.

2. ANS: A piece of legislation occurring within this time frame is the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). This piece of legislation was introduced to find a new method of paying doctors who provide health care services to Medicare patients. The motivating factors for the introduction of this legislation are the need to fix the way the above mentioned doctors are provided with reimbursement. There was also the need to fill in the funding gap.

3. ANS: Regarding the impact on overall healthcare in USA from the trending legislations, the healthcare in USA has witnessed a decline in health disparities to some extent. The positive outcomes are growth of allied health care professions, increase in the effectiveness of key health care technologies, use of preventive care to optimize health and reducing the abuse and unnecessary utilization of health care services that are very expensive.

4. ANS: The selected legislation – MACRA – will have a positive impact on primary care. The implementation of merit based incentive will propel the building of a system that will not only be better but also smarter. Primary care will only improve as there will be focus on value and quality of health care services.

5. ANS: The legislation was introduced in 2015 and there have been no recent changes in it (after its introduction).

6. ANS: All the stakeholders have benefitted from MACRA. Patients are getting better health care services, there is an increased focus on meeting the health care requirements of underserved populations and health care professionals are benefitting through the merit based incentive program.

References:

1. H.R.3293 - Scientific Research in the National Interest Act114th Congress (2015-2016)

https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/3293/text

2. Competition In Health Care: Its Evolution Over The Past Decade https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.24.6.1512

3. United States Health Care ReformProgress to Date and Next Steps

http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2533698

4. Mark, David, M.D., M.P.H and Richard M. Glass, M.D. "Impact of New Technologies in Medicine: A Global Theme." The Journal of the American Medical Association (17 Nov., 1999).

5. Starr, Paul. The Social Transformation of American Medicine. New York: Basic Books, 1982.