HA545 Unit 2 Discussion

In no less than 150 words  Discuss the impact of health policies on health services in terms of the money, human resources, and technology used to produce these services. Your answer should include a discussion on each of the three areas? 

In no less than 75 words give your personal information to

 Felita Daniel-sacagiu  

and

Tyler Blevins 

Tyler Blevins 

Health policies determine the nature of health services through their effect on the resources required to produce the services and on the health system through which the services are organized, delivered, and paid for. In terms of money, the United States spends more money on health than any other country. Current health expenditures and projected future increases have significant implications. One can assume that expenditures will increase which will lead to higher prices. Higher prices make it harder for individuals to afford health services or even pay for the insurance to cover their medical bills. 

There are going to have to be ever evolving policies for human resources and workforce. With projections pointing towards a nursing shortage for example, there were policies created and revised as incentive to get individuals to pursue nursing. Some of those incentives are as follows: loan repayment programs, career ladder programs, best-practice grants, and other repayment programs for nurses willing to teach at a nursing school. 

Technology is always progressing and newer items are being created and implemented. These technological advances result in pharmaceuticals, devices, and procedures. With these advances it has only given doctors and nurses better tools to diagnose, treat, and cure with. Health policies provide funding for this and allow for the continued growth of technology and medical practices. 

Longest, B. B. (2016). Health Policymaking in the United States (Vol. Sixth edition). Chicago, Illinois: Health Administration Press.

 Felita Daniel-sacagiu  

Healthcare policy incorporates any law, regulation or research related to the improved implementation of insurance policies, hospital care policies and healthcare research.  It is vitally important as it sets a general plan of action used to lead to or result in desired outcomes and is a fundamental guideline in decision making.

The impact of health policies on health services in terms of money

In 2010, health reform legislation was passed and introduced a range of payment delivery system changes designed to achieve a significant slowing of healthcare costs growth.  Most of the assessments of the new reform law focused only on the federal budgetary impact.  It was estimated that,  net, the combination of provisions in the new law would reduce healthcare spending by $590 billion between 2010-2019 and lower premiums by approximately $2000.00/per family.  Also, the annual growth rate in national health expenditures might be slowed from 6.3% to approximately 5.7%. Health care reform impacts national health expenditures through five major channels.

• Impact on new coverage
• Savings in public programs
• Insurance exchanges
• Health system modernization

1.  Payment innovations, including higher reimbursement for preventative care services and other patient-centered primary care
2. An Independent Payment Advisory Board, with the authority to make recommendations that reduce cost growth and improve quality in both the Medicare program and the health system as a whole
3. Increased funding for comparative effectiveness research
4. Profiling medical care providers on the basis of cost and quality

• Impact on the federal budget

The impact of health policies on health services in terms of Human Resources

Health policies impact money.  Policies are implemented to provide finances for the positions of members in an organization.  The health policies impact the human resources in that they help ensure employees are afforded an efficient and healthy working condition(s) to support employee productivity.  Health policies also:

• Facilitate planning and decision making
• Provide a framework for evaluating employee performance
• Gather and support health professionals to address healthcare concerns and to legitimize plans of action(s) 

The impact of health policies on health services in terms of Technology used to produce these services

The office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technologies (ONC) coordinates

health IT and is authorized by Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health

(HITECH) Act. The HITECH Act established ONC and provides the U.S. Department of Health

and Human Services with the authority to establish programs to improve healthcare quality,

safety and efficiency through Health IT.  ONC is now implementing several provisions of the

bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act of 2016.  Other legislation related to ONC includes

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), the Affordable Care Act and the

FDA Safety and Innovation Act. Health reform has changed the conditions and how medical

technology companies operate.  Most of the provisions of the laws are phased in over time. 

Federal authorities encourage continuous HIT involvement by creating national regulations and

standards in several areas to improve the quality of health care. 

Health IT Legislation (2019).  Retrieved from

https://www.healthit.gov/topic/laws-regulation-and-policy/health-it-legislation

Human resources for health policies: a critical component in health policies (2003).  Retrieved from https://human-resources-health.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1478-4491-1-1

The Impact of Health Reform on Health System Spending (2010).  Retrieved from

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/healthcare/reports/2010/05/21/7731/the-impact-of-health-reform-on-health-system-spending/

Implications of Health Reform for the Medical Technology Industry (July 2010).  Retrieved from

https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2010.0436