Assignment from nickkynickky.Assignment title is Health Policy Timeline Explanation. I have attached an example answer for you to understand it well.You must use scholarly sources and intext citations.
hsc_550_healthpolicytimelinegradingrubric.doc
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Grading Criteria: Health Policy Timeline
HCS/550 Version 2
Grading Criteria
Health Policy Timeline
This assignment is due in Week One.
Points
Available
Content
Points Additional
Earned Comments:
75 Percent
6
X/6
The timeline details the evolution of the student’s chosen health
policy and includes:
A summary of the chosen policy. Includes the objective of the
policy and a discussion of the role the policy has played in
the evolution of the US health care system
Five key events tracing the policy’s path from inception to its
current status.
For each event, include a 125- to 175-word explanation
of why the event was significant in the development of
the chosen policy.
Include at least five references.
An explanation of why the event was significant in the
development of the chosen policy.
Organization/Development
Points
Available
Points Additional
Earned Comments:
13 Percent
1
X/1
The timeline is 950 to 1,150 words in length.
The introduction provides sufficient background on the topic and
previews major points.
The conclusion is logical, flows, and reviews the major points.
Cites two references.
Points
Available
Mechanics
Points Additional
Earned Comments:
13 Percent
1
X/1
Citations are formatted according to APA guidelines.
Rules of grammar, usage, and punctuation are followed; spelling
is correct.
Total
Total
Available Earned
Copyright © 2015 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved.
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Grading Criteria: Health Policy Timeline
HCS/550 Version 2
8
Copyright © 2015 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved.
2
Running head: THE HISTORY OF EMTALA: A DISCUSSION
The History of EMTALA: A Discussion
HCS/550
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THE HISTORY OF EMTALA: A DISCUSSION
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The History of EMTALA: A Discussion
The purpose of this paper is to provide a history of events leading up to the establishment
of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) of 1986. The purpose of the
Act is to ensure an individual access to emergency care, even if they cannot pay for that care
(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2015). Several changes and events in the health
care industry preceded the enactment of this law. This work discusses these events and provides
a timeline in the attached Appendix to track the development of this legislation.
Events Leading to EMTALA
The initial discussion on EMTALA centers on patient dumping due to inability to pay as
the primary force behind the law. However, basic changes in the American health system, the
population, and hospital reimbursement constraints were also implemental in the development of
this law. Five factors in this development are discussed below.
Function of Hospitals
Historically, the primary function of hospitals was to provide care for the poor. However,
before the 1980s, this function slowly changed. Hospital care and the shape of the American
health care system evolved and hospitals became the hub of care for all individuals (Dollinger,
2015). This change increased the demand for and the cost of services, leading to the need for
hospitals to concentrate their efforts on paying patients to cover the expense (Dollinger, 2015).
Hill-Burton Requirements Expire
Before the enactment of EMTALA, the Hill-Burton Act of 1946 provided some
provisions for the treatment of low-income, uninsured patients. Hospitals agreed to provide care
for a portion of this population for twenty-five years or, at times, perpetually in exchange for
money to finance hospital improvements and construction. By the early 1980’s most hospitals
THE HISTORY OF EMTALA: A DISCUSSION
3
were aging out of the requirements of this Act (Friedman, 2011). This change allowed hospitals
to limit treatment to paying patients with little or no consequence.
Reports of Patient Dumping
Between 1980 and 1985, reports of patient dumping, including transferring patients in
unstable conditions and refusing care, rose sharply. Hospitals faced drastically rising costs and
increased demand for services as the population of under or uninsured individuals grew. Dr.
Larry Gage, who was the Emergency Department Director for Lakeland Memorial Hospital in
Dallas, Texas during this period, noted a high percentage of patients being transferred to this
hospital in unstable conditions (Friedman, 2011). The number of these occurrences grew and was
eventually broadcast to the public by the CBS Network (Friedman, 2011).
Passage of Medicare Prospective Payment Systems
The Medicare Prospective Payment System changed Medicare reimbursement rates for
hospitals. This system, established in 1983, changed reimbursements from a fee-for-service
system to a system in which hospitals received a set amount of money for the treatment of a
specific problem or diagnosis regardless of the patient’s length of stay or treatment activities
(RAND Corporation, 2015). This change placed further financial strain on hospitals as they
attempted to continue to cover rising costs with lesser reimbursement. An underlying concern
was that hospitals would choose to provide fewer services than necessary for Medicare patients.
For this reason, the EMTALA Act was established to help protect Medicare patients, not only
indigent patients (Friedman, 2011).
CBS Network Broadcast
On March 17, 1985, the CBS Network broadcast a 60 Minutes episode entitled “The
Billfold Biopsy” (Friedman, 2011). The episode brought to public attention the crisis involving
THE HISTORY OF EMTALA: A DISCUSSION
4
inadequate care for those without the ability to pay for emergency care. While this broadcast
centered around the dumping of patients at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas, the
implications were widespread. This broadcast is a key event in that it recognized the growth of
the problem publicly.
Conclusion
In conclusion, EMTALA was enacted to ensure access to emergency care for those
individuals who lacked payment sources for that care. On the surface, it appears that legislation
was spurred only by instances in which this care was denied. However, on review, it is noted that
the roots of the legislation were established many years prior with the developmental changes in
the general health care system. The evolution of this system to a point of hospitals becoming the
center of care set the stage for future events leading to the law. Reimbursements changes and a
growing indigent population were also key factors. Finally, the public identification of patient
dumping and inadequate care as a problem brought to public attention the need for change. These
events culminated in the passage of EMTALA in 1986.
THE HISTORY OF EMTALA: A DISCUSSION
References
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (2015). Retrieved from
https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-Guidance/Legislation/EMTALA/
Dollinger, T. (2015). America’s unraveling safety net: EMTALA’S effect on emergency
departments, problems, and solutions. Marquette Law Review, 98(4), 1759-1803.
Friedman, E. (2011, April). The law that changed everything and it isn’t the one you think.
Hospitals & Health Networks. Retrieved from www.hhnmag.com/articles/5010-the-lawthat-changed-everything-and-it-isn-t-the-one-you-think
RAND Corporation. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.rand.org/pubs/research-briefs/RB45191/index1.html
Appendix
5
THE HISTORY OF EMTALA: A DISCUSSION
6
EMTALA Timeline
History to
1980s
• Hospitals Become the Hub of Care
Early 1980s
• Hill-Burton Requirements Expire
1980-1985
• Reports of Patient Dumping Rise
1983
• Medicare Prospective Payment System Established
1985
• CBS “The Billfold Biopsy” Broadcast
1986
• EMTALA Enacted
Note. Information retrieved from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (2015),
Dollinger (2015), Friedman (2011), and the RAND Corporation (2015).
…
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