HRM FPX 5401 Assessment 1 The Foundation of Law and Ethics in Healthcare

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Capella University

HRM-FPX5401 The Legal, Ethical, and Regulatory Environment of Health Care

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Date

The Foundation of Law and Ethics in Healthcare

This lecture aims to establish the fundamental principles of law and ethics that form the basis of human resource practices at Vila Health. It provides a practical perspective on how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) influences our organization. By contextualizing the legal, ethical, and regulatory landscape of healthcare, this presentation seeks to equip HR professionals with essential skills for navigating complex moral dilemmas, as outlined by the SHRM Body of Competency Knowledge. This framework acknowledges the critical role HR professionals play in making significant ethical decisions within intricate environments (SHRM, 2018). Newly appointed HR professionals will gain valuable insights into the legal and ethical principles that underpin human resource policies within their organization.

The delivery of healthcare is shaped by various factors, including regulatory environments, industry structures, and payer systems. The regulatory environment establishes standards, controls costs, and safeguards patient rights. The industry structure comprises multiple stakeholders, such as hospitals, private practices, insurance companies, pharmaceutical firms, and technology providers. This structure can lead to reduced competition, increased costs, and a decline in the quality of care. Payer systems, including private insurance and government-funded programs like Medicare and Medicaid, dictate access to care, service coverage, and reimbursement rates, potentially resulting in disparities in care quality based on income or employment status. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), enacted in 2010, was designed to address these challenges by expanding access to health insurance, controlling costs, and enhancing care quality. The ACA serves as a legal framework that tackles systemic issues by broadening coverage and striving to contain costs, collectively shaping the healthcare delivery landscape.

Assessment of the PPACA

The PPACA represents a comprehensive healthcare reform initiative. The law, introduced in March 2010, aimed to achieve three primary objectives (ASPA, 2022):

Families with incomes at or below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) can access affordable health insurance, with eligibility extending to those earning up to four times the FPL.
Although Medicaid expansion is an option for states, not all states provide access to this program for adults whose income falls below a specific threshold, which is set at 138% of the FPL.
The law promotes medical treatment aimed at reducing healthcare costs.

Healthcare systems face numerous ethical challenges. Pozgar (2020) notes that ethical theories help organize individuals’ thoughts about life and actions, providing a foundation for moral analysis and guiding effective decision-making. The following points will explore commonly discussed ethical theories in relation to the PPACA.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) can be analyzed through various ethical frameworks, each offering distinct insights into its ethical validity. Key perspectives include utilitarianism, deontological ethics, Rawlsian justice, virtue ethics, social contract theory, and principlism. Utilitarianism suggests that the best action is one that maximizes overall happiness or well-being. The ACA’s provisions, such as reducing the number of uninsured Americans, enhancing healthcare access, and ensuring affordability, align with utilitarian principles. Deontological ethics, particularly Kantian ethics, emphasizes fairness, justice, and the respect of individual rights.

Rawlsian justice, as articulated by John Rawls, seeks to arrange social and economic inequalities to benefit the least advantaged members of society. The ACA can be evaluated based on its efforts to improve the health and economic status of disadvantaged groups through Medicaid expansion and subsidies that make health insurance more affordable. Virtue ethics focuses on cultivating good character traits and emphasizes moral virtues such as compassion, empathy, and justice. Social contract theory, proposed by philosophers like Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, assesses the legitimacy of laws and policies based on hypothetical agreements among individuals in society. Principlism, commonly applied in biomedical ethics, encompasses four key principles: autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. Each ethical theory highlights different aspects of the ACA’s societal impact, aiding in the assessment of its moral and ethical legitimacy in promoting health equity and the well-being of the population.

HRM FPX 5401 Assessment 1 The Foundation of Law and Ethics in Healthcare

The future of public healthcare in the U.S. is anticipated to be influenced by regulatory reforms, technological advancements, and changing societal needs. Key factors include adjustments in the regulatory environment, innovations in technology, a focus on preventive care, efforts to address health disparities, the integration of behavioral health services with primary care, preparedness for public health emergencies, financial sustainability, and community involvement and advocacy. Regulatory frameworks will evolve to enhance cost-efficiency, improve patient outcomes, and ensure accountability. Technological innovations, such as telemedicine, artificial intelligence, and electronic health records, will play a crucial role in transforming healthcare delivery. Preventive strategies, including regular screenings and vaccinations, are expected to become more prevalent, potentially reducing disease incidence and healthcare costs.

Addressing Social Determinants of Health

Addressing social determinants of health, including income, education, and living conditions, is essential for improving overall health outcomes. Financial sustainability will be vital, with innovative payment models and community engagement ensuring that the healthcare system remains accessible, effective, and economically viable. The healthcare sector is multifaceted and dynamic, necessitating effective communication strategies. This field presents a complex landscape characterized by regulatory demands, employee needs, and the imperative to deliver high-quality patient care.

This essay explores the importance of communication for HR professionals in healthcare, emphasizing the significance of clarity, tone, and style, as well as adherence to organizational standards, professionalism, and scholarly considerations. By taking these elements into account, HR professionals can effectively communicate their objectives within the organization. The communication approach in healthcare HR is multifaceted, involving interactions among employees, management, patients, and external stakeholders. Effective communication plays a crucial role in conflict resolution, enhancing employee relations, and supporting training and development initiatives.

The impact of effective communication on organizational performance and patient satisfaction is significant, particularly in an industry where errors can have serious consequences. Preventing misunderstandings in healthcare, especially among individuals with diverse educational and professional backgrounds, is critical to ensuring patient safety and compliance with regulations. Establishing clear expectations and providing feedback are essential for employee performance and development, facilitating effective communication.

HRM FPX 5401 Assessment 1 The Foundation of Law and Ethics in Healthcare

Both the manner and style of communication are of great importance. Building trust and rapport can be achieved by tailoring the tone and style to the audience’s preferences and the context, which are vital for effective HR management. Presenting evidence of successful communication strategies from other organizations or citing relevant studies can help stakeholders recognize the benefits of new policies. Evidence-based communication is crucial for informed decision-making and justifying actions in healthcare, particularly when decisions carry significant implications.

Professional communication necessitates a commitment to organizational standards. In organizations focused on patient-centered care, HR communications should highlight the importance of empathy, teamwork, and continuous improvement. Consistent messaging fosters team unity and aligns employees with the organization’s objectives. Written communication from HR personnel must be professional and free from errors. Incorporating scholarly writing standards involves using credible sources, proper citations, and a structured approach to presenting information.

HR personnel in the healthcare sector often need to convey complex information, such as changes in healthcare legislation or the introduction of new technologies. Adhering to scholarly writing practices ensures that the information shared is factual, insightful, and coherent. This is particularly important when engaging with healthcare professionals who require evidence-based information for decision-making.

HR professionals can enhance their communication skills through training, equipping them with the tools necessary to interact effectively with colleagues and patients. While communication is a critical aspect of healthcare, HR personnel face several challenges, including managing a diverse workforce, improving crisis communication, and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.

The Impact of Effective Communication

Effective communication is essential in healthcare human resources (HR). It fosters a positive organizational culture, leading employees to feel valued and understood. Furthermore, strong communication practices help mitigate risks, ensure compliance, and safeguard the organization’s reputation. HR professionals in the healthcare sector must possess excellent communication skills, which involve conveying a clear sense of purpose, utilizing appropriate language and style, providing evidence, and adhering to organizational, professional, or scholarly writing standards. The effectiveness of communication is influenced by the organizational culture, employee motivation, and the quality of patient care.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has significantly transformed healthcare delivery in the United States. By enhancing access to health insurance, improving care quality, and lowering costs, the ACA seeks to tackle some of the most urgent challenges within the healthcare system. Analyzing the ACA through various ethical theories offers a deeper insight into its moral implications and the values it embodies.

Looking to the future, public healthcare in the United States will be shaped by a variety of factors, including political, economic, and technological changes. For HR professionals in healthcare, it is vital to communicate these complex issues effectively and to contribute to ongoing efforts aimed at improving healthcare delivery and outcomes.

References

Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (ASPA). (2022, March 17). About the Affordable Care Act. Retrieved from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: https://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/about-the-aca/index.htm

Pozgar, G. D. (2020). Legal and ethical essentials of health care administration (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.