FOR THE GRADE TRANSFORMER!!!!!!

Running head: CONTROLLED SUBTANCES ACT 1

CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT 1

CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT

Author’s name

Institution

Course Title

Date

Safer Prescribing of Controlled Substances Act

I represent the government of the United States in the healthcare sector. As a government official who oversees healthcare facilities to ensure that they are in accordance with the rules and regulations issued by the government, I am responsible for the overall health of both the in and out patients. The policy brief presents a bill which amends a covered practitioner to conduct research of controlled substances in schedule II, III, IV or IV to complete training that the Department of Health and Human Services consider as requirements which are supposed to be met by healthcare practitioners (Civic Impulse, 2016). This training is required to expose practitioners to; responsible prescription of pain medications, best practices towards pain management, methods of diagnosing, alternatives to prescribing controlled substances, treatment, and managing substance use disorders including ways of linking patients to evidence-based treatment as well as evidence-based nonpharmacological therapies. Comment by Stephanie Cabrera: In the rubric it states not to use first person. The paper has to be written in third person please! I’M NOT SURE IF 4 EVIDENCE BASED INTERVENTIONS WERE USED. I HAVE TO FIND 4 DIFFERENT INTERVENTIONS THAT COULD EFFECT THE BILL IF THE INTERVENTION WAS IMPLEMENTED. WE HAVE TO USE DATABASES SUCH AS CINAHL OR MEDLINE TO FIND THIS! REFER BACK TO RUBRIC PLEASE I THINK ITS BETTER TO REPRESENT THE STATE BOARD OF NURSING INSTEAD OF GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL PLEASE AND THANK YOU. Comment by Stephanie Cabrera:

History Comment by Stephanie Cabrera: The titles have to be centered. I believe level II is towards the left? I don’t recall

The quality of healthcare is dependent on the quality of practitioners in the healthcare field. Healthcare practitioners must be knowledgeable of the several classes of controlled substances as well as the potential for abuse in any of these classes. To ensure patient safety and to minimize incidences of abuse, evidence-based prescription practices should be used when using opioid medication to treat pain. For practitioners to effectively complete their education, they have to be authorized to prescribe controlled substances.

Evidence-based guidelines

In the United States, guidelines act as a measure of quality in any particular sector. Professional societies, cooperative groups and government panels. Evidence-based guidelines in the healthcare department provide transparency on how healthcare funds are used as well as helping in the allocation of resources. For healthcare practitioners, evidence-based guidelines provide a summary of relevant literature which provides assistance during diagnosis, treatment to use, when and how to discharge patients and other aspects of clinical studies. Evidence-based guidelines from past medical mistakes and the past loss of lives due to medical mistakes have provided insight into why this particular bill is of use to medical practitioners and the patients as well. It is estimated that about 98,000 patients lose their lives every year as a result of mistakes made by, medical practitioners. This is equal to about 1,000 lives lost every day. As a result, the government officials in charge of healthcare have been forced to aim towards making the medical sector safe and trustworthy to patients who come seeking to regain their health. Comment by Stephanie Cabrera: CITATION TO BACK UP THIS INFORMATION?

Legislatively, the healthcare practitioner has several laws, which surround it. A healthcare practitioner must ensure that he/she is knowledgeable enough and licensed by the state to provide medical services. Administering medical services to unsuspecting citizens without having the relevant knowledge about a disease is subject to prosecution. Many lives have been lost because of the mistakes made by doctors. Most of the time, the relatives of these patients do not sue doctors for such occurrences. Additionally, every year, the government spends between $19-$29 billion dollars on medical mistakes, which lead to the loss of lives of many patients. A loss of life for patients is equal to a loss of revenue for the government and consequently, a loss in work force. The country also spends an approximated $14 billion every year in improving the technology related to health (Sophie, 2013). Comment by Stephanie Cabrera: CAN YOU INCLUDE MORE CITATIONS THROUGHOUT THE PARAGRAPH?

Senator Markey Edward, the senator for Massachusetts in May 2015, proposed this bill. It was proposed in the Health Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. According to this senator, this bill was in response to the increase in the number of deaths, which was backed by a lack of effective expertise in the medical field. Senator Edward perceived the gap in the medical field and sponsored the bill to see an increase in the quality of healthcare that the practitioners were offering to the patients. The loss of lives as a result of mistakes made by doctors had cost the country a lot of money, and practitioners needed exposure to the relevant knowledge and skills that they could use to provide proper and accurate medical treatment to those that needed the healthcare services. Comment by Stephanie Cabrera: I’M CONFUSED. I HAVE TO TALK ABOUT BILL H.R 3889?

Social factors surrounding the bill

This bill aims at bringing quality healthcare for all patients irrespective of their social class. It aims at maximizing equity in the healthcare department. Medical practitioners who are better equipped will ensure that efficient medical care is availed to all patients irrespective of their backgrounds. Comment by Stephanie Cabrera: I NEED CITATION TO BACK UP THIS INFORMATION

Economic factors

This bill aims at reducing the national budget on matters related to medical mistakes. Since medical mistakes cost the government close to $29 billion every year, improving the skills and knowledge of medical practitioners (Sophie, 2013). Additionally, better skills will lead to a reduction in the cost of healthcare since the availability of proper medical care will lower the frequencies by which patients have to visit hospitals to discover the illnesses they are suffering from.

Ethical factors

It is ethically unacceptable to cause a patient's health either directly or indirectly due to the lack of knowledge by a healthcare practitioner. Patients who come to practitioners for treatment put their lives in the hands of these healthcare practitioners. It is therefore very unprofessional for any healthcare practitioner to justify a patient's death on lack in knowledge. This bill, therefore, amends the ethical issues arising from the lack of knowledge amongst practitioners which results in the regular deaths of patients Comment by Stephanie Cabrera: I NEED CITATION TO BACK UP THIS INFORMATION

Legal factors

The medical field is governed by specific legal aspects, which aim at ensuring that the patients are not manipulated or treated harshly. Every healthcare facility has to register with the state and the federal government before offering its services to the citizens. Without legal consent, a healthcare facility cannot operate. Additionally, doctors and patient each have a legal responsibility to fulfill regarding offering services and issuing of payment Comment by Stephanie Cabrera: I NEED CITATION TO BACK UP THIS INFORMATION!

Political factors Comment by Stephanie Cabrera: I NEED CITATION TO BACK THIS UP

Political factors determine the legal factors, which in turn guide healthcare services issued to patients. The government officials ensure that the rules and regulations governing healthcare are followed to the latter. They ensure that all healthcare providers follow the laws guiding the healthcare sector and the regulations.

Policy intervention Options

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration should support or establish the establishment of one free, online training module that meets the requirements to be provided to any covered practitioner registered or applying for registration (Safer Prescribing of Controlled Substances Act)

The Better Care, Lower Cost Act Comment by Stephanie Cabrera: THE BILL’S POINT IS ABOUT CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR PRACTITIONERS, NOT LOWERING HEALTHCARE COSTS. THIS INFORMATION IS NOT RELEVANT TO THE BILL. I NEED 4 DIFFERENT INTERVENTIONS FOR THIS PAPER FOUND THROUGH CINAHL DATABASE OR MEDLINE OR ANY OTHER MEDICAL/NURSING DATABASE.

This policy aims at lowering the costs of healthcare for older chronic patients and at the same time availing better services and care for them (Better Care, Lower Cost Act, 2015). It aims at providing an opportunity for chronic patients to get healthcare early enough or managing their health situations.

Proposed Recommendation.

Directing or assisting the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services to conduct training to ensure every practitioner receives the same information. This is essential to make prescribing controlled substances safer for both the prescribers and the patients.

Incorporating updated information into the curriculum of student healthcare providers. This will ensure that students aspiring to be doctors or nurses in future get the relevant knowledge and skills, which they need before they begin practicing as health professionals.

Nursing Implications

This bill has been of importance to nurses and doctors since it has assisted in the acquisition of more and relevant knowledge, expertise, and skills, which promote the quality of services issued by doctors and nurses. With the onset of this bill, more lives can be saved which would have otherwise been lost. This bill together with other bills play an important role in ensuring that the health sector is competitive and that patients get the healthcare that they deserve and which they have paid for.

Secondly, patients stand to gain the increase in quality services as well as a better quality life. The bill comes with a decrease in mortality rates to the increase in medical knowledge and expertise, which comes with the knowledge of illnesses and diseases before they become worse. The frequency at which patients will go to the hospital also reduces over time as expertise increases. This bill, therefore, improves the health of individuals as well as ensuring that individuals stay out of hospitals.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this medical bill promotes the health of the public and ensures that quality is ensured in the health department. Many healthcare policies and Acts have been suggested to increase the quality of healthcare expertise. This is particularly interesting because it enhances a boost in knowledge and expertise of the healthcare practitioners. As a government official who is actively involved in the provision of healthcare, I will ensure that this bill is activated in all healthcare facilities and that healthcare personnel takes into consideration the facts presented by this bill. With the increasing number of patients developing chronic illnesses, it is essential for doctors to up their game and become better at providing their services to patients in need. There must be consistency in the healthcare sector in the manner in which medical services are provided to patients in need. The federal and state government must spearhead the implementation of recommendations in the health department. Comment by Stephanie Cabrera: MAKE SURE TO CHANGE TO THIRD PERSON PLEASE, NOT FIRST PERSON!

References

Better Care, Lower Cost Act. H.R.4878 - 114th Congress (2015-2016)

Blakemore, Sophie. (2013) "Patients' Complaints Not Used To Improve Practice." Nursing Older People 25.5: 5-5. Web. Comment by Stephanie Cabrera: THERE HAS TO BE INDENTATIONS AFTER THE SECOND LINE. IF YOU CAN FIND THE 4 INTERVENTIONS NEEDED FOR THIS BILL PLEASE

Civic Impulse. (2016). H.R. 3889 — 114th Congress: Safer Prescribing of Controlled Substances Act. Retrieved from https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/hr3889

Safer Prescribing of Controlled Substances Act, H.R 3889 114th Cong. (2015)