Running head: Health Laws

Health Law and Regulations
Clay Hyde
University of Phoenix
HCS-545
Cheryl Bly
April 16, 2012

Health Law and Regulations Paper

Federal regulatory agencies have been created over the life of the United States to deal with specific issues that affect citizens of all states or industries that engage in business across state boundaries. Federal regulatory agencies generate and enforce rules (eHow Money, 2012). The law dictates their work. Regulatory agencies enforce federal laws and generate rules. These rules are necessary for effective enforcement.
There has been a challenge of rapidly rising costs in relation to qualify of outcomes. We have an insurance system that is costly and inadequate for those who really need it. We are faced with the high cost of new technology along with artificial restrictions on the supply of drugs. We also have uninformed or unnecessary needy consumers. These are some of the issues faced. The government is involved but there involvement is with controlling the drugs and insurance and medical industry advertising. This form of spending would bring costs down.
The purpose of this paper is to take a closer look at the health care regulatory agency, The Center for Disease Control. The Center for Disease Control creates tools to protect the health of people. They educate on prevention of disease, injury and disability. They work on preparing the public for new health threats. They detect and investigate health problems; conduct research to enhance prevention; foster safe and healthful environment and provide leadership and training. Some of the top requested diseases and conditions that the Center for Disease Control educate on are ADHD, heart disease, obesity, sexually transmitted diseases, diabetes, strokes and many others. Disease trends affect the delivery of health care services. There have been recent health challenges. Many Americans are unsatisfied with their health and face rising out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare. Obesity is growing at alarming rates. Scares over tainted spinach and tomatoes have increased concern about food and safety. Use of influenza vaccines in high-risk groups is still limited. Preparations for and clean up after hurricanes have surfaced challenges in cleaning up mold. Asthma rates in inner city children are high. Of the $2.3 trillion that the United States spends on health care per year, only about five percent goes to prevent disease, injury and disability. The Center for Disease Control compares vaccines to each other. They evaluate drugs. They look at the different approaches to healthy behaviors and environments, and then they compare the approaches to see if the health systems are strong and if they influence health (Mercer, 2012).
The Center for Disease Control faces laws and regulations. One law is the Poison Control Center laws. One of the Centers for Disease Controls features is Unintentional Poisoning. Every day, more than eighty people die from unintentional poisoning. Unintentional poisoning deaths are on the rise in the United States increasing by one-hundred forty-five percent from 1999 to 2007 (Center for Disease Control). Certain groups of people are more at risk. Those groups include men, Native Americans, and people between the ages of forty-five and forty-nine. March twenty thru the twenty-six, two thousand and eleven is Poison Prevention Week. This is a time for the public to take steps to keep themselves and those they care about safe from unintentional poisoning. According to the Institute of Medicine, every dollar spent on poison control center services saves seven dollars in medical spending. Over seventy percent of poisonings are treated by poison control centers over the phone, with advice given by trained pharmacists and registered nurses. There are fewer emergency room visits and ambulance calls since people are able to receive advice over the phone. Fewer hospital admissions are necessary. Local hospitals were once the primary source for funding for poison control centers. Hospital budgets experienced cutbacks. Hospitals and health care providers are among the primary users of poison control centers. The Poison Control Center laws affect the provider, hospital clinics and or insurers because the center provides treatment advice, poisoning information and poison prevention education to the public and health care professionals. The Poison Control Center has a multilingual interpreter in one hundred and sixty one languages for those who call the 1-800 numbers (Mercer, 2012).
Another law and regulation currently faced by the Center for Disease Control is Health Information Privacy (HIPAA). The HIPAA Privacy Rule provides federal protections for personal health information held by covered entities and gives patients an array of rights with respect to that information. All of us believe our medical and other health information is private. Most of us believe our health information should be protected. We want to know who has that information. The privacy gives a person rights over his health information and sets rules and limits on who can look at it. This is a federal law. Health plans and most health care providers must follow these laws. There are organizations that do not have to follow the Privacy and Security Rules. Those organizations include life insurers, employers, many schools, school districts, and many law enforcement agencies. Other organizations are included (HIPPA, 2012).
Most times when we think of poisoning, we think of humans. Animals are also poisoned. There is an Animal Poison Control Center. This center has been the premier animal poison control center in North America. Twenty-five veterinarians staff it, including nine board certified veterinary toxicologist and thirteen certified veterinary technicians. They are familiar with how different species respond to poisons. They understand how to properly manage these poisonings. There was a reported case of animal poisoning. A cat owner contacted the Safe Haven because his three cats had been euthanized at the emergency vet clinic. The cats tested positive for ethylene glycol, the deadly chemical found in antifreeze. The owner first thought the poisoning was accidental. His neighbor worked on cars and they cats may have gotten into it. He later found out that his neighbor, who was irritated by the cats trespassing in his yard, poisoned the cats. The Safe Haven helped the pet owner and caused the neighbor to be arrested on animal cruelty charges (Mercer, 2012).
An example of a case involving the Poison Control Center tells about a Memphis, TN couple. A couple called the Poison Control Center when they thought their two-year-old son may have gotten into some medicine. One would think that was the right thing to do. Well, it did not work so well for this Memphis couple. The poison control center called Social Services, and the couple's two children were taken into temporary protective custody. No further information could be given on the case.
I have had the opportunity to see a case in my local community at my local church where the Center for Disease Control was contacted. A young twenty-one year somehow contacted tetanus. Tetanus is a serious bacterial disease that affects your nervous system, leading to painful muscle contractions, particularly of your jaw and neck muscles. Tetanus can interfere with your ability to breathe and ultimately, threaten your life. Cases are rare in the United States. The doctors first thought it might be tetanus, but later discounted it because they had not treated a case before because it was so rare. The Center for Disease Control told the young woman's parents that her case was the first reported case in the United States in 2011. We do not know how she caught tetanus. We watched her go from a vibrant young adult to one who is weak and experienced body spasms. The Center for Disease Control has been instrumental in this case. She is slowly making a recovery. She is a walking miracle. We are thankful for the Center for Disease Control who does research on diseases and treatments of things such as tetanus to keep the public safe. The Center for Disease Control helps the public to maintain good health. They educate. The research the center does saves lives. We are fortunate to live in a country that has such a center.

References

eHow Money (2012). What are Governmental Regulatory Agencies. Retrieved from http://www.ehowmoney.com. Mercer, S. L. M. PhD. D (2012). The Guide to Community Preventive Services National
Center for Health Marketing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Poison Control Center Laws (2010). NCSL National Conference of State Legislatures, ( ).
.U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ( ) Health Information Privacy. Retrieved from http://www.hhs.gov. Center for Disease Control. (2012 ). Unintentional Poisoning: Keep Yourself and Others Safe.
Retrieved from http://www.cdc.com.