Assignment: Legislation  Grid

Assignment: Legislation  Grid

Assignment: Legislation  Grid

Maternal healthcare is one of the determinants of the quality, safety and efficiency of health in a state. The US is one of the most developed countries in the world. It is therefore expected to have the lowest maternal mortality and morbidity rates in the world. However, statistics show that the rates of maternal mortality and morbidity in the US are significantly high. Consequently, this paper explores a proposed policy that aims at reducing the current rates and trends in maternal mortality and morbidity in the USA.

Health-related Bill Name	Recognizing The Maternal Health Crisis In The United States And The Importance Of Reducing Mortality And Morbidity Among All Women And Honoring Mothers
Bill Number	H.Res.539
Description	Maternal mortality and morbidity is a critical issue affecting the United States of America. The statistics presented in the bill shows that despite being a developed nation, America has the highest rate of maternal mortality and morbidity. The statistics also show that the risk for maternal mortality and morbidity is significantly elevated among women from ethnic minority groups when compared to the American natives. Women also experience challenges in their maternal care such as mistreatment that degrade their self-identity and autonomy. Based on the above maternal health-related issues, the Recognizing The Maternal Health Crisis In The United States And The Importance Of Reducing Mortality And Morbidity Among All Women And Honoring Mothers Act was proposed for implementation. The act seeks to address the issue by focusing on a number of aspects related to maternal health. Firstly, it seeks to raise the awareness of the public about maternal morbidity, mortality and the existence of disparities in maternal health-related outcomes. The bill also seeks to encourage states, Federal Government, territories, local communications and healthcare organizations among other stakeholders to take interventions that reduce the risk and rate of adverse maternal health outcomes as well as improve maternal safety. The other aims of the act include addressing and eliminating disparities in maternal health outcomes, ensuring the provision of equitable and respectively maternal care, honoring mothers who have died due to pregnancy-related complications, and supporting the collection of data on maternal morbidity and mortality. It also supports the need for further investment efforts to enhance maternal health and health outcomes as well as eliminate disparities in maternal healthcare.
Federal or State?	Federal
Legislative Intent	The legislative intent of the act is to recognize the seriousness of maternal morbidity and mortality issues in the US. The act also seeks to raise the awareness of the public and other stakeholders on the need to prevent maternal morbidity and mortality. Further, the act aims at ensuring the disparities in outcomes of maternal health are eliminated. Lastly, it aims at ensuring that mothers and pregnant women receive respectful care that meets their health needs.
Proponents/ Opponents	Proponents: They include Reps. Underwood Lauren, Kelly Robin, Spanberger Abigail Davis, Wexton Jennifer, and Adams Alma.
	Opponents: none
Target Population	The primary beneficiaries of the proposed bill are pregnant women and mothers. It also includes women from ethnic minorities. The secondary target population includes healthcare providers, policymakers, and communities.
Status of the bill (Is it in hearings or committees?)	The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
General Notes/Comments	The proposed bill is a crucial bill that should be adopted in the US. The need for the bill is attributed to the high rate of maternal mortality and morbidity rates in the USA. Its implementation would therefore support the provision of care that addresses the needs of pregnant women and mothers from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Advocacy Statement

Maternal mortality and morbidity is a critical issue in the US despite it being a developed nation (Collier & Molina, 2019; Joseph et al., 2021). For example, statistics show that 60% of the maternal mortalities reported in the US are preventable. In addition, the risk of women of ethnic minority groups such as African American and American Indians dying from pregnancy related complications is three times that of the White women. Women also experience different forms of mistreatment, as they receive their needed maternal healthcare (Morton et al., 2019). Therefore, the proposed bill should be adopted in the USA to address the identified issues. The bill will increase the maternal health outcomes as well as the quality of care mothers and pregnant women receive (Congress.gov, 2021). Through the bill, the USA will rank among the world’s leading nations with lowest maternal mortality and morbidity rates. I will address the opponents in my position by presenting facts above the severity of the issue of maternal mortalities and morbidities in the US. I will also provide the socioeconomic implications of maternal mortalities and morbidities to the state. For example, I will explore the cost implications of the issue to the American economy and families.

Assignment: Legislation  Grid Conclusion

The US currently has a high rate of maternal mortality and morbidity. Significant disparities exist in maternal health outcomes due to ethnicity of the mothers and pregnant women. The proposed bill is important in ensuring equity in maternal healthcare and adoption of best practices to reduce and prevent maternal mortalities and morbidities. Therefore, it should be implemented to promote public health.

Assignment: Legislation  Grid References

Collier, A. Y., & Molina, R. L. (2019). Maternal Mortality in the United States: Updates on Trends, Causes, and Solutions. NeoReviews, 20(10), e561–e574. https://doi.org/10.1542/neo.20-10-e561

Morton, C. H., VanOtterloo, L. R., Seacrist, M. J., & Main, E. K. (2019). Translating Maternal Mortality Review Into Quality Improvement Opportunities in Response to Pregnancy-Related Deaths in California. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing, 48(3), 252–262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogn.2019.03.003

Joseph, K. S., Boutin, A., Lisonkova, S., Muraca, G. M., Razaz, N., John, S., … & Schisterman, E. (2021). Maternal Mortality in the United States: Recent Trends, Current Status, and Future Considerations. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 137(5), 763. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000004361

Congress.gov. (2021, July 19). Text – H.Res.539 – 117th Congress (2021-2022): Recognizing the maternal health crisis in the United States and the importance of reducing mortality and morbidity among all women, and honoring mothers. (2021/2022) [Legislation]. https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-resolution/539/text

Legislation Grid Template

Nurses experience events and situations that motivate them to assume the advocacy role in hopes of influencing policies, regulations, and laws related to healthcare and care provision. To do so, they have to enter into the less familiar political and policy making spheres to demonstrate their interests by evaluating proposed bills and their overall effects on the target health populations, the nursing profession and the healthcare industry at large. The purpose of this assignment is to review a selected health-related bill that has been proposed in Congress and complete the Legislation Grid Template to determine its intent, proponents and opponents, the target population and issue an advocacy statement or testimony.

Click here to ORDER NOW FOR AN ORIGINAL PAPER ASSIGNMENT:  Assignment: Legislation  Grid

Health-related Bill Name	Mobile Health Record Act of 2019
Bill Number	H.R.1390
Description	Mobile Health Record Act of 2019 was introduced in the house on February 27, 2019 and was sponsored by Susan Brook, the house representative from the fifth Congressional District in Indiana. The bill’s co-sponsors include Yvettte Clarke the New York representative of 9th Congressional District, Levine Mike from California, Schweikert David from Arizona and Gottheimer Josh from New Jersey.The proposal mandates the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to develop a program, which ensures Medicare enrollees link their data using reliable applications, services and research initiative. The bill also requires enrollees to access information using a mobile health record application of their choice and one that is approved by the CMS and meets the specified requirements. The CMS must make such information accessible to such applications as stipulated by the current Blue Button 2.0 program. The proposed legislation also mandates federal payments to states that opt to develop or purchase similar applications for the enrollees.
Federal or State?	Federal
Legislative Intent	The legislative intends to change the Social Security Act with the aim of offering benefits from part A or part B of the Medicare programs. These include individuals who enroll in state programs under Medicaid. The bill will empower the beneficiaries to access personal medical data that comprises of prescribed medicines, their diagnoses, providers and tests through the use of their selected mobile health records applications.
Proponents/ Opponents	Proponents:Proponents of the bill include the representatives introducing and supporting it, healthcare providers like nurses and physicians, software development companies and startups, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
	Opponents: Opponents may include insurance companies that have always had the monopoly to offer consultancy services to the beneficiaries.
Target Population	Medicare and Medicaid Enrollees
Status of the bill (Is it in hearings or committees?)	The sponsor introduced the bill in Congress in 2019. The bill went to the respective Committee on Energy and Commerce. The bill is currently in the Committee of Ways and Means’ subcommittee on Health. Lastly, while the bill has received substantial amount of coverage, it is still new and at the committee stage.
General Notes/Comments	The need to expand access to health care, especially for older Americans and individuals with chronic conditions, is essential as the country continues to battle pandemics like the Coronavirus disease of 2020. The use of health information technology models like mobile health expands access, particularly to underserved and susceptible populations. Therefore, the bill seeks to enhance access to information and allow individuals to have effective management and involvement in their health decisions (Bouayad et al., 2017). By allowing Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries to access personal health information through mobile applications, the bill expands care and individual autonomy to make decisions.

Part 2: Legislation Testimony/Advocacy Statement

Access to healthcare remains one of the primary goals of various administrations, especially at a time when the country and the world are dealing with a resurgence of COVID-19 cases caused by the Delta variant. Healthcare costs continue to rise, particularly for low-income families and racial and ethnic minorities. Implementing various interventions, such as the Mobile Health Records Act of 2019, will ensure that these people have access to healthcare at an affordable cost. The bill focuses on improving individual access to care information through the use of novel technology. Dameff et al. (2019) argue in their study that the use of mobile health records platforms can improve health delivery and outcomes. The authors stress the importance of adopting health information technology models to improve overall care delivery, particularly access to personal health records.

Priority one for this strategy should be to see if it can enhance outcomes for patients while also keeping costs down and service standards high (Snezana et al., 2020). Electronic health records and the expansion of Internet platforms and smart technologies have resulted in a smooth flow of crucial clinical information among care organizations and healthcare practitioners (Harahap et al., 2021). Patients will be more involved in making decisions about their treatment plans and actions if they are able to achieve the same level of personal empowerment.

Using this method, people will be better equipped to make well-informed decisions about their healthcare needs. Since these applications have not been proved to improve access and quality, opposition to this legislation is inevitable (Niazkhani et al., 2020). Looking at the effectiveness of models like electronic health records, telehealth, and telemedicine as well as artificial intelligence in healthcare can help solve such positions.

Assignment: Legislation  Grid Conclusion

The Mobile Health Records Act of 2019 is a mobile version of EHRs and should be passed and enacted into law to enhance access to care and reduce the overall costs. The use of such technologies will also enhance patients’ participation in their treatment plans and interventions and allow them to make better informed choices and decisions.

Assignment: Legislation  Grid References

Bouayad, L., Ialynytchev, A., & Padmanabhan, B. (2017). Patient health record

systems scope and functionalities: Literature review and future directions. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 19(11), e388.

doi: 10.2196/jmir.8073.

Congress.GOV. (2021). H.R.1390 – Mobile Health Record Act of 2019.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1390/committees

Dameff, C., Clay, B., Longhurst, C. A. (2019). Personal Health Records: More

Promising in the Smartphone Era? JAMA, 321(4):339-340.

doi: 10.1001/jama.2018.20434.

Harahap, N. C., Handayani, P. W., & Hidayanto, A. N. (2021). Functionalities and

issues in the implementation of personal health records: Systematic review. Journal of medical Internet research, 23(7), e26236.

doi: 10.2196/26236

Niazkhani, Z., Toni, E., Cheshmekaboodi, M., Georgiou, A., & Pirnejad, H.

(2020). Barriers to patient, provider, and caregiver adoption and use of electronic personal health records in chronic care: a systematic review. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 20(1), 1-36.

doi: 10.1186/s12911-020-01159-1

Snezana, S., Kilintzis, V., Jakimovski, B., Jolevski, I., Beredimas, N., Mourouzis,

A., … & Trajkovik, V. (2020, September). Cloud Based Personal Health Records Data Exchange in the Age of IoT: The Cross4all Project. In International Conference on ICT Innovations (pp. 28-41). Springer, Cham.

Many nurses encounter daily experiences that motivate them to take on an advocacy role in hopes of impacting policies, laws, or regulations that impact healthcare issues of interest. Of course, doing so means entering the less familiar world of policy and politics. While many nurses do not initially feel prepared to operate in this space effectively, the reward is the opportunity to shape and influence future health policy.

Click here to ORDER NOW FOR AN ORIGINAL PAPER ASSIGNMENT:  Assignment: Legislation  Grid

Nurses experience events and situations that motivate them to assume the advocacy role in hopes of influencing policies, regulations, and laws related to healthcare and care provision. To do so, they have to enter into the less familiar political and policy making spheres to demonstrate their interests by evaluating proposed bills and their overall effects on the target health populations, the nursing profession and the healthcare industry at large. The purpose of this assignment is to review a selected health-related bill that has been proposed in Congress and complete the Legislation Grid Template to determine its intent, proponents and opponents, the target population and issue an advocacy statement or testimony.

Health-related Bill Name	Mobile Health Record Act of 2019
Bill Number	H.R.1390
Description	Mobile Health Record Act of 2019 was introduced in the house on February 27, 2019 and was sponsored by Susan Brook, the house representative from the fifth Congressional District in Indiana. The bill’s co-sponsors include Yvettte Clarke the New York representative of 9th Congressional District, Levine Mike from California, Schweikert David from Arizona and Gottheimer Josh from New Jersey.The proposal mandates the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to develop a program, which ensures Medicare enrollees link their data using reliable applications, services and research initiative. The bill also requires enrollees to access information using a mobile health record application of their choice and one that is approved by the CMS and meets the specified requirements. The CMS must make such information accessible to such applications as stipulated by the current Blue Button 2.0 program. The proposed legislation also mandates federal payments to states that opt to develop or purchase similar applications for the enrollees.
Federal or State?	Federal
Legislative Intent	The legislative intends to change the Social Security Act with the aim of offering benefits from part A or part B of the Medicare programs. These include individuals who enroll in state programs under Medicaid. The bill will empower the beneficiaries to access personal medical data that comprises of prescribed medicines, their diagnoses, providers and tests through the use of their selected mobile health records applications.
Proponents/ Opponents	Proponents:Proponents of the bill include the representatives introducing and supporting it, healthcare providers like nurses and physicians, software development companies and startups, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
	Opponents: Opponents may include insurance companies that have always had the monopoly to offer consultancy services to the beneficiaries.
Target Population	Medicare and Medicaid Enrollees
Status of the bill (Is it in hearings or committees?)	The sponsor introduced the bill in Congress in 2019. The bill went to the respective Committee on Energy and Commerce. The bill is currently in the Committee of Ways and Means’ subcommittee on Health. Lastly, while the bill has received substantial amount of coverage, it is still new and at the committee stage.
General Notes/Comments	The need to expand access to health care, especially for older Americans and individuals with chronic conditions, is essential as the country continues to battle pandemics like the Coronavirus disease of 2020. The use of health information technology models like mobile health expands access, particularly to underserved and susceptible populations. Therefore, the bill seeks to enhance access to information and allow individuals to have effective management and involvement in their health decisions (Bouayad et al., 2017). By allowing Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries to access personal health information through mobile applications, the bill expands care and individual autonomy to make decisions.

Part 2: Legislation Testimony/Advocacy Statement

Access to healthcare remains one of the fundamental goals of different administrations, particularly at this time when the country and the world are battling a resurgence in COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant. The cost of healthcare continues to rise, particularly for those from low-income households and neighborhood and racial minorities. Initiating different interventions such as the introduction of Mobile Health Records Act of 2019 will ensure that these people can access healthcare at affordable cost. The bill focuses on improving access to care information at an individual level by using novel technology. In their study, Dameff et al. (2019) advance that the deployment of mobile health records platforms can enhance health delivery and outcomes. The authors emphasize the need to embrace health information technology models to enhance overall care delivery, particularly access to personal health records.

The main concern should be on whether the model through the provision of access to personal health information can improve care outcomes at the minimal cost while maintaining the quality of care service (Snezana et al., 2020). It is essential to know that the advent of electronic health records and expanded use of Internet platforms and smart technologies have led to seamless flow of critical clinical information among care organizations and providers (Harahap et al., 2021). Imperatively, if the same can be attained at a personal level, it will enhance patient involvement in decision making concerning their care plans and interventions.

The approach will also enhance individuals’ ability to make informed choices concerning the use of healthcare services. Opposition to this Act can only arise due to unproven status of such applications in improving access and quality of care (Niazkhani et al., 2020). Such positions can be addressed by looking at the success of models like the electronic health records, the use of telehealth and telemedicine, and even artificial intelligence in care provision and reducing the cost of healthcare.

Assignment: Legislation  Grid Conclusion

The Mobile Health Records Act of 2019 is a mobile version of EHRs and should be passed and enacted into law to enhance access to care and reduce the overall costs. The use of such technologies will also enhance patients’ participation in their treatment plans and interventions and allow them to make better informed choices and decisions.

Assignment: Legislation  Grid References

Bouayad, L., Ialynytchev, A., & Padmanabhan, B. (2017). Patient health record

systems scope and functionalities: Literature review and future directions. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 19(11), e388.

doi: 10.2196/jmir.8073.

Congress.GOV. (2021). H.R.1390 – Mobile Health Record Act of 2019.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1390/committees

Dameff, C., Clay, B., Longhurst, C. A. (2019). Personal Health Records: More

Promising in the Smartphone Era? JAMA, 321(4):339-340.

doi: 10.1001/jama.2018.20434.

Harahap, N. C., Handayani, P. W., & Hidayanto, A. N. (2021). Functionalities and

issues in the implementation of personal health records: Systematic review. Journal of medical Internet research, 23(7), e26236.

doi: 10.2196/26236

Niazkhani, Z., Toni, E., Cheshmekaboodi, M., Georgiou, A., & Pirnejad, H.

(2020). Barriers to patient, provider, and caregiver adoption and use of electronic personal health records in chronic care: a systematic review. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 20(1), 1-36.

doi: 10.1186/s12911-020-01159-1

Snezana, S., Kilintzis, V., Jakimovski, B., Jolevski, I., Beredimas, N., Mourouzis,

A., … & Trajkovik, V. (2020, September). Cloud Based Personal Health Records Data Exchange in the Age of IoT: The Cross4all Project. In International Conference on ICT Innovations (pp. 28-41). Springer, Cham.

As a nurse, how often have you thought to yourself, If I had anything to do about it, things would work a little differently? Increasingly, nurses are beginning to realize that they do, in fact, have a role and a voice.

The Assignment: (1- to 2-page Comparison Grid; 1- to 2-page Legislation Testimony/Advocacy Statement)

Part 2: Legislation Testimony/Advocacy Statement

Based on the health-related bill you selected, develop a 1- to 2-page Legislation Testimony/Advocacy Statement that addresses the following:

Advocate a position for the bill you selected and write testimony in support of your position.

Describe how you would address the opponent to your position. Be specific and provide examples.