November 2018 Election Outlook: what did you miss during the ACG Practice Management Course?
ACG thanks Drs. Ralph McKibbin and Jay Yepuri for leading a successful 2018 ACG Practice Management Course. The feedback was very positive overall, and ACG thanks all the attendees for taking time away from their practice and families to participate in the course. Among this year’s speakers was former State Insurance Commissioner and Congressman, Earl Pomeroy, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 18 years, and was a member on the influential House Ways & Means Committee. He provided an overview and outlook heading into the November 2018 elections, as well as some insight of the major health care public policy issues at play.
Did you miss the presentation? Click below to access Earl Pomeroy’s slides and educate yourself on what health care public policy pundits are keeping watch of as we head into next Tuesday’s election.
Health Care on Ballot in Various States
ACG is your home to keep up-to-date on state health care initiatives and issues across the country. Please use ACG’s advocacy center to voice your support for legislation impacting your state. ACG’s Legislative Action Center is your one stop resource to review and advocate for various federal and state bills impacting your profession, practice, and patients. The process is user-friendly and very easy to use.
Click here to take action, using our simple process.
Click here to find out which bills ACG supports, opposes, and is monitoring.
Click here for voter registration and election information in your state.
Next week’s election includes various health care issues across the U.S. What are some of the health care ballot initiatives of interest?
Medicaid Expansion
Medicaid expansions is again on various state ballots. In passing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, state governors and legislatures have seized the opportunity to expand their Medicaid rolls, and federal government reimbursement for expanding Medicaid eligibility. The issue of Medicaid expansion was one major reason why Congress failed to repeal the ACA in 2017 and 2018.
Other Health Care Issues
- 3 patients per nurse in units with step-down/intermediate care patients;
- 1 patient under anesthesia per nurse; 2 patients post-anesthesia per nurse in units with post-anesthesia care or operating room patients;
- In the ER department: 1 critical or intensive care patient per nurse (or 2 if the nurse has assessed each patient’s condition as stable); 2 urgent non-stable patients per nurse; 3 urgent stable patients per nurse; or 5 non-urgent stable patients per nurse;
- In units with maternity patients: (a) active labor patients: 1 patient per nurse; (b) during birth and for up to two hours immediately postpartum: 1 mother per nurse and 1 baby per nurse; (c) when the condition of the mother and baby are determined to be stable: 1 mother and her baby or babies per nurse; (d) postpartum: 6 patients per nurse; (e) intermediate care or continuing care babies: 2 babies per nurse; (f) well-babies: 6 babies per nurse;
- In units with pediatric, medical, surgical, telemetry, or observational/outpatient treatment patients, or any other unit: 4 patients per nurse; and
- In units with psychiatric or rehabilitation patients: 5 patients per nurse.
- The proposed law would require a covered facility to comply with the patient assignment limits without reducing its level of nursing, service, maintenance, clerical, professional, and other staff.
- The proposed law would not override any contract in effect on January 1, 2019 that set higher patient limits. The proposed law’s limits would take effect after any such contract expired. The Commission could report violations to the state Attorney General, who could file suit to obtain a civil penalty of up to $25,000 per violation, as well as up to $25,000 for each day a violation continued after the Commission notified the covered facility of the violation.
In other recent Medicaid expansion news
