Week 7 discussion

To Prepare:

Review the Congress website provided in the Resources and identify one recent (within the past 5 years) proposed health policy.
Review the health policy you identified and reflect on the background and development of this health policy.

Post a description of the health policy you selected and a brief background for the problem or issue being addressed. Which social determinant most affects this policy? Explain whether you believe there is an evidence base to support the proposed policy and explain why. Be specific and provide examples.

Medicaid Provider Screening Accountability Act.(I chose this one)

Short, N. M. (2022). Milstead’s health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide (7th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
- Chapter 4, “Policy Analysis and Design” (pp. 77–93)
- Chapter 9, “The Influence of Patient Health Data on Health Policy” (pp. 197–217)
- Chapter 10, “Financing Health Care” (pp. 247–257 only)
American Nurses Association (ANA). (n.d.). Advocacy Links to an external site.. Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/advocacy
Congress.govLinks to an external site.. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://www.congress.gov/
Klein, K. J., & Sorra, J. S. (1996). The challenge of innovation implementationLinks to an external site.. Academy of Management Review, 21 (4), 1055–1080.
Office of Policy, Performance, and Evaluation. (2019). The CDC policy processLinks to an external site.. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/policy/polaris/policyprocess/index.html
Sacristán, J., & Dilla, T. D. (2015). No big data without small data: Learning health care systems begin and end with the individual patientLinks to an external site.. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 21 (6), 1014–1017.
Tummers, L., & Bekkers, V. (2014). Policy implementation, street level bureaucracy, and the importance of discretionLinks to an external site.. Public Management Review, 16 (4), 527–547.

🔴 Struggling with where to start this assignment? Follow this guide to tackle your assignment easily!

Step 1: Clarify the Purpose of the Discussion

This discussion requires policy analysis, not opinion alone. Your response should:

Describe a recent proposed health policy
Explain the problem the policy addresses
Identify one key social determinant of health
Evaluate whether the policy is supported by evidence

Your goal is to show how health policy is developed, justified, and implemented using data and theory.

Step 2: Introduce the Selected Health Policy

Begin your post with a clear, concise description of the Medicaid Provider Screening Accountability Act. In this section:

Identify where the policy originated (Congress.gov)
State the primary purpose of the policy (e.g., strengthening provider screening to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse in Medicaid)
Mention why the policy is timely and relevant

💡 Tutor tip: One short paragraph is enough—focus on clarity, not length.

Step 3: Explain the Background and Policy Problem

Next, describe the problem or issue that led to the policy proposal:

Challenges with Medicaid provider enrollment
Risks of fraudulent or unqualified providers billing Medicaid
Financial strain on public health financing systems

Use concepts from Milstead (2022), Chapter 10, to connect this problem to health care financing and accountability.

Step 4: Identify the Key Social Determinant of Health

Choose one social determinant that most affects this policy. For this policy, strong options include:

Economic stability (misuse of Medicaid funds reduces resources for vulnerable populations)
Health care access and quality (ensuring qualified providers improves care delivery)

Explain why this determinant is most relevant and how provider screening directly impacts patient outcomes and system trust.

Step 5: Evaluate the Evidence Base

This is the most critical part of the discussion. Address:

Whether data and research support stricter provider screening
How patient health data and system monitoring influence policy decisions
(Milstead, Chapter 9)

Provide specific examples, such as:

Use of claims data to identify fraudulent billing
Evidence that stronger oversight improves system efficiency and patient safety
Alignment with CDC and ANA policy frameworks

You may also reference:

Innovation and implementation challenges (Klein & Sorra, 1996)
Policy implementation discretion (Tummers & Bekkers, 2014)

Step 6: Conclude With a Clear Position

End your post by clearly stating whether:

You believe the policy is evidence-based
The policy is likely to improve Medicaid accountability and health outcomes

Keep this concise—2–3 strong sentences are sufficient.

Step 7: Maintain Scholarly Discussion Tone

Since this is a discussion post:

Write in the third person
Support statements with citations
Keep the tone professional, analytical, and respectful

Recommended Academic & Policy Resources

Congress.gov – Medicaid Provider Screening Accountability Act
https://www.congress.gov
CDC Policy Process Overview
https://www.cdc.gov/policy/polaris/policyprocess
American Nurses Association – Advocacy Resources
https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/advocacy
Milstead, N. M. (2022). Milstead’s Health Policy and Politics (7th ed.)
Chapters 4, 9, and 10
Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Academy of Management Review (Policy Implementation)
https://journals.aom.org

Health Policy Analysis: Medicaid Provider Screening Accountability Act