Running head: HEALTH REGULATORY AGENCIES Regulatory Agencies Anna K. Rodriguez St. Thomas University 1 HEALTH REGULATORY AGENCIES Health Regulatory Agencies Center for Disease Control The CDC is a national-level regulatory authority and fundamentally focuses on the prevention and response of emergent infections. However, it collaborates with various local, state, and international partners who help in achieving core objectives of monitoring and preventing disease outbreaks. Again, they also cooperate in implementing various infection prevention measures and conserving national health statistics (Tappero et al., 2017). CDC also focuses on core strategic areas in the U.S. government, which include enhancing support to national and state-level healthcare divisions, improvement of global health, and the decrease of the core causes of death. Other aspects involve strengthening the monitoring of emerging infections or conditions and epidemiology, and reformation of healthcare policies. Therefore, CDC is a firm advocate of essential public health legislation. The functions of the agency can help APRNs to identify practical methods of treatment or condition management in instances of emergencies concerning rare ailments. Similarly, the CDC research and capabilities in dealing with complex and emerging diseases can be utilized to develop new pharmacological or alternative treatment approaches for individuals with rare mental or behavioral conditions. Food and Drug Administration FDA is a national-level controlling body. The institution has the mandate of inspecting, testing, approving, and setting the safety standards regarding foods, additives added to foods, drugs, chemical elements, cosmetic products, and devices in the healthcare sector. FDA maintains public health by assuring the safety of human drugs or other chemical or biological products. The body also supports research and innovations aimed at enhancing the safety and cost-effectiveness of foods and medicine. Learning and comprehending the standards 2 HEALTH REGULATORY AGENCIES 3 distinguished by the FDA would enable an APRN to understand various practical limits such as the controlled drugs that can be prescribed to patients. In the case of mental health care, FDA monitors pharmacotherapy drugs offered to patients to ensure safe medicines are administered. United States Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry ATSDR is a national-level regulatory agency. The body is responsible for protecting the public against hazardous elements. ATSDR protects states and local communities from the adverse consequences associated with exposure to natural or human-made dangerous elements (Holler, 2013). The agency fulfills its objective through response to environmental health-related emergencies, investigation of developing ecological health threats, implementation of research regarding the public health effects of hazardous waste locations, and provision of practical guidance to states and local communities. The purpose of the agency is relevant even to APRNs as it enables them to identify clear guidelines regarding the safe controlled substances that can be administered or prescribed during care. Again, the agency in mental care services ensures that patients are offered safe antidepressant or antipsychotic drugs and mood stabilizers. Office of Health Care Quality The division is a state-specific regulatory authority whose functions and mandates are limited to Maryland. The division is under the Maryland Department of Health, and its primary objective is to monitor the quality of care within the state's medical institutions and communityoriented health programs. The regulatory authority offers licensure and certifications to medical institutions in the state. Licensure by the body allows facilities to operate in Maryland while certification focuses on authorizing amenities to engage in Medicare and Medicaid programs. The body is important to APRNs as it assures them that the institution, they work in within Maryland is in line with set performance and compliance standards. The agency helps in HEALTH REGULATORY AGENCIES 4 ensuring that medical practitioners in mental health institutions possess the needed aptitudes and licensure. The Joint Commission The agency is not a federal division but acts as a national and state regulatory authority. They are involved in the accreditation of healthcare institutions dealing with intense or advanced care services (Chaffee, 2015). The agency establishes and monitors compliance with performance standards. Again, the entity engages in recurrent monitoring of states' legislative and regulatory processes to identify further opportunities for states' reliance on its accreditations or certifications (Jha, 2018). A state can involve the Joint Commission as a central strategy of quality oversight processes. The accreditation process helps APRNs receive assurance that they are working in a conducive and quality-focused center. In mental health care, the agency plays a critical role in reviewing, appraising, and monitoring the performance standards of psychiatric and rehabilitation centers. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services CMS is a state-operating controlling body under the U.S division dealing with healthcare and human services. The agency has authority over the provision of core federal medical initiatives like Medicare, Medicaid, and children’s insurance programs. CMS is directly involved in the collection and analysis of data and the development of study reports regarding federal insurance covers. Again, eliminating incidences of fraudulent activities and abuse within state healthcare systems is another core task of the agency. By enhancing the number of adults and children having insurance covers, CMS enables patients to benefit APRNs' theoretical and practical capabilities. CMS facilitates a vast number of mental or behavioral health patients to receive critical medical assistance through various insurance covers. HEALTH REGULATORY AGENCIES 5 National Institutes of Health The institution is the main governmental agency responsible for handling and supporting health-related research. Innovations, investigation, and discoveries influenced by the agency are critical in improving various areas of the medical practice and sector. The body is also responsible for investigating multiple therapy techniques or prevention measures. They also evaluate emerging disease causative factors and related effective treatments. APRNs can benefit significantly from the research and innovations by the agency; thus, gaining knowledge or technologies to improve service. Research is also essential in mental care as it can influence new cognitive-behavioral or pharmacotherapy approaches. HEALTH REGULATORY AGENCIES 6 Health Regulatory Agencies Agency Center for Disease Control Level of Authority National level Scope of Regulatory Authority Role Relevance to APRN/D NP Graduate Primarily The agency is An APRN concentrates on responsible can preventing and for recognize responding to monitoring the emerging ailments, birth functions infections. defects, and of the Also comprises genetics, CDC, the following monitors the which bodies: health of helps in a) Healthcare travelers, identifying Infection enhances a suitable Control emergency approach Practices preparedness in cases of Advisory and responses emergenci Committee (Tappero et es that b) National al., 2017). involve Center for rare Preparedness, infections Detection, The division and Control also evaluates of Infectious environmental Diseases health to identify probable risk factors. Focuses on vaccinations and immunization Advocates for suitable public health legislations (Tappero et al., 2017) Relevance to Specialty Area (Mental Health) The CDC can be significant in developing new treatments for unique psychotic conditions and behavioral conditions HEALTH REGULATORY AGENCIES 7 Carries out research to improve prevention against infections Food and National Drug Level Administratio n Focuses on regulations regarding the safety of foods and drugs Protects the public through the assurance of safety and efficiency of human and veterinary drugs and other biological product It also monitors the safety of foods. Enhances public health by supporting research and innovation that enhances the safety, affordability, and efficacy Standards set by the agency help APRNs comprehen d the controlled drugs that they are legally permitted to prescribe or administer The agency ensures that patients with mental ailments are not subjected to harmful pharmacother apy drugs HEALTH REGULATORY AGENCIES United States Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Office of Health Care Quality National Level State Level Offers regulation on the impacts of hazardous elements within public health spheres ((Holler, 2013). This is a division under health and mental hygiene, and it monitors care quality within Maryland 8 of foods and medicine Responsible for monitoring hazardous material The division responds to threats regarding hazardous elements by monitoring compliance to standards and educating the public regarding HAZMAT risks (Holler, 2013). The agency is responsible for licensing and certifying Maryland's medical facilities. It also monitors adherence to the state and national regulations that underscore the standards of care. Engages in research as a way of determining Helps APRNs identify controlled substances that are safe for patients and the situations for prescribin g or administer ing the substances Mental health patients are administered various drugs that could be antidepressant s, antipsychotics , mood stabilizers, and stimulants. Thus, the agency ensures that patients are not subjected to toxic substances. The division ensures that APRN has suitable practice licensure The division ensures that counselors, psychotherapi sts, and psychiatrists have necessary licensure to carry out mental health treatment (Chaffee, 2015) HEALTH REGULATORY AGENCIES 9 compliance in the state Uses conferences, written documents, and online platforms to educate and create awareness regarding the relevance of complying with health care requirements The Joint Commission National and State Level Accrediting medical institutions that deal with highquality standards Set and monitors adherence to performance standards for medical institutions (Jha, 2018). Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services State Level Provides and monitors insurance covers such as Medicare and Medicaid The division is responsible for developing criteria of participation and for insurance coverage that medical institutions must fulfill to participate within the It also monitors adherence to various acts such as the HIPAA and the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments. Institution accreditati on by the Joint Commissi on assures an APRN that he or she is working in a conducive institution The agency enhances the number of people covered by federal insurance, which means the APRN can serve a broad The Joint Commission accredits the performance of psychiatric and rehabilitation institutions (Chaffee, 2015) The division guarantees medical cover to patients dealing with mental health conditions HEALTH REGULATORY AGENCIES National Institutes of Health National and statelevel Conducts and supports healthcare research, which influences discoveries and improvement of healthcare The institution also manages the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases 10 federal insurance programs Engages in research to improve healthcare Investigates different approaches to preventing diseases by identifying causative factors and practical treatments for common and rare conditions The agency also offers leadership and funds research in the states range of patients Research carried out by the institution is critical as APRN gain new knowledge or technologi es to treat various conditions Research supported by the agency enhances the treatment of patients with cognitive and behavioral conditions HEALTH REGULATORY AGENCIES 11 References Chaffee, M. W. (2015). Policy & politics in nursing and health care (7 ed.). (D. J. Mason, D. B.Gardner, F. H. Outlaw, & E. T. O'Grady, Eds.) Elsevier Science Publishing Co. Holler, J. (2013). The emergency response program at the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Journal of Environmental Health, vol. 76, no. 3, pp. 46-47 Jha, A. K. (2018). Accreditation, quality, and making hospital care better. Jama, vol. 320, no. 23, pp. 2410-2411. Tappero, J. W., et al. (2017). US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its partners’ contributions to global health security. Emerging Infectious Diseases, vol. 23, no. (Suppl 1), pp. S5-S14.
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