Provision of Healthcare Services during an Emergency

Introduction 

The provision of quality healthcare services while at the same time ensuring patient safety and security during an emergency is important during an emergency. The increase in security threats such as terrorism is increasing in western countries and it poses a lot of challenges to the health sector, especially due to a sudden increase in the number of patients as a result of medical emergency needs. Such threats also lead to the vulnerability of electrical medical records, which needs to be kept private and confidential. Therefore, as Vice President of quality and safety for one of the largest healthcare organization in the country, I must ensure that the entity is adequately prepared to respond to national security threat it occurs effectively. 

Essential Public Health Services 

One of the ten public health services is the enforcement of laws and regulations aimed at protecting the health and ensuring the safety of patients. Two main procedures relate to this essential public health service. First, health professionals and organization to evaluate and execute laws to ensure that the entity complies with the public health laws and regulation ( Luo et al ., 2013) . Secondly, public health organizations are expected to participate in the modification of existing laws or formulation of new laws to improve public health. One of the leading principal effects of these procedures during the emergency is the need to adhere to laws and regulations regardless of the situation. Consequently, the health organization will not compromise the quality of health care services during an emergency. 

The second public health service is the assurance of competent public health as well as personal healthcare workforce. The primary procedures for this public health service are the provision of education, training, and assessment of the workforce, including the requirement for the procedure for licensure ( Luo et al ., 2013) . The principal effect of these procedures during an emergency is cost, which is associated with the time constraint. Healthcare organization may not have enough resources to implement the procedures during an emergency. 

The third public health service is to inform, educate, and empower the public about health issues. The procedure for achieving this public health service is the formulation of public health awareness and education programs. Another procedure is the provision of accessible information to the public about health issues ( Luo et al ., 2013) . The main principal effect of these procedures is reduced health problems in the community, especially in the time of the emergency. The procedures assist the public to adequately respond to health issues during an emergency, leading to reduced health problems. 

Besides, healthcare organizations are expected to provide needed personal health services at all times ( Luo et al ., 2013) . As a result, during an emergency, the healthcare organization will be forced to provide quick quality healthcare services aimed at reducing congestion in the hospital. Fast quality healthcare services improve patients health outcome, increasing the rate of discharge in the hospital. The healthcare organization needs to address congestion during an emergency. 

The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) During an Emergency 

EMTALA was explicitly formulated in 1986 no emergency department patient is discriminated in any way, especially based on financial reasons. The Act requires hospitals to provide appropriate medical screening examinations, timely consultation, and treatment for patients in emergency departments based on their capabilities ( Zuabi, Weiss & Langdorf, 2016) . The main importance of continuing to evaluate patients based on the requirements of the Act during the emergency is to ensure that victims of natural and human-made disasters get quality healthcare services that they need, regardless of their socio-economic status. Initially, some of the hospitals refused to provide medical services to patients with emergency medical conditions because of their inability to pay for the services ( Zuabi, Weiss & Langdorf, 2016) . However, currently, the Act ensures that all patients receive quality healthcare services during an emergency. Therefore, evaluating patients based on EMTALA is vital during an emergency. 

Maintaining Electronic Medical Record System during an Emergency 

The first measure to take to maintain electronic medical record system during an emergency is to have a backup computer file. Even though is a common practice during an emergency, it is always poorly implemented by many healthcare organizations. The measure can effectively be implemented by establishing a schedule for backing up computers that have crucial and critical health records ( Smith & Macdonald, 2006) . At the same time, backup files should be stored away from them in a safe place within or outside the facility. 

The second measure is the development of effective health information system (HIS) plan. HIS plan should be based on need assessment, and it should be founded on the potential risks. HIS plan should not only be developed, but it should frequently be tested to ensure that all aspects of electronic medical records are adequately protected and can easily be retrieved in during emergencies ( Smith & Macdonald, 2006) . HIS plan should also include strategies that can be used in case of the damage of technological infrastructure. 

Also, employees in the healthcare organization should familiarize themselves with the tracking features of the system. This is important because employees will be able to make quick and rational decisions on the tracking features of the system that can be useful in reducing the risks during an emergency ( Smith & Macdonald, 2006) . Besides, it will help in avoiding time wastage during emergencies, mainly when the electronic medical record system has a problem. 

Accepting Health Insurance during an Emergency 

Health insurance plays a critical role during public health emergencies, especially when it comes to funding of hospital bills ( Merchant et al ., 2015) . In many cases, patients in the emergency department are not able to pay their healthcare services bill because of their inability to get urgent money. On the other hand, EMTALA makes it mandatory for patients with emergency medical needs to access healthcare services regardless of whether they can pay or not. Therefore, like VC, I would accept health care insurance during an emergency as a potential source of income for the facility because it will not only ensure that patients get quality services, but also the healthcare organization will not make huge losses, specialty in this era of frequent disasters and epidemic. 

One of the best examples to defend my position is the number of patients who die due to lack of health insurance policy. It is estimated that about 45,000 people die annually due to lack of health insurance ( Cecere, 2009) . A significant percentage of such deaths occur during emergencies. The second example is the number of people who died during Hurricane Katrina due to lack of quality healthcare services. About 1,577 died due to the inability to access medical care, as they were not in a position to pay for hospital bills. Thirdly, many people are left worse of economically after spending all their money in paying for medical bills that are incurred during emergencies. 

Effects of the Emergency 

There are many ways in which emergency such as terrorism can affect the quality of care. First, it creates congestion of patients in health facilities, making it hard for medical professionals to provide quality care to all patients. Secondly, the inflow of patients during an emergency cause burnout to medical professionals, especially when there is a shortage of experts ( Zuabi, Weiss & Langdorf, 2016) . The exhaustion is likely to make health experts to compromise the quality of care. Besides, emergencies are likely to interfere with communication, coordination, and collaboration of health expert, which ends up hindering the operations of the organization. 

Conclusion 

The rate of natural and human-made disasters is increasing in various parts of the world. The catastrophes always lead to a sudden rise in the demand for emergency medical services. As a result, it is essential for healthcare organizations to have emergency plans to reduce the number of casualties associated with disasters such as terrorism. The collaboration between health organization and the public is vital in maintaining the quality of healthcare service during emergencies. 

References 

Cecere, D. (2009, September 19). A new study finds 45,000 deaths annually linked to lack of health coverage. The Harvard Gazette . Retrieved from https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2009/09/new-study-finds-45000-deaths-annually- linked-to-lack-of-health-coverage/ 

Luo, H., Sotnikov, S., Shah, G., Galuska, D. A., & Zhang, X. (2013). Variation in the delivery of the ten essential public health services by local health departments for obesity control in 2005 and 2008. Journal of public health management and practice: JPHMP , 19 (1), 53. 

Merchant, R. M., Finne, K., Lardy, B., German Veselovskiy, M. P. P., Korba, C., Margolis, G. S., & Lurie, N. (2015). State of Emergency Preparedness for US Health Insurance Plans. Am J Manag Care , 21 (1), 65-72. 

Smith, E., & Macdonald, R. (2006). Managing health information during disasters. Health Information Management Journal , 35 (2), 8-13. 

Zuabi, N., Weiss, L. D., & Langdorf, M. I. (2016). Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) 2002-15: Review of Office of Inspector General Patient Dumping Settlements. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine , 17 (3), 245-251.