ABSTRACT
This article examines the potential impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 on the practice of hospital social work in the United States and its implications for social work education and training. It briefly traces the history of hospital social work, outlines some contemporary issues in the health care field, particularly those that create persistent health disparities, summarizes the major provisions of the Act that have implications for social work practice, and discusses how social workers in hospital settings might respond effectively to the changes produced by the legislation.
Subject(s)
Health Care Reform/legislation & jurisprudence , Social Work/organization & administration , Delivery of Health Care/organization & administration , Health Care Reform/organization & administration , Health Status Disparities , History, 20th Century , History, 21st Century , Hospitals , Humans , Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , Social Work/education , Social Work/history , Social Work Department, Hospital/legislation & jurisprudence , Social Work Department, Hospital/organization & administration , United StatesSubject(s)
Health Services for the Aged/legislation & jurisprudence , Patient Advocacy , Patient Discharge/legislation & jurisprudence , Skilled Nursing Facilities/standards , Social Work Department, Hospital/legislation & jurisprudence , Aged , Health Services for the Aged/standards , Humans , Interprofessional Relations , Liability, Legal/economics , Nursing Staff, Hospital , Patient Discharge/economics , Social Work Department, Hospital/economics , State Medicine/economics , State Medicine/legislation & jurisprudence , United KingdomSubject(s)
Case Management/legislation & jurisprudence , Fraud/prevention & control , Patient Discharge/legislation & jurisprudence , Patient Transfer/legislation & jurisprudence , Social Work Department, Hospital/legislation & jurisprudence , Documentation , Personnel, Hospital , United States , United States Dept. of Health and Human ServicesSubject(s)
Guideline Adherence/legislation & jurisprudence , Risk Management , Social Work Department, Hospital/legislation & jurisprudence , Contract Services/legislation & jurisprudence , Fraud/legislation & jurisprudence , Patient Advocacy/legislation & jurisprudence , Patient Transfer/legislation & jurisprudence , Personnel Management/legislation & jurisprudence , Social Responsibility , Social Work Department, Hospital/economics , United StatesSubject(s)
Case Management/organization & administration , Job Description , Social Work Department, Hospital/standards , Cooperative Behavior , Documentation , Guidelines as Topic/standards , Hospitals, University , Length of Stay , Risk , Risk Management , Social Work Department, Hospital/legislation & jurisprudence , Tennessee , United StatesSubject(s)
Legal Guardians/legislation & jurisprudence , Mental Competency/legislation & jurisprudence , Patient Discharge/standards , Social Work Department, Hospital/standards , Voluntary Health Agencies , Aged , Community-Institutional Relations , Continuity of Patient Care , Humans , Medical Indigency/legislation & jurisprudence , Ohio , Patient Discharge/legislation & jurisprudence , Referral and Consultation/standards , Social Work Department, Hospital/legislation & jurisprudence , VolunteersABSTRACT
The domain of social work in healthcare has not been clear, nor exclusive. Recently the social worker's role in hospital, particularly in rural hospitals, has been impacted by economic imperatives and legislative mandates. This article discusses the results of a study of rural hospital nurses' and social workers' perceptions of the domain of the medical social worker. Analyses of the profession identified as being best qualified to perform 15 generic hospital social service tasks revealed areas of clarity and collaboration. Implications include expanding the role and skills of medical social workers to include multi-systemic interventions and multi-disciplinary collaboration.
Subject(s)
Interprofessional Relations , Nurses , Social Work Department, Hospital/organization & administration , Social Work/organization & administration , Adult , Attitude of Health Personnel , Counseling , Demography , Educational Status , Female , Humans , Job Description , Male , Middle Aged , Public Assistance , Rural Health , Social Support , Social Work/economics , Social Work/legislation & jurisprudence , Social Work Department, Hospital/economics , Social Work Department, Hospital/legislation & jurisprudence , Surveys and Questionnaires , West VirginiaABSTRACT
Since the PSDA became law on December 1, all Medicare and Medicaid health care providers are required to develop policies and procedures to comply with the law. The principles of autonomy and distributive justice are basic to the Act, and the social worker's vital role will continue to develop as the law is implemented.
Subject(s)
Admitting Department, Hospital/legislation & jurisprudence , Advance Directives/legislation & jurisprudence , Social Work Department, Hospital/legislation & jurisprudence , Humans , Organizational Policy , Treatment Refusal , United StatesABSTRACT
The social environment for all is becoming increasingly legalized. This fact is evidenced in the extensive entitlement regulations and ethical decision-making processes surrounding health care consumers and professional providers. The authors of this paper describe a program designed to educate social workers in an acute care hospital to the legal issues and considerations that influence decision-making and interventions in social work practice. The purpose of the paper is two-fold: to highlight the program planning process in establishing and institutionalizing a Legal Clinic for social work, and secondly to stress the significance of legal content in the knowledge base of social workers in health care settings.
Subject(s)
Education, Continuing/organization & administration , Social Welfare/legislation & jurisprudence , Social Work Department, Hospital/legislation & jurisprudence , Social Work/education , Education, Continuing/standards , Hospitals, Teaching , Hospitals, Urban , Humans , Organizational Objectives , Planning Techniques , Program DevelopmentABSTRACT
Hospital discharge planning is a challenging and complex task, which becomes increasingly difficult when the patient has suffered brain injury or cognitive impairment. The social worker is often in the conflicting roles of trying to serve the best interests of the patient as well as serving the institution in the discharge planning process. This paper is intended to be a practical guide to examine the issues involved in discharge planning from the perspective of the hospital's duties, with consideration being given to the potential risks to the patient.
Subject(s)
Brain Injuries , Hospital Departments/legislation & jurisprudence , Patient Discharge/legislation & jurisprudence , Social Work Department, Hospital/legislation & jurisprudence , Adult , Brain Injuries/rehabilitation , Cognition Disorders/rehabilitation , Decision Making , Humans , Male , Patient Advocacy , Risk Management , Social Responsibility , United StatesSubject(s)
Child Abuse/legislation & jurisprudence , Child Welfare/legislation & jurisprudence , Emergency Service, Hospital/legislation & jurisprudence , Psychiatry , Referral and Consultation/legislation & jurisprudence , Child , Humans , New York , Psychiatric Department, Hospital/legislation & jurisprudence , Social Work Department, Hospital/legislation & jurisprudenceABSTRACT
While not immutable, legal principles are among the more sturdy and commanding guides of our professional behavior toward patients. By protecting privacy and autonomy inherent in the Patients Bill of Rights, legal principles shore up what is vulnerable and fearful in the patient's approach to making sense out of their plight.