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Answer the discussion QUESTIONS.  Place the references underneath the post.
W7 DiscussionHR7:
This week we will explore and conduct research regarding employee health and safety of the workplace and answer the following questions:
1. What are the main health concerns that affect people at work?
2. What are some of the major ways we can reduce workplace stress?
3. What is/are YOUR major concern(s) regarding health & safety in your organization?
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W8 DiscussionHR8:
Final Thoughts: After all that you have learned from the textbook, the research you have conducted, and discussions with fellow students, please discuss the main functions of HRM and what you feel is/are the most mission-critical issue(s) facing 1) HR Managers, 2) employees, and 3) organizations today in this order.
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PBE111 – W8Discussion:
“As you think about the Affordable Care Act (often colloquially referred to as Obamacare), consider the original Act of 2010 and compare it to what is left of the Act today.  There have been SIGNIFICANT changes since the inception of the Act.  Much of the original Act is intact, however much of it has also been discontinued or changed since 2010.
Reflect upon how the Act–as it exists today–and how it has affected operations for the healthcare manager. How has the Act changed the way we do business in healthcare?”
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EPI – W8:
This week, we will look into our own communities and discuss emerging diseases.  
Look into health data for your community (Denver, Colorado).  You can look at statistics from your local health department or websites such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Find a disease that is emerging in your community and discuss.  Give the rates and the duration of the increase of this disease.  What population does this disease affect most?  Discuss what you think can be done to prevent further increase in this disease.
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Respond to these posts. Place references under EACH post.
W7 DiscussionHR7:
1. Jossie Chavez
Greetings class, 
This week we where asked to explore and conduct research regarding employee health and safety of the workplace, some of the main health concerns that affect people at work would be respiratory problems, if there is a exposure at work of fumes, dust, or other pollutants can lead to respiratory conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, and other lung problems. Another main concern would be mental health issues, there are times where the work environment could be very stressful, they could get anxiety, depression, feel frustrated, as well as burnout.
Some major ways we can reduce workplace stress is by promoting work-life balance, make sure employees are getting a good amount of time off to work on themselves and their families. As well as fostering a positive work culture, with open communication and feedback, help each other be better. 
Some of my major concerns regarding health and safety in the Military is making sure Soldiers are getting a good nutrition, amount of sleep, and exercise. 
-Jossie
2.  Alison Tucker
What are the main health concerns that affect people at work?
Some of the leading health concerns affecting employees at work are mental health issues, musculoskeletal disorders, and chronic diseases. Mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression, are increasingly common, contributing to significant absenteeism, leaves of absence, and reduced productivity. Stress remains the most critical concern, exacerbated by heavy workloads, tight deadlines, and lack of control over work tasks. This chronic stress can lead to burnout, anxiety, and depression for employees. Musculoskeletal disorders, such as back pain and repetitive strain injuries, are also common due to poor ergonomics and prolonged periods of sitting or repetitive movements. Additionally, chronic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular conditions are another major health concern exacerbated by sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy eating habits every day in many workplaces.
What are some of the major ways we can reduce workplace stress?
One of the ways to reduce workplace stress is for employers to implement benefits and policies that address or support mental health. Providing access to mental health resources, such as employee assistance programs (EAPs), counseling services, or calming apps, can help employees manage stress more effectively and proactively. Employers encouraging regular physical activity through on-site fitness facilities, subsidized gym memberships, or online classes and promoting a healthy work-life balance by implementing flexible work hours, remote work options, and discouraging excessive overtime are some benefits and policies that can significantly reduce stress levels. Also, creating a supportive work culture where employees feel valued, recognized, and treated fairly, as well as having effective communication, regular feedback, job security, and opportunities for career development, can enhance the employees’ overall well-being, which reduces stress.
What is/are YOUR major concern(s) regarding health & safety in your organization?
My organization is experiencing exactly what my research discovered, with stress and burnout being my major concerns. We have implemented and promoted all the recommendations to reduce stress, but unfortunately, the budget cuts and RIF in departments continue to have a more significant impact on employees with increased workloads than the stress reduction measures HR is promoting. 
3.  W8HR
Robyn Green
The main functions of HRM are Training and Development, Recruitment, Employee relations, compensation and to help create and overall positive workplace for all. Policy formulation and enforcement along with payroll are also important parts of HR.
I think that HR mangers have a critical mission in making sure that they do a good job at recruitment, helping to create and maintain a good, healthy corporate culture, which will impact retention and  of course the overall employee development in conjunction with other managers.
When we look at employees, the critical issues that face them are mostly stress, having a good work life balance, dealing with poor communication with coworkers and managers. These areas tend to be the most important and challenging that face employees in many organizations.
Organizations have their critical issues that they have to deal with and need to be working on to improve and those are things like the challenges with employees and happiness,  that can include making sure there is proper training,  working on having good employee morale, structuring their organization to eliminate poor leadership and communication with employees and managers.
Each are has critical issues and challenges that they face to overcome these things, with each having their ideas of what is most valuable, and that is why from the top down these things mot be worked on and communicated well for everyone to be happy within and organization.
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Respond to these posts. Place references under EACH post.
PBE111 – W7Discussion:
1.  Christopher Dowling
Good morning everyone,
For this week’s discussion I will be talking about a case regarding Prime Healthcare and two doctors paying $37.5 million as resolve for fraudulent charges in relation to the False Claims Act and California False Claims Act. In 2021, Prime Healthcare Systems founder and CEO Dr. Prem Reddy and California interventional cardiologist Dr. Siva Arunasalam were brought up on charges involving Prime paying kickbacks to Dr.Arunasalam’s clinic for them to refer her patients to Prime in order to generate more money. 
These actions clearly violated the FCA as well as ethical principles within healthcare where Prime Healthcare wanted to generate their own revenue via money generated by patient cases coming in, doing so by paying an independent Doctor to purposefully refer her patients to said organization. Knowing they’re already receiving additional incentive. Although a patient may be receiving care for cardiac issues, they do not know that they are really being used for many which is not fair.
The overall resolve involved payment of 2 million by Dr. Arunasalam, 1.8 million by Dr. Reddy and 33.7 million by Prime in damages. As well as a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement by the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General involving both Prime and Dr. Reddy This agreement involves that Prime maintain a compliance program to monitor and review any further arrangements with affiliates.
I agree with the court rulings as the implementation of the CIA with both parties will help to ensure the integrity of Prime Healthcare’s operations, along with that the established value of payment by each party seems sufficient to make up for wasted funds utilized from Medical and Medicaid for false claims. Although it doesn’t seem each provider’s license was revoked, I would’ve recommended such as I believe they violated healthcare ethics in order to benefit in mass revenue. It just seems to me that these parties were in it for the money, more than their interest for their patients.
Reference
Prime Healthcare Services and two doctors agree to pay $37.5 million to settle allegations of kickbacks, billing for a suspended doctor, and false claims for implantable medical hardware. (2021, July 19). https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/prime-healthcare-services-and-two-doctors-agree-pay-375-million-settle-allegations-kickbacks
2. Nichole Mack
Hi Class,
From 2017 through 2019, Morris Park Nursing Home in the Bronx, NY “engaged in two fraudulent and illegal schemes that violated the False Claims Act and the Anti-Kickback Statute.  The first scheme involved cash payments made to a supervisor at a nearby hospital for patient referrals, and the second scheme involved switching residents’ Medicare coverage without their consent in order to increase the Medicare payments Morris Park received.” (U.S. Settles Lawsuit Alleging That Bronx Nursing Home Paid Kickbacks For Patient Referrals And Switched Residents’ Healthcare Coverage Without Their Consent, 2023).
Morris Park Nursing Home administration provided kickbacks to a Jacobi Medical Center discharge supervisor in exchange for referrals, some of which may not have been medically necessary for the patients. Kickbacks included cash handoffs in CVS parking lots, food deliveries, invites to holiday parties and Yankees tickets. The FCA prohibits offering or receiving anything of value to get someone to use a certain healthcare service. The Medicare changes included persuading and bribing patients in vulnerable medical states to change their insurance plans. Residents often did not fully understand how the change would impact coverage for other needs or lacked capacity to consent. Complicit staff were paid bonuses for maintaining a certain number of residents receiving Original Medicare coverage. CMS reimburses medical charges under Original Medicare on a fee-for-service basis, while many Medicare Advantage plans reimburse on a fixed amount basis. Forcing residents to change their coverage to Original Medicare for higher reimbursements is fraud.
The U.S. Attorney of New York won a civil case against the facility and Morris Park’s owner’s estate agreed to pay a $2.85 million settlement rather than go to court. The administrators involved paid over $600,000 in settlement. All parties publicly acknowledged wrongdoing. Since this was a settlement rather than a court ruling, there is no formal ruling of guilt. It seems the nursing home and accomplices will only face a financial burden and possible reputation damage. I wonder about the patients who were taken advantage of – were their plans switched back without penalties or issues? Were they allowed to leave and find new (hopefully trustworthy) nursing home residences at the expense of Morris Park? Was the Jacobi Medical Center supervisor held accountable in any way? It is interesting that this week’s lesson states that healthcare is one of the most regulated industries in the nation, yet situations in cases like those we are discussing happen all the time. And these are the fraudulent cases that are known. Imagine if there were fewer regulations!
Nichole 
https://www.policymed.com/2023/09/morris-park-nursing-home-reaches-3-46-million-settlement-over-false-claims-act-and-anti-kickback-statute-violations.html
U.S. settles lawsuit alleging that Bronx Nursing Home paid kickbacks for patient referrals and switched residents’ healthcare coverage without their consent. (2023, May 17). https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/us-settles-lawsuit-alleging-bronx-nursing-home-paid-kickbacks-patient-referrals-and
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Respond to these posts. Place references under EACH post.
EPI-WK8
1. Candis Garmon
At the present time, I live in South Korea and this country has no emerging diseases, so I will be doing my discussion based off my families home address which in in Lithonia, Georgia. According to the CDC, a few states including Georgia have seen an increase of measles cases in 2024 of this month June. Measles is a highly contagious childhood disease that has been and is fatal for small children. The main risk factor for contracting the measles is being unvaccinated or traveling outside of the country where the disease is still an ongoing issue. Since June in Georgia, there has been 151 cases of measles across 22 states across America. The entire population is at risk for catching measles, but that risk remains extremely high for those who are unvaccinated because the vaccination has proven to be 93%-97% percent effective if given both doses as directed. Signs of infection (a rash) from the measles start to appear within seven days and spread to certain parts of the body. In these cases that caught the measles, from this month, 83% of people were unvaccinated or not sure of their vaccination status. Another risk to catching the measles is having a weak immune system or suffer from low  amount of vitamin A. The best way to eradicate  this disease is through vaccination, but unfortunately some people do not believe in vaccination for themselves or their families and this put everyone around those people at risk.
References 
Measles cases and outbreaks. (2024, June 7). Measles (Rubeola). https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/
World Health Organization: WHO & World Health Organization: WHO. (2024, April 16). Measles. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/measles
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