| Course | HA545 Health Policy |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 1 |
| Paper type | Health policy structure post |
| Length | About 440 words, 2 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 discussion post |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | Master of Health Administration (MHA) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HA545 Unit 1
Four Plans, Four Different Rule Makers: A Health Policy Structure Post Sorting Who Decides Whether Pharmacists at a Composite Health System's Outpatient Pharmacies May Test, Treat and Be Paid for Strep Throat and Flu
HA545 · Unit 1 Health Policy Structure Post
Posted by [Student Name]
The health system and its plans are composite; the levers described are general and vary by state.
Initial Post
No single government decides whether our pharmacists can test and treat a sore throat; four different rule makers each control one piece, and that fragmentation is the defining feature of the system. Plan: run rapid strep and flu tests. Lever: a certificate of waiver for simple laboratory tests. Holder: the federal government, through the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments, administered by CMS. Source: statute and regulation (42 C.F.R. § 493.15, 2024). Plan: prescribe an antibiotic or antiviral after a positive test. Lever: prescribing authority. Holder: the state, through its pharmacy practice act and board of pharmacy, often through a collaborative agreement with physicians. Source: state statute and rule. Plan: bill Medicare Part B for the visit. Lever: the list of providers who may bill. Holder: Congress, because that list is in federal statute, and pharmacists are not on it for this service. Source: statute. Plan: bill a commercial plan. Lever: the plan's provider contract, sometimes backed by a state law requiring coverage of pharmacist services. Holder: the plan and the state. Source: contract and state statute. One visit for one sore throat is governed by a federal lab rule, a state practice act, a federal payment statute and a private contract. Two patterns stand out. First, federal levers split between Congress, which writes who may bill, and an agency, which writes the details of lab rules; a system that watches only CMS will miss the barrier that matters most, which sits in statute. Second, the state holds the levers closest to daily practice, so a health system with pharmacies in two states faces two sets of prescribing rules for the same service. Evidence from a community pharmacy program shows that test-and-treat under a physician protocol can work in practice (Klepser et al., 2016); the barriers are structural, not clinical. Which lever would you expect to be hardest to move, and why?
Reply to [Classmate]
[C.], you credited CMS with deciding whether pharmacists get paid. CMS runs Medicare, but it cannot add pharmacists to the Part B billing list on its own, because that list is set by Congress. That is why bills to recognize pharmacists have been introduced repeatedly. CMS can change the rules for lab certificates, though, so your point holds for testing.
References
42 C.F.R. § 493.15 (2024). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-493.15
Klepser, D. G., Klepser, M. E., Dering-Anderson, A. M., Morse, J. A., Smith, J. K., & Klepser, S. A. (2016). Community pharmacist-physician collaborative streptococcal pharyngitis management program. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, 56(3), 323-329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japh.2015.11.013
Reading the HA 545 Unit 1 instructions
Unit 1 discussions in HA 545 often ask students to explain how authority over health policy is divided among federal, state and private actors, using an example. Prompts commonly want the levels of government identified, the difference between statute, regulation and contract explained and an example that shows the structure at work, followed by replies to classmates. Choose a service that a health administrator actually manages, so the structure has consequences. Sort each part of the service by who holds the decision and where that power comes from. Avoid crediting one agency with decisions that belong to Congress or the states. Support the post with a source in APA style, such as a regulation or a study of the service, and keep the reply focused on correcting or extending one point.
Inside the HA545 Unit 1 example
The sample states its claim in its opening sentence and adds a margin note on why the claim leads. Four plan rows follow: rapid tests under a federal laboratory waiver rule, prescribing under the state pharmacy practice act, Medicare billing under a federal statute that leaves pharmacists off the provider list, and commercial payment under contracts and some state laws. A highlighted line sums up that one sore throat is governed by four rule makers. The pattern paragraphs note that Congress, not CMS, holds the payment barrier, and that states hold the levers closest to daily practice. A study of a pharmacy test-and-treat program shows the barriers are structural, not clinical. A question for classmates closes the post, and the reply explains why CMS cannot add pharmacists to Medicare billing alone.
Where the points sit in the HA545 Unit 1 rubric
HA 545 discussion rubrics generally award points for an accurate account of policy structure, a relevant example, correct attribution of authority, analysis of the pattern, scholarly support, engagement with peers and clear writing. Structure points go to posts that distinguish federal, state and private roles. Example points reward a service a manager would recognize. Attribution points depend on naming the right holder for each lever, separating Congress from agencies. Analysis points go to explaining what the pattern means for an organization. Support points require a cited source. Engagement points reward replies that correct or extend a classmate's point with evidence. Posts that catch the difference between what a statute fixes and what an agency can change tend to earn the highest marks.
HA545 Unit 1 help from the desk
Unit 1 posts often lose points by describing the levels of government in general terms without applying them to a real example. Others attribute every decision to CMS or to the federal government as a whole, missing the role of Congress, the states and private contracts. Some list facts without saying what the pattern means for a health organization. Pick one service and break it into the decisions it requires. For each, name who decides and whether the power comes from statute, regulation or contract. Then explain what that means in practice, such as which barrier is hardest to move. In your reply, correct or extend one specific point and give the reason. Keep the post to the length your prompt sets.
Get an HA545 Unit 1 example written to your instructions
Tell us which policy issue your Unit 1 board assigned, or whether you pick one, and attach the prompt and rubric. The structure post comes back with every lever assigned to its holder and a dated source per row, plus the reply your section requires. Turnaround is 24-48h; a first custom sample is free. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
More HA545 papers and MHA samples
- HA545 Unit 2: Policymaking Process Paper
- HA545 Unit 3: Stakeholder Analysis
- HA545 Unit 4: Public Insurance Program Analysis
- HA545 Unit 5: Coverage Reform Paper
- HA545 Unit 6: Policy Goals Trade-off Analysis
- HA545 Unit 7: Policy Analysis Framework
- HA545 Unit 8: Health Equity Policy Paper
- HA545 Unit 9: Administrator Advocacy Plan
- HA545 Unit 10: Policy Brief
- HA540 Unit 1: Focused Factory Endoscopy Post
- HA535 Unit 1: Discharge Lounge Data Post
- HA530 Unit 1: HR Shared Services Discussion Post
- HA510 Unit 1: Four Worlds Theory Post
HA545 Unit 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free HA545 Unit 1 sample paper?
The complete HA545 Unit 1 health policy structure post is here, sorting who controls pharmacist test-and-treat for strep and flu at a composite health system.
Who decides whether pharmacists can bill Medicare?
Congress, because the list of providers who may bill Medicare Part B is written in federal statute.
What lever covers rapid strep tests in a pharmacy?
A federal certificate of waiver for simple laboratory tests, administered by CMS.
Who decides whether pharmacists may prescribe?
Each state, through its pharmacy practice act, board of pharmacy rules and collaborative agreements.
How long is the HA545 Unit 1 post?
The opening post runs a little over 300 words and is followed by a single reply.