Public Health and Healthcare System: Key Concepts and Outbreaks

What is PulseNet?

A national public health laboratory network that uses whole genome sequencing (WGS) to detect and track foodborne disease outbreaks.

What is the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN)?

A coordinated U.S. network of labs that responds to large-scale food contamination and food poisoning emergencies.

What is MNDOSA?

Minnesota Drug Overdose Surveillance System; measures opioid and drug levels in wastewater to monitor community drug use.

What was the EVALI outbreak?

A lung injury outbreak caused by vitamin E acetate in THC and e-cigarette cartridges.

What is biomonitoring?

Measuring levels of chemicals in human bodies (blood, urine, breast milk) to assess exposure.

What are the four steps of risk assessment in order?

Hazard identification, Dose-response assessment, Exposure pathway assessment, Risk characterization.

What is meant by 'breaking the exposure pathway'?

Interrupting how a contaminant reaches people (removal, barriers, behavior change).

What chemical did Water Gremlin release?

Lead.

Why are PFAS called 'forever chemicals'?

They do not break down easily and persist in the environment and human bodies.

What company caused major PFAS contamination in Minnesota?

3M.

List major health effects of PFAS exposure.

Liver damage, immune system suppression (poor vaccine response), developmental effects (low birth weight), kidney cancer.

Who is most biologically vulnerable to PFAS exposure?

The developing fetus.

In what year were PFAS banned in Minnesota?

2025.

What is the environmental justice risk formula?

Risk = Threat × Vulnerability (social determinants).

What is environmental justice?

Fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people in environmental policy and protection regardless of race, income, or location.

Who has a guaranteed right to health care in the U.S.?

Veterans and prisoners.

What was the Hill-Burton Act of 1946?

A federal program that provided money to build hospitals across the country.

What did the Highway Safety Act of 1966 create?

The foundation of the modern Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system.

What is EMTALA?

A law requiring hospitals to provide emergency medical treatment regardless of ability to pay.

What is CHIP?

Children's Health Insurance Program for kids in families who earn too much for Medicaid but can't afford private insurance.

What is managed care?

A system that coordinates insurance, providers, and care delivery to control cost, access, and quality.

What is a Managed Care Organization (MCO)?

An organization that combines health insurance, delivery of care, and administration.

What is an HMO?

A managed care plan where providers are salaried, patients must use the network, and there is little incentive for expensive treatments.

What is a PPO?

A managed care plan where patients can go outside the network but pay more if they do.

What is fee-for-service?

A payment system where each medical visit or procedure is paid for separately.

What is a consumer-directed health plan?

A high-deductible health plan where patients pay more out-of-pocket to encourage cost-conscious choices.

What is the major downside of consumer-directed health plans?

People delay or skip needed medical care.

What is cost in health care?

The dollar amount for a provider to deliver a service.

What is charge in health care?

What the provider asks for a service; usually higher than cost.

What is reimbursement?

The amount a third-party payer (insurance) negotiates to pay the provider.

What is a copayment?

A modest fixed fee paid by an insured patient for each visit; insurance pays the rest.

What is rationing of care?

The allocation of medical goods in the face of scarcity; deliberately limits access based on cost-benefit tradeoffs.

Why does the U.S. ration care?

Because access is based on ability to pay, not a guaranteed right.

Why do courts handle many health ethics cases?

Because the U.S. does not guarantee a right to medical care.

Name three ethical issues in U.S. health care.

Abortion, end-of-life care, advance directives, organ donation.

What is Health Services Research?

The study of the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of the health care system.

What is outcomes research?

Research that determines which medical treatments work best in real life.

Why are medical errors a public health issue?

They are a top 10 cause of death in the U.S.

What are the three main drivers of U.S. health care costs?

Administrative costs, physician costs, and pharmaceuticals.