Free Essay Example on Healthcare and Nursing Practice

Part 1: Healthcare Policy Models and Frameworks

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The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has shaped the acute care nursing practice environment by establishing a healthcare model that is focused on primary care and funding initiatives that come along with community health. The model also focuses on promoting quality care. In addition, the model shapes the acute care nursing practice environment as the model implementation requires well-trained healthcare professionals (Lathrop, 2016). The main benefit of this model is that it has brought the per capital cost of healthcare down. The model has also improved the overall health of the American population (Rosenbaum, 2010). One major barrier that the ACA has presented is that it has resulted in uncertainty around Medicare and Medicaid, a subsidy that plays a major role in treating the elderly and the poor (Rosenbaum et.al, 2010). Due to this uncertainty surrounding the Medicare and Medicaid, many states are toying with the idea of expanding the Medicaid program (Herrick, 2014).

Another model that has helped shape the acute care nursing practice environment is the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model. The main aim of this model is to help patients access care easily (NCSL, 2012). The model is also centered towards increasing care coordination and at the same time enhancing quality. This model helps shape the acute care nursing practice environment as its success mainly relies on team providers such as the nurses and the physicians (NCSL, 2012). The model also shapes the nursing practice environment by ensuring there is a coordinated and all-inclusive care entrenched in a solid collaborative relationship. For instance, Carilion Clinic, situated in Southwestern Virginia is utilizing this patient-focused model, whereby a multidisciplinary and proactive care team takes a mutual responsibility for every patient. Two major benefits of this model are that it will introduce payment reforms in the healthcare system and at the same time make it easy for the management of chronic diseases and behavioral health (PCMH, 2016).

Part 2: National Health Insurance and Nursing Practice

According to (PCMH, 2016), healthcare workers especially nurses are usually impacted by any changes that affect the way healthcare is administered. The national health insurance influences healthcare outcomes in nursing practice in the following ways: It gives Americans easy access to healthcare coverage as well as primary care (NHI, 2016), which creates a demand for nurses to provide these services. The program has also led to an increase in the number of scholarship opportunities as well as grants for nurses. Lastly, it helps in the removal of staffing caps associated with nursing (Shi, 2013).

However, there exists a concern that despite a large number of American population being insured, there will be a reduction in the quality of care being offered to patients. This is due to a large number of patients the nurses will have to handle (Bodenheimer & Grumbach, 2014). Patients coming for treatment will be sicker than those patients who came before because of pre-existing conditions, when they were not covered (Shi, 2013). The increased demand for healthcare services and workload from the previous years before the implementation of the national health insurance will cause a serious strain on nurses and their resources (Boychuk, 2011).

Part 3: The Role of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Advocating for Patients

Nursing practice is very diverse. It deals with various issues such as public health care needs, leadership, clinical and public leadership. DNP deals with issues concerning disparities in healthcare. DNP also deals with nursing education and at the same time making improvements for patients (Sawyer et.al, 2016).DNP personnel are allowed to analyze policy processes, therefore, making the nursing profession politically relevant. It is, therefore, their responsibility to challenge the processes that affect patients (NHI et.al, 2016).

References

(NCSL), N. C. (2012, September ). National Conference of State Legislatures . Retrieved from The Medical Home Model of Care: http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/the-medical-home-model-of-care.aspx

Bodenheimer, T. &. (2012). Understanding health policy: A clinical approach (6th ed.). . San Francisco, CA: : McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing.

Boychuk, G. W. (2011). National Health Insurance in the United States and Canada: Race, Territory, and the Roots of Difference. Washington: Georgetown University Press.

Herrick, D. M. (2014). Lives at Risk: Single-Payer National Health Insurance Around the World. New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Home, P.-C. M. (2016, July 12). Patient-Centered Medical Home . Retrieved from Safety Net Medical Home initiative : http://www.improvingchroniccare.org/index.php?p=Transforming_Safety_Net_Clinics&s=294

Insurance, N. H. (2016, June 2). National Health Insurance . Retrieved from National Health Insurance : https://www.usa.gov/finding-health-insurance#item-36542

Lathrop, B. (2016). The Affordable Care Act:Primary Care and the Doctor of Nursing Practice Nurse. The Online Journal on Issues in Nursing, 1.

Rosenbaum, S. (2011, January). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Implications for Public Health Policy and Practice. Retrieved from Public Health: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3001814/

Sawyer, T. (2016, June 1). Role of the DNP in Healthcare. Retrieved from Advance Care Network: http://nurse-practitioners-and-physician-assistants.advanceweb.com/Features/Articles/Role-of-the-DNP-in-Healthcare.aspx

Shi, L. (2013). Essentials Of The U.S. Health Care System. Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning.