NURS 8100 Discussion Health Care Reform
Walden University NURS 8100 Discussion Health Care Reform-Step-By-Step Guide
This guide will demonstrate how to complete the Walden University NURS 8100 Discussion Health Care Reform assignment based on general principles of academic writing. Here, we will show you the A, B, Cs of completing an academic paper, irrespective of the instructions. After guiding you through what to do, the guide will leave one or two sample essays at the end to highlight the various sections discussed below.
How to Research and Prepare for NURS 8100 Discussion Health Care Reform
Whether one passes or fails an academic assignment such as the Walden University NURS 8100 Discussion Health Care Reform depends on the preparation done beforehand. The first thing to do once you receive an assignment is to quickly skim through the requirements. Once that is done, start going through the instructions one by one to clearly understand what the instructor wants. The most important thing here is to understand the required format—whether it is APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.
After understanding the requirements of the paper, the next phase is to gather relevant materials. The first place to start the research process is the weekly resources. Go through the resources provided in the instructions to determine which ones fit the assignment. After reviewing the provided resources, use the university library to search for additional resources. After gathering sufficient and necessary resources, you are now ready to start drafting your paper.
How to Write the Introduction for NURS 8100 Discussion Health Care Reform
The introduction for the Walden University NURS 8100 Discussion Health Care Reform is where you tell the instructor what your paper will encompass. In three to four statements, highlight the important points that will form the basis of your paper. Here, you can include statistics to show the importance of the topic you will be discussing. At the end of the introduction, write a clear purpose statement outlining what exactly will be contained in the paper. This statement will start with “The purpose of this paper…” and then proceed to outline the various sections of the instructions.
How to Write the Body for NURS 8100 Discussion Health Care Reform
After the introduction, move into the main part of the NURS 8100 Discussion Health Care Reform assignment, which is the body. Given that the paper you will be writing is not experimental, the way you organize the headings and subheadings of your paper is critically important. In some cases, you might have to use more subheadings to properly organize the assignment. The organization will depend on the rubric provided. Carefully examine the rubric, as it will contain all the detailed requirements of the assignment. Sometimes, the rubric will have information that the normal instructions lack.
Another important factor to consider at this point is how to do citations. In-text citations are fundamental as they support the arguments and points you make in the paper. At this point, the resources gathered at the beginning will come in handy. Integrating the ideas of the authors with your own will ensure that you produce a comprehensive paper. Also, follow the given citation format. In most cases, APA 7 is the preferred format for nursing assignments.
How to Write the Conclusion for NURS 8100 Discussion Health Care Reform
After completing the main sections, write the conclusion of your paper. The conclusion is a summary of the main points you made in your paper. However, you need to rewrite the points and not simply copy and paste them. By restating the points from each subheading, you will provide a nuanced overview of the assignment to the reader.
How to Format the References List for NURS 8100 Discussion Health Care Reform
The very last part of your paper involves listing the sources used in your paper. These sources should be listed in alphabetical order and double-spaced. Additionally, use a hanging indent for each source that appears in this list. Lastly, only the sources cited within the body of the paper should appear here.
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Sample Answer for NURS 8100 Discussion Health Care Reform
The United States’ health-care system differs from that of other developed countries in that it lacks a standardized health-care system and universal health-care coverage. Other developed countries have a single-payer national health insurance system, a national health service, or a multi-payer universal health insurance fund, whereas the United States has a hybrid healthcare system (Papanicolas et al., 2018). I am particularly interested in the disparities in health insurance coverage in the United States health care system. Many Americans lack access to health care because it is limited to: people with health insurance; people covered by government insurance programs; people who can afford to buy private health insurance; and people who can get health services through safety net providers (Papanicolas et al., 2018).
The feature is important in terms of health policy and reform because policies and reforms are required to improve Americans’ access to healthcare. Examples of approaches to addressing the issue include developing policies that provide health insurance coverage to low-income Americans (Papanicolas et al., 2018). Health insurance policies must also be changed to allow the disproportionately uninsured Americans to access quality healthcare.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was passed with provisions that provoked legal and political controversy. It included a requirement requiring Americans to buy health insurance or face penalties, with certain exclusions for low-income Americans who couldn’t afford insurance (Talbert et al., 2018). In order to cover healthcare costs in the United States, the condition was deemed necessary. The dispute produced by this condition hampered policy development. Opponents of the proposal said that the condition violated Congress’s commerce clause jurisdiction (McIntyre & Song, 2019). This explains why health-care reform has been so difficult in the United States, as some policymakers contend that proposed reforms are illegal.References
McIntyre, A., & Song, Z. (2019). The US Affordable Care Act: Reflections and directions at the close of a decade. PLoS medicine, 16(2), e1002752. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002752
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Papanicolas, I., Woskie, L. R., & Jha, A. K. (2018). Health care spending in the United States and other high-income countries. Jama, 319(10), 1024-1039. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.1150
Talbert, P. Y., Martin, L. F., Frazier, M., & Byas, D. (2018). Benefits and Challenges of the Affordable Care Act: What should be the Future of the ACA in 2018? Acta Scientific Medical Sciences 2.5, 09-16.
After much public and political debate, in March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was signed into law by President Barack Obama. The PPACA is one of many health care reform efforts that have sought to correct key features of the U.S. health care system such as financing, service delivery, and care coordination. This week, you will examine the passage of PPACA as a milestone along the historical continuum of health care reform in the United States.
To prepare:
Review this week’s Learning Resources and media presentation, reflecting on the evolution of health care in the United States and the public’s response to health care reform efforts historically and currently.
Consider: What principal features of the U.S. health care system helped or hindered the enactment of federal health reform in March 2010? What challenges were encountered?
How do these conditions and/or challenges reflect characteristics of the policy process and the political environment?
By Day 3
Post a cohesive response that addresses the following:
Analyze at least one important feature of the U.S. health care system that is of particular interest to you. Explain why you think this feature is significant in terms of health policy and reform.
Describe one or more conditions or challenges specifically related to the passing of the PPACA. Explain how this exemplifies the nature of the policy-making process, and evaluate how it could relate to the question of why health reform in the United States has been so difficult.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues in one or more of the following ways:
Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence or research.
Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library.
Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.
Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.
Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence.
Note: Please see the Syllabus and Discussion Rubric for formal Discussion question posting and response evaluation criteria.
Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you learned and/or any insights you gained as a result of the comments made by your colleagues.
Be sure to support your work with specific citations from this week’s Learning Resources and any additional sources.
Also Read:
NURS 8100 Discussion: Health Care Reform SOLUTION
NURS 8100 Issues in Health Care Reform (Interview)
NURS 8100 Health Policy Proposal Analysis (Policy Brief)
NURS 8100 Discussion Policy Brief
NURS 8100 Assignment 3: Policy Analysis Paper [Major Assessment] ANSWER
NURS 8100 Discussion 1: Policy Analysis Summary ANSWER
NURS 8100 DiscussionIndividual Right Versus The Collective Good
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Discussion : Nursing And Health Policy In Other Nations NURS 8100
NURS 8100 Discussion 2: Advocating Through Policy
NURS 8100 Discussion: Federalism’s Impact on Policy ANSWER
NURS 8100 Week 1 Discussion The Doctoral Degree and Professional Nursing Practice
NURS 8100 Discussion Nursing and Health Policy in Other Nations
NURS 8100 Discussion Individual Right Versus the Collective Good
NURS 8100 Discussion Selecting a Policy Analysis Framework
NURS 8100 Discussion Unintended Consequences of Health Care Reform
NURS 8100 Staying Current Online Resources
Submission and Grading Information
Grading Criteria
To access your rubric:
Week 1 Discussion Rubric
Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 6
To participate in this Discussion:
Week 1 Discussion
Name: NURS_8100_Week1_Discussion_Rubric
Grid View
List View
Excellent Good Fair Poor
RESPONSIVENESS TO DISCUSSION QUESTION
Discussion post minimum requirements:
*The original posting must be completed by Wednesday, Day 3, at 11:59pm MST. Two response postings to two different peer original posts, on two different days, are required by Saturday, Day 6, at 11:59pm MST. Faculty member inquiries require responses, which are not included in the minimum number of posts. Your Discussion Board postings should be written in standard edited English and follow APA style for format and grammar as closely as possible given the constraints of the online platform. Be sure to support the postings with specific citations from this week’s Learning Resources as well as resources available through the Walden University online databases. Refer to the Essential Guide to APA Style for Walden Students to ensure your in-text citations and reference list are correct.
Points Range: 8 (26.67%) – 8 (26.67%)
Discussion postings and responses exceed the requirements of the Discussion instructions. They: Respond to the question being asked or the prompt provided; – Go beyond what is required in some meaningful way (e.g., the post contributes a new dimension, unearths something unanticipated); -Are substantive, reflective, with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings and current credible evidence. – Demonstrate significant ability to generalize and extend thinking and evaluate theories or concepts within the topic or context of the discussion. -Demonstrate that the student has read, viewed, and considered the Learning -Resources as well as additional resources and has read, viewed, or considered a sampling of colleagues’ postings; -Exceed the minimum requirements for discussion posts*.
Points Range: 7 (23.33%) – 7 (23.33%)
Discussion postings and responses meet the requirements of the Discussion instructions. They: -Respond to the question being asked or the prompt provided; -Are substantive, reflective, with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings and current credible evidence.re -Demonstrate ability to generalize and extend thinking and evaluate theories or concepts within the topic or context of the discussion. -Demonstrate that the student has read, viewed, and considered the Learning Resources and has read, viewed, or considered a sampling of colleagues’ postings -Meet the minimum requirements for discussion posts*.
Points Range: 6 (20%) – 6 (20%)
Discussion postings and responses are minimally responsive to the requirements of the Discussion instructions. They: – do not clearly address the objectives of the discussion or the question or prompt; and/or -May (lack) lack in depth, reflection, analysis, or synthesis but rely more on anecdotal than scholarly evidence; and/or -Do not adequately demonstrate that the student has read, viewed, and considered the Learning -Resources and/or a sampling of colleagues’ postings; and/or has posted by the due date at least in part. – Lack ability to generalize and extend thinking and evaluate theories or concepts within the topic or context of the discussion. -Do not meet the minimum requirements for discussion posts*.
Points Range: 0 (0%) – 5 (16.67%)
Discussion postings and responses are unresponsive to the requirements of the Discussion instructions. They: – do not clearly address the objectives of the discussion or the question or prompt; and/or – Lack in substance, reflection, analysis, or synthesis but rely more on anecdotal than scholarly evidence. – Lack ability to generalize and extend thinking and evaluate theories or concepts within the topic or context of the discussion. -Do not demonstrate that the student has read, viewed, and considered the Learning Resources and/or a sampling of colleagues’ postings; and/or does not meet the minimum requirements for discussion posts*.
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
Points Range: 8 (26.67%) – 8 (26.67%)
Discussion postings and responses: -demonstrate in-depth understanding and application of concepts and issues presented in the course (e.g., insightful interpretations including analysis, synthesis and/or evaluation of topic; – are well supported by pertinent research/evidence from a variety of and multiple peer- reviewed books and journals, where appropriate; -Demonstrate significant mastery and thoughtful/accurate application of content, applicable skills or strategies presented in the course.
Points Range: 7 (23.33%) – 7 (23.33%)
Discussion postings and responses: -demonstrate understanding and application of the concepts and issues presented in the course, presented with some understanding and application of concepts and issues presented in the course (e.g., insightful interpretations including analysis, synthesis and/or evaluation of topic; -are supported by research/evidence from peer-reviewed books and journals, where appropriate; and · demonstrate some mastery and application of content, applicable skills, or strategies presented in the course.
Points Range: 6 (20%) – 6 (20%)
Discussion postings and responses: – demonstrate minimal understanding of concepts and issues presented in the course, and, although generally accurate, display some omissions and/or errors; –lack support by research/evidence and/or the research/evidence is inappropriate or marginal in quality; and/or lack of analysis, synthesis or evaluation of topic – demonstrate minimal content, skills or strategies presented in the course. ——-Contain numerous errors when using the skills or strategies presented in the course
Points Range: 0 (0%) – 5 (16.67%)
Discussion postings and responses demonstrate: -A lack of understanding of the concepts and issues presented in the course; and/or are inaccurate, contain many omissions and/or errors; and/or are not supported by research/evidence; and/or lack of analysis, synthesis or evaluation of topic -Many critical errors when discussing content, applicable skills or strategies presented in the course.
CONTRIBUTION TO THE DISCUSSION
Points Range: 8 (26.67%) – 8 (26.67%)
Discussion postings and responses significantly contribute to the quality of the discussion/interaction and thinking and learning by: -providing Rich and relevant examples; discerning and thought-provoking ideas; and stimulating thoughts and probes; – -demonstrating original thinking, new perspectives, and extensive synthesis of ideas supported by the literature.
Points Range: 7 (23.33%) – 7 (23.33%)
Discussion postings and responses contribute to the quality of the discussion/interaction and thinking and learning by -providing relevant examples; thought-provoking ideas – Demonstrating synthesis of ideas supported by the literature
Points Range: 6 (20%) – 6 (20%)
Discussion postings and responses minimally contribute to the quality of discussion/interaction and thinking and learning by: – providing few and/or irrelevant examples; and/or – providing few if any thought- provoking ideas; and/or -. Information that is restated from the literature with no/little demonstration of critical thinking or synthesis of ideas.
Points Range: 0 (0%) – 5 (16.67%)
Discussion postings and responses do not contribute to the quality of interaction/discussion and thinking and learning as they do not: -Provide examples (or examples are irrelevant); and/or -Include interesting thoughts or ideas; and/or – Demonstrate of critical thinking or synthesis of ideas
QUALITY OF WRITING
Points Range: 6 (20%) – 6 (20%)
Discussion postings and responses exceed doctoral -level writing expectations. They: · Use grammar and syntax that is clear, concise, and appropriate to doctoral level writing; · Make few if any errors in spelling, grammar, and syntax; · Use original language and refrain from directly quoting original source materials; -provide correct APA · Are positive, courteous, and respectful when offering suggestions, constructive feedback, or opposing viewpoints.
Points Range: 5 (16.67%) – 5 (16.67%)
Discussion postings and responses meet doctoral -level writing expectations. They: ·Use grammar and syntax that is clear and appropriate to doctoral level writing; ; · Make a few errors in spelling, grammar, and syntax; · paraphrase but refrain from directly quoting original source materials; Provide correct APA format · Are courteous and respectful when offering suggestions, constructive feedback, or opposing viewpoints;.
Points Range: 4 (13.33%) – 4 (13.33%)
Discussion postings and responses are minimally below doctoral-level writing expectations. They: · Make more than occasional errors in spelling, grammar, and syntax; · Directly quote from original source materials and/or paraphrase rather than use original language; lack correct APA format; and/or · Are less than courteous and respectful when offering suggestions, feedback, or opposing viewpoints.
Points Range: 0 (0%) – 3 (10%)
Discussion postings and responses are well below doctoral -level writing expectations. They: · Use grammar and syntax that is that is unclear · Make many errors in spelling, grammar, and syntax; and –use incorrect APA format · Are discourteous and disrespectful when offering suggestions, feedback, or opposing viewpoints.
Total Points: 30
Name: NURS_8100_Week1_Discussion_Rubric
Sample Answer 2 for NURS 8100 Discussion Health Care Reform
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law over 10 years ago and it has remained highly controversial by many law makers since its inception on March 23, 2010. Many law makers have tried to get rid of the ACA but have yet to find a health care system to replace the ACA that works with law makers and the public. Even though people may not like the ACA it has improved the health care system, provided health insurance to the uninsured, provided more prevention program to help improve the overall health of the American people. There was so much resistance to passing the ACA since the President at that time was African American and a Democratic (Silberman, 2020). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed by a Democratic Congress and signed into law by a Democratic president in 2010. Republican congresspeople, governors, and Republican candidates have consistently opposed the ACA and have vowed to repeal it during every election, but more than 50% of Americans support ACA. In the first year of ACA 10 million Americans gained accessed to health insurance. The ACA also eliminated the no coverage for prior conditions, it also decreased prescription drug cost and eliminated co-pay for preventive services. When people are asked why they oppose the ACA they mention they do not like the government involved in their healthcare, but they pay into Medicare which is a mandatory federal government insurance. Despite positive changes the ACA has brought to many Americans many politicians and people oppose ACA and want to get rid of ACA(Silberman,2020). While ACA has made great strides in improving health care, health disparity remains a major problem among people of color. The recent pandemic has shown the world once again that the health care system is even though Black Americans make up 13 percent of the US population over 23 percent of COVID deaths were Black Americans (USA, 2021).
In spite of significant advances in the diagnosis and treatment of most chronic diseases, there is evidence that racial and ethnic minorities tend to receive lower quality of care than non-minorities and that, patients of minority ethnicity experience greater morbidity and mortality from various chronic diseases than non-minorities. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report from 2006 showed unequal treatment “racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare exist and, because that lead to worse outcomes in many cases. Minorities were provided less access to health care intervention, sources, and funding (Egede, 2006).
References
Egede, L. (2006). Race, Ethnicity, Culture, and Disparities in Health care
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1924616/
Silberman, P. (2020). The Affordable Care Act: Against the Odds, It’s Working. North Carolina Medical Journal, 81(6), 364–369. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.18043/ncm.81.6.364
USA FACTS. (2021).US COVID-19 cases and deaths by state
https://usafacts.org/visualizations/coronavirus-covid-19-spread-map/
Sample Answer 3 for NURS 8100 Discussion Health Care Reform
Significant transformations in healthcare have been witnessed in the US over the past one decade. The transformations mainly target at improving the health and wellbeing of the America citizens irrespective of their backgrounds. The reforms aim to achieve this by increasing the populations covered by different health insurance schemes, which will improve access and utilization of healthcare services by the diverse populations (Jones, 2017). Despite these benefits, significant challenges surround the transformations. For instance, concerns have been raised on whether the reforms will be of importance in the long-term. Therefore, this paper expounds on these issues based on the interview I conducted with the director of health in our state.
Summary and Analysis of the Interview
The interview was conducted on 5 January 2020 at the director’s office. In my view, the interview was a success since the director explored a wide range of issues on healthcare reforms. The director was keen on ensuring that all the questions asked were tactfully addressed. The main areas of focus in the interview included achievements of healthcare reforms, opportunities for healthcare institutions, challenges with the reforms and ways of addressing them. According to the director, significant successes have been reported with the adoption of healthcare reforms in the US. The success can be seen in the percentage of American citizens who have access to their needed care in the modern world. As reported by her, the healthcare reforms have not only increased healthcare access for the ethnic minorities but also individuals from non-minority communities that are unemployed. The consequences of these improvements are a significant rise in the utilization of healthcare services and healthier populations.
The director also reported that the adoption of healthcare reforms has led to a significant improvement in the quality of care offered to the American citizens. Accordingly, it has shifted the payment system for healthcare services where hospitals that meet the goals of value-based purchasing system receive higher numeration than those that does not. There has also a significant improvement in the protection of data of the patients since institutions have to abide by regulations guiding its use. Health organizations have also embraced new technologies that have enhanced the safety, efficiency, and quality of care (Thompson, 2015). Therefore, she was optimistic that the achievements reported with the adoption of healthcare reforms are expected to transform the healthcare system of the US in the future.
Moreover, the director was keen to note that there exist opportunities that can be explored to enhance the efficiency of the healthcare reforms. She expressed the increased need for healthcare stakeholders to focus on upholding the principle of doing no harm to others. In this case, she expressed that while most people have criticized the use of single-payer system to be unsustainable; it should not be disbanded but be fixed. The imperfections in the Affordable Care Act need to be fixed with the aim of increasing insurance coverage to the Americans who are not insured. The director gave four ways in which this can be achieved. Firstly, the legislators should consider expanding the eligibility for tax credit offsets. This will raise the number of poor individuals who can afford the premiums. Secondly, there is a need for the states to provide citizens with enhanced tax credit offsets. This will specifically benefit the young adults with low income (Shaw, 2017). Lastly, the Medicaid eligibility should be expanded to a level that ensures that a majority of the poor can afford the cost of premiums in the state insurance cover. Through these interventions, the goals of healthcare reforms can be achieved.
The director expressed concerns that despite the success in healthcare reforms, the implementation process has experienced significant challenges. Firstly, there has been considerable resistance from healthcare institutions in the implementation of some provisions. Successful implementation of the healthcare reforms demands the restructuring of most processes of health care organizations. The restructuring require the use of financial resources to acquire new technologies and train staffs on its use (Shaw, 2017). As a result, the adoption process must consider the needs and concerns of healthcare institutions, hence, the challenge.
In addition, the director also expressed that the implementation process could be affected adversely by the rising costs of healthcare in the US. According to evidence, the cost of healthcare in the US is higher than any other developed state in Europe and the rest of the world. The high cost is expected to rise further with the adoption of the reforms. The rise is attributed to a decline in the population covered by the employers in the state (Jones, 2017). The consequence of such change will be an increase in consumer spending on healthcare, hence, the rise in healthcare cost and unaffordability of care to a majority of the citizens.
The last part of the interview was on the ways in which the above challenges can be addressed. According to the director, there is a need for the expansion of federal coverage to solve the cost-related issues affecting the reforms. The coverage should be nationwide with states having complete responsibility for the vulnerable in the society. The second recommendation is retaining the Medicaid expansion for individuals with income level below 138% of the poverty levels to increase affordability and coverage (Thompson, 2015). Lastly, coverage should be comprehensive to cover all the healthcare needs of the diverse populations.
Conclusion
In summary, the interview revealed that the adoption of healthcare reforms in the US have achieved significant milestones in promoting the health of the American citizens. There has been an increase in healthcare access, affordability, and utilization among the population. Despite these achievements, the adoption process has faced challenges related to financial implications it has on health care organizations. Therefore, it is important that a focus be placed on ensuring that the challenges are addressed to realize the full benefits of the reforms.
References
Jones, D. K. (2017). Exchange politics: Opposing Obamacare in battleground states. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Shaw, G. M. (2017). The dysfunctional politics of the Affordable Care Act. Santa Barbara, CA: California Praeger.
Thompson, T. (2015). The Affordable Care Act. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press.
Sample Answer 4 for NURS 8100 Discussion Health Care Reform
Health reform involves revamping a country’s or state’s health care system. It entails addressing the ever-rising costs of health care for individuals, families, and the government. Health reforms center on improving the benefits citizens receive from the country’s healthcare system and increasing access to health insurance. Healthcare reforms aim to lower the number of uninsured individuals, making healthcare more affordable and enhancing the quality of care. During this course, I met with a state legislator and discussed a healthcare reform issue that has caught my interest. The purpose of this paper is to give a summary and analysis of the interview and discuss the health care reform issues I presented.
Selected State Legislator
I planned to present my healthcare reform of interest to a legislator from my state Illinois. With the help of my colleagues, I was able to plan a meeting with Representative LaToya Greenwood through her personal assistant. Greenwood is a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives. She has represented the 114th district since January 2017 and is the chairperson of the Health Care Availability and Access Committee (Illinois General Assembly, n.d.). She is also a member of several other committees such as Prescription Drug Affordability; Agriculture & Conservation; Approp-Elementary & Secondary Education (Vice-Chairperson); Data Analytics & IT; Appropriations-Human Services; Cybersecurity, Public Utilities; Museums, Arts, & Cultural Enhancement.
Rep. LaToya Greenwood was the legislator of choice due to her admirable track record. She has chiefly sponsored numerous bills as a Representative. She recently passed House Bill 4645 to strengthen minority representation in health care and stop the uneven quality of care across underserved communities (Illinois General Assembly, n.d.). The bill was founded on her belief that every citizen in Illinois deserves the highest quality of health care at an affordable cost. Furthermore, Rep. Greenwood is dedicated to fighting for affordable prescription drugs and increasing the workforce in public health.
Summary of the Interview
The PA scheduled a one-hour meeting on 15th April 2022 at the Representative’s office from 10 am to 12 pm. The Rep welcomed me to her office, and after establishing rapport, I explained my purpose for the meeting and the desired outcomes from the meeting. The health care reform of interest was the introduction of a bill on mandatory Nurse-to-Patient ratios in all healthcare settings across Illinois. I explained to the Rep that hospitals in Illinois do not observe the WHO-recommended nurse-to-patient staffing ratios, which are purposed to promote safe patient care and prevent nurse burnout. I gave an example of the California nurse-to-patient staffing ratios act. The bill was passed to address the increasing concern that patients’ safety is often compromised by inadequate staffing attributed to the increasing severity of health conditions and complexity of care (Livanos, 2018).
I explained the benefits of enacting a bill on mandate nursing ratios, including the challenges the state currently faces due to the lack of that reform. There is a connection between nurse workload and patient morbidity and mortality rates. Hospitals with unsafe nurse-to-patient ratios overwork their nurses, resulting in burnout. Features of hospitals with high nursing workloads include increased incidences of medical errors and missed nursing care. Various studies found a high prevalence of hospital-acquired infections, like urinary tract infections and pneumonia, and failure to perform CPR in facilities with a high nurses’ workload.
I informed Rep. Greenwood that the biggest benefits from a health reform on safe nurse-to-patient ratios would be improved patient outcomes, reduced morbidity and mortality rates, reduced nursing turnover, and increased patient and staff satisfaction (Griffiths et al., 2018). Safe staffing ratios are equivalent to greater job satisfaction and reduced nurse turnover, saving organizations from the costs spent in frequently hiring new nurses. nurse-to-patient ratios influence most patient outcomes, most noticeably in mortality rates. Nurse staffing ratios are linked to a higher likelihood of patient survival. Lee et al. (2018) found that patients were 95% more likely to stay alive when health facilities observed a hospital-mandated nurse-to-patient ratio. Besides, managing critically ill patients in settings with high nursing workloads and unsafe staffing ratios was associated with a significant decrease in the odds of survival.
Potential Challenges with the Health Reform
We discussed the potential challenges of enacting mandatory nurse staffing ratios and approaches to address them with Rep. Greenwood. I explained that the main shortcoming of the health reform is that health organizations will be mandated to increase the number of nurses without getting increased reimbursement for patient care. Besides, the costs of hiring additional nurses needed for the increased mandated ratios will not be compensated by additional payments to health organizations (de Cordova et al., 2019). This will lead to unfunded mandates. Fortunately, the challenge can be addressed by providing a market-based incentive to healthcare organizations to improve nurse staffing levels (de Cordova et al., 2019). This will separate nursing care from the current room and board charges and adjust healthcare payments for optimum nursing care.
Feedback from the Legislator
Rep. Greenwood was pleased with the presentation since she is devoted to increasing the workforce in Illinois public health. She agreed that the proposed reform would significantly improve nurses’ working environment and quality of patient care resulting in improved health outcomes. She requested that I leave her with the printed proposal so that she can through it and make amendments where necessary. She also stated that she would organize another meeting to discuss the amendments and the way forward.
Conclusion
Enacting mandatory staffing ratios is the healthcare reform of interest. I presented the reform to Rep. LaToya Greenwood of the Illinois House of Representatives representing the 114th district. I presented the reform to Rep. Greenwood and discussed the benefits of enacting the bill on patients’ health outcomes and nurses’ job satisfaction. We also discussed potential challenges and solutions.
References
de Cordova, P. B., Rogowski, J., Riman, K. A., & McHugh, M. D. (2019). Effects of Public Reporting Legislation of Nurse Staffing: A Trend Analysis. Policy, politics & nursing practice, 20(2), 92–104. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527154419832112
Griffiths, P., Maruotti, A., Recio Saucedo, A., & Redfern, O. C. (2018). Nurse staffing, nursing assistants and hospital mortality: retrospective longitudinal cohort study. BMJ Qual Saf.. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2018-008043
Illinois General Assembly. (n.d.). Representative Biography. https://www.ilga.gov/house/Rep.asp?MemberID=2902
Lee, A., Cheung, Y. S. L., Joynt, G. M., Leung, C. C. H., Wong, W. T., & Gomersall, C. D. (2018). Are high nurse workload/staffing ratios associated with decreased survival in critically ill patients? A cohort study. Annals of intensive care, 7(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13613-018-0269-2
Livanos, N. (2018). A broadening coalition: Patient safety enters the Nurse-to-Patient ratio debate. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 9(1), 68-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2155-8256(18)30056-5