NURS 8100 Issues in Health Care Reform (Interview)
Walden University NURS 8100 Issues in Health Care Reform (Interview)-Step-By-Step Guide
This guide will demonstrate how to complete the Walden University NURS 8100 Issues in Health Care Reform (Interview) 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 Issues in Health Care Reform (Interview)
Whether one passes or fails an academic assignment such as the Walden University NURS 8100 Issues in Health Care Reform (Interview) 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 Issues in Health Care Reform (Interview)
The introduction for the Walden University NURS 8100 Issues in Health Care Reform (Interview) 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 Issues in Health Care Reform (Interview)
After the introduction, move into the main part of the NURS 8100 Issues in Health Care Reform (Interview) 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 Issues in Health Care Reform (Interview)
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 Issues in Health Care Reform (Interview)
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 Issues in Health Care Reform (Interview)
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.
Preventative screening for chronic diseases gives individuals clarity and a sense of security, protecting them, and allowing them to live a longer, healthier life. To achieve this, the word needs to be spread about these wonderful immunizations and screenings. One way to do this is by creating a patient profile. This patient profile would be essentially a portal with all of their medical info, immunizations, medical history, and family history. This patient portal will remind them of the dates to be tested. For example, every year a woman should have a pap smear. It will alert them when it is needed, while also showing various health centers near them. Another example would be when their immunizations expire, such as the Tdap and tetanus shots. Based on family history, it would alert you at certain ages to be tested or screened for cancer. For example, if you have a history of breast cancer, should be tested at 30 and every year after. There is a lot of information out there and it tends to get lost in translation. This app or patient profile helps track and keep your medical history up to date.
According to the AACN (2006), “Political activism and commitment to policy development are central elements of professional nursing practice” (p. 13). Throughout this course, you will hone the skills and competencies required for this type of involvement in policy.
Interviews are one type of research that can serve as a helpful source of knowledge. Research is an important element in the process of developing skills and competences. As a result, this Assignment (which you will begin this week and complete by the end of Week 9) allows you to choose a health reform problem of interest and debate it with a state or national lawmaker (or their aide).
Thank you for your informative discussion this week addressing unintended consequences of health care reform with a focus on accountable care organizations. This response will expand on your posting based on additional research.
Cost as you mentioned is a determinant for a health care reform historically and also in the current times. ACOs offered a hopeful solution to better health care. According to Kaufman, Spivack, Stearns, Song & O’Brien (2019), ACOs have contributed to less patients going to the emergency rooms, and more preventative care especially for those who suffer from chronic diseases with occasional exacerbations.
Another research done by Ouayogodé, Mainor, Meara, Bynum, Colla, (2019), validated the role of ACO in health care management and coordination. ACOs have proved to transform primary care and decreased fragmented health care that has been existence for a long time. This has especially affected those who have complex health care needs requiring different clinicians to provide care. Although ACOs may not be perfect, clinicians are offered incentives to help improve care coordination which in turn leads to decreased overall spending.
References
Kaufman, B. G., Spivack, B. S., Stearns, S. C., Song, P. H., & O’Brien, E. C. (2019). Impact of Accountable Care Organizations on Utilization, Care, and Outcomes: A Systematic Review. Medical Care Research and Review, 76(3), 255–290. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077558717745916
Ouayogodé, M.H., Mainor, A.J., Meara, E., Bynum, J.P.W., Colla, C.H. (2019) Association Between Care Management and Outcomes Among Patients With Complex Needs in Medicare Accountable Care Organizations: JAMA Network Open, 2(7). https://doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.6939
To get ready:
Choose a state or national politician or assistant to question about current health care reform issues (state representative or lawmaker, senator, congressman, governor, etc.).
Request a meeting with the individual’s office as soon as feasible. Remember that getting on their calendar may be challenging, so plan ahead of time. The interview might take place either in person or over the phone.
Before the interview, consider the following question: What health-care policy problem is most important to me?
What issue do I wish to bring to this person’s attention?
With this in mind, prepare a list of interview questions focusing on your selected health policy problem. You might also want to include the following questions about health care reform:
In terms of health-care reform, what are your constituents most concerned about?
What are the costs and benefits of the recently passed health-care reform legislation?
Week 9’s seventh day
To finish:
Write a three- to four-page report summarizing and analyzing the interview and the health-care reform themes you discussed.
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Your written assignments must follow APA guidelines. Be sure to support your work with specific citations from appropriate Learning Resources and additional scholarly sources as appropriate. Refer to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association to ensure that your in-text citations and reference list are correct. Due by Day 7 of Week 9.
Week in Review
This week, you reviewed health-care reform-related concerns and analyzed significant health-care reform legislation for good outcomes and potential unintended repercussions.
You will study the process of developing health care policy beginning with agenda setting and the policy proposal next week.
NURS 8100 Issues in Health Care Reform (Interview)
To the following week:
Week 3
Assignment 1: Health Care Reform Issues Interview
LOs for the program: 4, 5
4: Professions/Partners
5: Good Communicators
DNP Requirements: 5, 6
5: Healthcare Policy for Healthcare Advocacy
6: Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes Through Interprofessional Collaboration
(To view the table, scroll below.)
ASSIGNMENT PROMPT
Target
5 points
Acceptable
3 points
Unacceptable
1 point
Score/Level
Health Care Reform Interview
Part 1:
Define and discuss your list of questions used for the interview around your selected health care reform issue.
Program LO: 4, 5
DNP Essential: 5, 6
Exemplary quality.
Uses advanced critical thinking skills; does not summarize or paraphrase the content of the literature review; instead, demonstrates content mastery using examples and/or personalized reflections about the content of the literature review; demonstrates an applied level of understanding through personalized reflections about
Meets all requirements for LOs 4 and 5.
Exceeds expectations regarding Essentials 5 and 6.
Well-executed, high-quality work.
Content is of professional portfolio quality; addresses at least 80% of the major subsections in the assignment using adequate critical thinking skills; includes some summarizing or paraphrasing of the literature review; demonstrates content mastery through examples and/or personalized reflections on the content of the literature review; demonstrates an applied level of understanding through personalized reflections on the content area. It meets all requirements for graduate-level work.
NURS 8100 Issues in Health Care Reform (Interview)
Meets expectations for LOs 4, 5.
Meets expectations for Essentials 5, 6.
Superficially developed, unacceptable quality.
Content needs substantial revision for it to be of a professional portfolio quality; addresses less than 50% of the major subsections in the assignment using weak critical thinking skills; consists primarily of a summary of main ideas from the literature review; does not demonstrate an applied level of understanding. Does not meet expectations for graduate level work.
Insufficient to meet expectations for graduate work.
for LOs 4, 5.
Insufficient Essentials 5, 6.
Part 2:Write a 3- to 4-page paper providing a summary and analysis of the interview and the health care reform issues you discussed (may include social, political, economic, ethical concerns)
Program LOs: 4, 5.
DNP Essential: 5, 6.
Exemplary quality.
Content is of a professional portfolio quality; addresses questions/issues discussed in the interview; the summary and analysis applies advanced critical thinking skills; does not summarize or paraphrase the content of the literature review; instead, demonstrates content mastery using examples of and/or personalized reflections about the content of the literature review; demonstrates an applied level of understanding through personalized reflections about the content area. Excels in meeting expectations for graduate level work. Fully meets expectations for LOs 4 and 5.
Fully meets expectations for Essentials 5 and 6.
Well-developed good quality work.
Content is of a professional portfolio quality; addresses about 80% of the major subsections in the assignment using adequate critical thinking skills; includes some summarizing or paraphrasing of literature review; demonstration of content mastery using examples of and/or personalized reflections about the content of the literature review; demonstration of an applied level of understanding through personalized reflections about the content area. It meets expectations for graduate level work.
NURS 8100 Issues in Health Care Reform (Interview)
Meets expectations for LOs 4, 5.
Meets expectations for Essentials 5, 6.
Superficially developed, unacceptable quality.
Content needs substantial revision for it to be of a professional portfolio quality; addresses less than 50% of the major subsections in the assignment using weak critical thinking skills; consists primarily of a summary of main ideas from the literature review; does not demonstrate an applied level of understanding. Does not meet expectations for graduate level work.
Insufficient to meet expectations for LOs 4, 5.
Insufficient to meet expectations for Essentials 5, 6.
Part 3: References and APA requirements
The majority of references are from scholarly journals, supports the topic well, and are current. Paper stays within page requirements. APA format used correctly throughout.
Excels in meeting expectations for graduate level work.
Most references are from scholarly journals and support the topic. Most references are fairly current. The paper stays within requirements. APA format used with minimal errors.
Meets expectations for graduate level work.
References are not sufficient or are mostly from the lay literature or out of date. The paper is either too long or too short. Weak writing quality and/or little evidence of correctness of APA format.
Does not meet expectations for graduate work.
Assignment:
To prepare:Identify a state or national politician (state representative or legislator, senator, congressman, governor, etc.), or aide, whom you would like to interview regarding current issues in health care reform.
As soon as possible, contact the individual’s office to request a meeting. Keep in mind that it may be difficult to get on their calendar, so plan accordingly. You may conduct the interview in person or by phone.
In advance of the interview, ask yourself:
What health care policy issue is important to me personally?
What issue do I want to bring to this person’s attention?
Develop your list of questions for the interview around your selected health policy issue. In addition, you may wish to include questions related to health care reform:
What are your constituents most concerned about regarding health care reform?
What are the trade-offs associated with recent health care reform policy?
Also Read:
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
NURS 8100 Discussion Federalism’s Impact On Policy
NURS 8100 Discussion Policy And State Boards Of Nursing
NURS 8100 Discussion Technology And Cost Containment
NURS 8100 Discussion Agenda Setting
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 Discussion: Selecting a Policy Analysis Framework
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 Policy and State Boards of Nursing
NURS 8100 Discussion Individual Right Versus the Collective Good
NURS 8100 Discussion Technology and Cost Containment
NURS 8100 Discussion Selecting a Policy Analysis Framework
NURS 8100 Discussion Unintended Consequences of Health Care Reform
NURS 8100 Staying Current Online Resources
Learning Objectives
Students will:
Evaluate the involvement of professional nursing organizations in health policy
Explain how professional organizations could support a policy proposal/recommendation
NURS 8100 Issues in Health Care Reform (Interview)
By Day 7 of Week 9
To complete:
Write a 3- to 4-page paper providing a summary and analysis of the interview and the health care reform issues you discussed. Part 1 (5 points), Part 2 (5 points), Part 3 (5 points). Total points= 15 maximum
Your written assignments must follow APA guidelines. Be sure to support your work with specific citations from appropriate Learning Resources and additional scholarly sources as appropriate. Refer to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association to ensure that your in-text citations and reference list are correct. Due by Day 7 of Week 9.
Sample Answer 2 for NURS 8100 Issues in Health Care Reform (Interview)
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
Sample Answer 3 for NURS 8100 Issues in Health Care Reform (Interview)
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 Issues in Health Care Reform (Interview)
This paper looks into an accountable care organization (ACO) in California and ways that it impacts population health. Accountable health care organizations play vital roles in promoting coordinated efforts between clinicians and medical practitioners while at the same time reducing costs and unnecessary treatments (McWilliams, 2016). Accountable care organizations are a representation of changing health dynamics in the American care system. Accountable care organizations are formed when medical providers, for instance, doctors, nurses, health organizations and non-physician providers collectively agree to be responsible for financial and quality of care in a defined population.
Accountable Care Organization
In California, one of the common ACOs is the Shared Savings Programs (SSP) which is a voluntary program that is formed to encourage hospitals, doctors and other health providers in the country to come together as accountable care organizations. The organization gives coordinated and high-quality care to members who are beneficiaries of Medicare. The SSP was formed wit the intention of moving the payment system of Medicare from a volume perspective to outcome and value-based (Lipa, 2020). SSP has significantly impacted population health in California. By coming together, SSP has improved the quality of care to patients who could not have afforded such care. The SSP ensures that patients from different areas in the state get the correct care at the right time. Quality care also means that patients do not go for unnecessary tests. Another way that SSP has impacted population health in California is by focusing on preventative care through coordination of services across the different levels of care (Milwee, 2020).
The concept of bundled care.
Bundled care is a concept that entails Medicare implementing voluntary episode of payment models. Medicare used to make individual payments to individual services offered to patients. In Bundled care, all payments are combined in a single payment for physicians and hospital facilities. Bundled care increases the incentives for providers to work together to deliver patient care. Bundled care exposes healthcare facilities to certain risks and challenges. Some of the risks of bundled care include the fact that patients may have comorbidities (Agrwal, 2020). This is where some patients might require expensive treatment procedures that are uncontrollable by the provider. Another risk of bundled care in handling cases of uncompliant patients. When patients fail to comply with their care plan such as the medication regimen, health care providers will have difficulties in managing the costs.
Benefits of showing pricing for care.
One benefit of showing pricing of care is that it promotes price transparency. When there is access to price transparency, it helps them to choose accountable payment models that are implemented by different organizations to improve healthcare quality. Another benefit of showing care pricing is that it empowers patients to make informed decisions and get more involved in their care. Care pricing also ensures equitable prices for both insured and uninsured patients since in most cases the uninsured patients are often charged more (Mummadi & Mishra, 2020). Finally, showing care prices helps the patient to make decisions on which provider will be most effective at a low cost. Showing care prices increase competition in healthcare facilities thereby improving the quality of care provided.
In conclusion, the Shared Saving Program (SSP) is an accountable care organization (ACO) that is designed to improve population health as well as the quality of care to patients. Showing care pricing benefits healthcare in various ways. By showing care prices, patients can make an informed decision based on the pricing and quality of services offered.
References.
Agarwal, R., Liao, J. M., Gupta, A., & Navathe, A. S. (2020). The Impact of Bundled Payment On Health Care Spending, Utilization, And Quality: A Systematic Review: A systematic review of the impact on spending, utilization, and quality outcomes from three Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services bundled payment programs. Health Affairs, 39(1), 50-57.
Lipa, S. A., Sturgeon, D. J., Blucher, J. A., Harris, M. B., & Schoenfeld, A. J. (2020). Do Medicare Accountable Care Organizations Reduce Disparities After Spinal Fracture?. Journal of Surgical Research, 246, 123-130.
McWilliams, J., Hatfield, L., Chernew, M., Landon, B., & Schwartz, A. (2016). Early Performance of Accountable Care Organizations in Medicare.
Millwee, B. (2020). Accountable Care Organizations in Medicaid. The Journal of ambulatory care management, 43(1), 11-14.
Mummadi, S. R., Mishra, R., & Mummadi, R. R. (2020). Price Transparency in the Electronic Health Record. Jama, 323(3), 281-281.