Analysis Of A Pertinent Healthcare Issue Assignment Discussion

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Addressing national healthcare issues and stressors can enable the U.S. healthcare system to achieve the quadruple aim. Multiple challenges affect healthcare today, including nursing shortages, rising cost of care, aging population, and increased demand for healthcare. Understanding what strategies can lessen the impact of these issues is paramount to the system’s sustainability. This paper analyzes the high cost of healthcare as an issue affecting nursing care and potential solutions Analysis Of A Pertinent Healthcare Issue Assignment Discussion.

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High Cost of Care and its Impact on My Organization

The United States has been facing increased healthcare, limiting access to medical services for uninsured or underinsured individuals. A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) showed that about 50% of the U.S. adult population has difficulties affording healthcare. Based on KFF’s research, four in ten adults stated they had gone without or delayed healthcare due to cost. One of the services that the respondents gave up was dental care. The problem of high cost of care disproportionately affects some populations, including persons aged 65 years and older, individuals from ethnic minorities, underinsured/uninsured people, and those from low-income households. For instance, older adults may avoid obtaining dental care and some prescriptions, which Medicare or Medicaid does not cover (Montero et al., 2022)Analysis Of A Pertinent Healthcare Issue Assignment Discussion. Overall, high healthcare costs prevent adults from seeking care and adhering to treatment, causing poor health outcomes.

The high cost of care has been a challenge in the hospital where I serve. We have been experiencing poor patient outcomes among adults in acute care settings, particularly those who have chronic illnesses. The facility is located in a low- and middle-income neighborhood. The majority of the patients who present for acute care are covered under Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance plans. However, about 60% of the insurance plans do not cover all patients’ health needs. Others have no insurance, especially migrants in the transition to community integration. It has been difficult for the healthcare staff to provide quality and holistic care to individuals with financial constraints. Most patients who decry the high cost of care in the hospital are likely to miss appointments, fail to acquire prescriptions, and have multiple emergency department (ED) visits. Developing measures to ensure access to care and improved outcomes for all patients is critical.

Evidence Summary on High Cost of Care and Recommendations

Scholarly literature has explored the issue of high costs of care and relevant solutions. Shrank et al. (2021) focused on the rising costs of healthcare and possible policy-based resolutions. The researchers emphasized the need to achieve access to care, equity, and affordability for all Americans. The authors proposed three goals for government at all levels, including state and federal governments: access, equity, and affordability. The researchers called for care accessibility, equity, and affordability for all U.S. citizens. To this effect, they recommended five policy priorities: expanding health insurance coverage, ensuring a speedy move to value-based care, implementing home-based care, increasing the affordability of medications and other services, and creating a robust workforce to aid care delivery. Healthcare organizations through professional bodies have been calling for value-based care, home-based or remote care, expanded coverage, and reduced costs of medications and therapeutics. Addressing these policy areas will improve healthcare access while promoting care quality Analysis Of A Pertinent Healthcare Issue Assignment Discussion.

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Another piece of evidence is a chapter in the book, “The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity.” The authors reviewed the nurses’ role in managing the problem of rising healthcare costs, access to care, and equity. They noted that nurses work in different settings and could be used to provide care to marginalized communities or underserved populations. For instance, nurses are deployed in federally qualified health centers, community primary care facilities, schools, telehealth home visiting, and home health services. The nurses can also address patient issues related to financial constraints and health insurance by incorporating social determinants of health (SDoH) in the clinical evaluation. SDoH assessment helps nurses to consider challenges that might affect optimal healthcare for a particular patient. Through this initial evaluation of patient needs, nurses can refer patients to social services or programs to ensure they get the required care (Flaubert et al., 2021)Analysis Of A Pertinent Healthcare Issue Assignment Discussion. The focus on social determinants of health should be considered in patient evaluations in acute care settings.

Summary of the Strategies to Address High Cost of Care

The evidence reviewed supports two approaches to addressing the organizational impact of the high cost of care. One of the recommendations is identifying patients with financial limitations and enabling them to access care just as others. Flaubert et al. (2021) acknowledged the role of nurses in assessing patients’ social determinants of health. The authors highlighted the significance of the process to patient care delivery and outcomes. The strategy could work in my organization. We could have a section of the clinical evaluation form that covers an individual’s SDoH. The information can be utilized to connect patients to affordable and accessible care. The approach will have a positive impact on the patients by ensuring they acquire needed care and prescriptions irrespective of their financial status.

The other approach to the problem of rising costs of care is policy advocacy. Nurses and other healthcare practitioners should advocate for safe and quality healthcare. Healthcare professionals should advocate for affordable cost of healthcare services at the organizational level. They should also partner with others in their respective professional bodies to push for value-based care, expanded coverage, and a health workforce at the state and federal levels (Shrank et al., 2021)Analysis Of A Pertinent Healthcare Issue Assignment Discussion. Organizational and system policies would address the effect of the rising cost of care in my organization.

Conclusion

High cost of care is a significant healthcare issue affecting patients, healthcare providers, and the system. It limits access to care, causing poor health outcomes. It also prevents healthcare professionals from meeting their care goals. Implementing organizational measures, such as assessing and addressing social determinants of health, can promote healthcare access and equity. Furthermore, participating in policy advocacy for affordable, accessible, and equitable care can produce system-wide benefits.

References

Flaubert, J. L., Le Menestrel, S., Williams, D. R. et al. (eds.) (2021). The role of nurses in improving health care access and quality. In The future of nursing 2020-2030: Charting a path to achieve health equity. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK573910/.

Montero, A., Kearney, A., Hamel, L., & Brodie, M. (2022). Americans’ challenges with health care costs. KFF. https://www.kff.org/health-costs/issue-brief/americans-challenges-with-health-care-costs/Analysis Of A Pertinent Healthcare Issue Assignment Discussion.

Shrank, W. H., DeParle, N. A., Gottlieb, S., Jain, S. H., Orszag, P., Powers, B. W., & Wilensky, G. R. (2021). Health costs and financing: Challenges and strategies for a new administration. Health Affairs, 40(2), 235-242. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.01560.

ANALYSIS OF A PERTINENT HEALTHCARE ISSUE

The Quadruple Aim provides broad categories of goals to pursue to maintain and improve healthcare. Within each goal are many issues that, if addressed successfully, may have a positive impact on outcomes. For example, healthcare leaders are being tasked to shift from an emphasis on disease management often provided in an acute care setting to health promotion and disease prevention delivered in primary care settings. Efforts in this area can have significant positive impacts by reducing the need for primary healthcare and by reducing the stress on the healthcare system. Analysis Of A Pertinent Healthcare Issue Assignment Discussion

Changes in the industry only serve to stress what has always been true; namely, that the healthcare field has always faced significant challenges, and that goals to improve healthcare will always involve multiple stakeholders. This should not seem surprising given the circumstances. Indeed, when a growing population needs care, there are factors involved such as the demands of providing that care and the rising costs associated with healthcare. Generally, it is not surprising that the field of healthcare is an industry facing multifaceted issues that evolve over time.

In this module’s Discussion, you reviewed some healthcare issues/stressors and selected one for further review. For this Assignment, you will consider in more detail the healthcare issue/stressor you selected. You will also review research that addresses the issue/stressor and write a white paper to your organization’s leadership that addresses the issue/stressor you selected.

To Prepare:

Review the national healthcare issues/stressors presented in the Resources and reflect on the national healthcare issue/stressor you selected for study.
Reflect on the feedback you received from your colleagues on your Discussion post for the national healthcare issue/stressor you selected.
Identify and review two additional scholarly resources (not included in the Resources for this module) that focus on change strategies implemented by healthcare organizations to address your selected national healthcare issue/stressor.

The Assignment (2-3 Pages): Analysis Of A Pertinent Healthcare Issue Assignment Discussion

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Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue

Develop a 2 to 3 page paper, written to your organization’s leadership team, addressing your selected national healthcare issue/stressor and how it is impacting your work setting. Be sure to address the following:

Describe the national healthcare issue/stressor you selected and its impact on your organization. Use organizational data to quantify the impact (if necessary, seek assistance from leadership or appropriate stakeholders in your organization).
Provide a brief summary of the two articles you reviewed from outside resources on the national healthcare issue/stressor. Explain how the healthcare issue/stressor is being addressed in other organizations.
Summarize the strategies used to address the organizational impact of national healthcare issues/stressors presented in the scholarly resources you selected. Explain how they may impact your organization both positively and negatively. Be specific and provide examples.

Looking Ahead

The paper you develop in Module 1 will be revisited and revised in Module 2. Review the Assignment instructions for Module 2 to prepare for your revised paper. Analysis Of A Pertinent Healthcare Issue Assignment Discussion