Impact of Health Policy on Quality and Cost of Care Essay

4900 Assessment 3: Technology, Care Coordination, and Community Resources Considerations

A key component of practicum work is interacting with patients throughout their counseling and treatment sessions. The therapeutic bond formed when one first encounters the patient helps to facilitate this. I have found a group of patients in this particular problem assessment who are struggling with drug addiction, including alcoholism and opioid addiction, and I aim to work with them. The community surrounding the healthcare facility where the practicum is taking place is heavily affected by drug addiction. Human errors were acknowledged as a major contributor to preventable hospital mortality towards the end of the 20th century thanks to the dreadful work of the Institute of Medicine, or IOM. It was revealed in a ground-breaking IOM report—a first—that close to 100,000 patient deaths that may have been prevented occurred as a result of mistakes made by healthcare professionals in the course of their employment (Bates & Singh, 2018). Prior to this discovery, the healthcare industry lacked any significant methods for quality control or improvement. Technology has now become an integral part of healthcare. The purpose of this paper is to look at how technology can be leveraged to help this group of drug and alcohol addicts overcome their problem. Impact of Health Policy on Quality and Cost of Care Essay

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Part 1: The Impact of Healthcare Technology, Coordination of Care, and the Use of Community Resources on Alcohol and Drug Addiction

Different clinical systems have been developed to date to improve outcomes and efficiency for patients like the ones in this category of addicts, starting with electronic medical record (EMR) systems, also known as what are widely known as EHR systems. EHR systems are connected with clinical decision support systems (CDSS) that ensure no errors as well as complete care coordination with no fragmentation. This is made possible by the interoperability of the EHR systems with those of other providers remotely. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, sometimes known as the ARRA, were signed into law by President Obama on February 17th, 2009. This law includes the Health Information and Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, also known as the “HITECH law”. According to this piece of legislation, all points of care must now use certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT) or electronic medical record (EMR) systems.

The provision of care is made safer, more effective, timelier, more equitable, and more patient-centered as a result of improvements in care quality (AHRQ, 2018). These are what the IOM refers to as the six domains of healthcare quality. There are numerous technologically based clinical systems in use today (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2021). For many illnesses, they are all intended to enhance patient outcomes as well as procedural efficiencies.

Digital Tools

The amount of new digital tools and systems available today for mental health assessment, intervention, support, prevention, and treatment has significantly increased (Bonfiglio et al., 2022). The application of technology in healthcare can help close any gaps in care and facilitate therapy, particularly for younger patients struggling with drug abuse issues. The use of digital technologies for various kinds of interventions is becoming more and more common. Smartphone apps are a common component of mental health therapeutic efforts. Impact of Health Policy on Quality and Cost of Care Essay

All aspects of psychological care, such as prevention, diagnosis, treatment, in-person counseling, and relapse prevention, can be covered via applications. Advanced technological instruments, such augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), are also being effectively applied to the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses like AUD (Bonfiglio et al., 2022). One of their advantages is that they may replicate treatment-specific situations and realities by submerging the user in incredibly realistic surroundings.

Some of the group’s addicts also struggle with additional comorbid illnesses, some of which are a direct result of their addiction. Many of them have type II diabetes, thus they have been managing their condition with continuous glucose monitoring sensors (Cappon et al., 2019). Diabetes mellitus, one of the most serious chronic health conditions, causes significant issues for those who are affected. As a result, it is a serious ailment, and cutting-edge clinical systems may contribute to improving both the effectiveness of treatment and individual outcomes. This clinical technology system inserts a minimally invasive sensor into the body. The blood glucose readings are then continuously recorded and transmitted.

In order to make a decision, the clinician will have access to the electronically transmitted blood glucose data (Wang et al., 2018). Modern sensors also feature sophisticated alarms that can forewarn a patient of an impending hypoglycemic episode, for example. According to studies, the CGM clinical system significantly reduces glucose fluctuation, shortens the duration and frequency of hypoglycemic events, and improves the safety and effectiveness of diabetes treatment. Impact of Health Policy on Quality and Cost of Care Essay

Telehealth

But the most promising area of technology for these clients is telehealth. The facility has already registered them and is planning to roll out the telehealth program, starting with these patients on addiction medications and therapy who are noncompliant. The word “telehealth” refers to medical care delivered remotely through information and communication technologies, or ICTs, without the patient and practitioner having to physically interact (Federal Communications Commission, n.d.). A video gateway connects the patient and the healthcare provider so they can communicate and view one other even if the patient is still at home and far from the clinic or hospital (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2021). The doctor can then carry out evaluations, make suggestions, and issue directives that the patient’s at-home caregivers can follow.

Telehealth includes both telemedicine and telenursing. This suggests that healthcare professionals, such as doctors and nurses, can overcome access barriers and deliver fundamental medical services to populations in need all around the world through telehealth (Federal Communications Commission, n.d.). The advent of ground-breaking ICT advancements along with the astronomically quick growth and level of sophistication of telephones is one of the reasons telehealth is becoming more and more well-liked. It is particularly important for giving basic healthcare to people in underdeveloped areas and difficult-to-reach disadvantaged groups. Additionally, telemedicine can be advantageous for addicts with limited financial resources and resources because they won’t need to physically relocate to the institution or even pay for transportation. Impact of Health Policy on Quality and Cost of Care Essay

Social Determinants of Health

A social determinant of health, equitable access to high-quality healthcare is one of the goals of this particular telehealth program. Other goals include establishing justice as an ethical precept, addressing cost as a barrier to health access, and fostering professional networking through teleconferences. Social determinants of health (SDOH) have an impact on a population’s overall health. Between the time of birth and the time of death, they are factors that surround a person and affect their existence (Artiga & Hinton, 2018). One of the most crucial SDOHs that pertain to this issue of a telehealth program is having access to high-quality healthcare.

Many people’s access to healthcare services is hampered by another SDOH, such as low socioeconomic status and little to no educational achievement, on a global scale. Thanks to the rapid advancement of information technology and ICTs, telehealth is quickly becoming a solution to the lack of treatment accessibility for underserved communities and groups globally (Kim & Zuckerman, 2019). In developing countries and areas with limited resources, telehealth can be useful in making poor communities and organizations more accessible. This is due to the fact that persons receiving therapy won’t have to pay for their own transportation, hotel, or any other costs in order to use the service.

AthenaOne® would be the telemedicine platform of choice for the program in question. The largest, single, integrated platform in healthcare, AthenaOne® is a comprehensive in-the-cloud bundle of technological solutions for the healthcare industry that combines cutting-edge technology with professional services and information-driven decisions. It has capabilities for patient contact, medical billing management, and EHR. The capability of telehealth is one of its main characteristics.

Community Resources

Websites from institutions such as the SAMHSA and the AHRQ have been used to obtain additional information for helping these clients. Home care has been an essential part of their care. But support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous or AA (Kelly et al., 2020) and religious organizations have been very instrumental in their care as community resources. According to the Addiction Center (2023), people who are battling alcohol addiction can get assistance and therapy through Alcoholics Anonymous, which focuses on their 12-step program and group meetings. Impact of Health Policy on Quality and Cost of Care Essay

Impact of Health Policy on Quality and Cost of Care

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or ACA 2010 came up with the provision known as pay for performance. It mandates providers to provide value-based care instead of volume-based care. This way, they can only be reimbursed for the quality they produce (Goldman et al., 2018). This will apply to the addiction diagnoses of the group. By the ACA also covering addiction treatment under essential health benefits, the cost of care is also reduced (Mojtabai et al., 2020). Addictions nursing is a unique nursing specialty practice that combines nursing science and the therapeutic use of self with knowledge about substance use and addictive illnesses, according to the American Nurses Association (ANA, n.d.). This philosophy is incorporated in the Boards of Nursing Standards of Practice for addictions. Addictions nursing knowledge is thus fundamental in the care coordination for alcohol and drug addiction patients as in this group. The following are the practicum hours spent with this group:

Table 1

Practicum hours spent with the addiction group

Part 2: Reporting Experiences

I initially encountered the group of patients receiving treatment for drug and alcohol addiction during the first two practicum hours. I learn a lot from them, including the difficulties they encounter while attempting to quit, the prejudice held against them by society, and how difficult it is for them to receive high-quality medical care because of their lack of insurance. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) are two examples of evidence-based websites reviewed for addressing their issue through guidelines. The review taught me how important it is to adhere to set standards when providing care for individuals with addictions. Impact of Health Policy on Quality and Cost of Care Essay

I investigated the impact of transformational leadership, cooperation, communication, change management, and policy on their issue while including the group. I discovered that people might be inspired and given the tools they needed to succeed in quitting. I learned that people may convey their opinions and difficulties by building trust. And through working with them, I realized that we could adopt change management and follow both the state’s and the institution’s policies to accomplish this. The committee agreed that the issue is present since the cost of treatment was the biggest obstacle. The clients’ candor surprised me in the end, which was a pleasant surprise.

Conclusion

I have benefited a lot from the experience, and my work with the group is going well. The adherence is flawless, and the therapy sessions go very well. Collaboration and community involvement are being used to overcome the cost barrier. All parties involved, including influential members of the community, are joining forces.

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References

American Nurses Association [ANA] (n.d.). Addictions nursing scope and standards of practice. https://www.nursingworld.org/~49c621/globalassets/catalog/book-toc/anss3e_chapter.pdf

Artiga, S. & Hinton, E. (2018, May 10). Beyond health care: The role of social determinants in promoting health and health equity. https://www.kff.org/disparities-policy/issue-brief/beyond-health-care-the-role-of-social-determinants-in-promoting-health-and-health-equity/

Bates, D.W., & Singh, H. (2018). Two decades since To Err Is Human: An assessment of progress and emerging priorities in patient safety. Health Affairs, 37(11), 1736-1743.
https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2018.0738

Bonfiglio, N.S., Mascia, M.L., & Penna, M.P. (2022). Digital treatment paths for substance use disorders (SUDs). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(12), 1-4. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127322

Cappon, G., Vettoretti, M., Sparacino, G., & Facchinetti, A. (2019). Continuous glucose monitoring sensors for diabetes management: A review of technologies and applications. Diabetes & Metabolism Journal, 43(4), 383-397. https://doi.org/10.4093/dmj.2019.0121

Federal Communications Commission (n.d.). Telehealth, telemedicine, and telecare: What’s what? https://www.fcc.gov/general/telehealth-telemedicine-and-telecare-whats-what

Haswell, N. (2019). The four ethical principles and their application in aesthetic practice. Journal of Aesthetic Nursing, 8(4), 177-179.  Impact of Health Policy on Quality and Cost of Care Essay