Thank you for your sharing. It is a very nice post. I understand more on how the nursing-sensitive indicators work with your appropriate example. For my understanding, “nursing-sensitive indicators” work like as a meter. The low meter reading represents something such as inefficiency or low score.
HHS expects 90% of Medicare payments to be directly tied to quality measures by 2018. It is imperative that hospitals, urgent care clinics and frontline providers align their
Hospitals and providers had to sustain certain quality outcomes and measures. Currently, if quality outcomes are not obtained hospitals and providers are penalized. What is the sole purpose of meaningful use? Patient outcomes will improve and care will
A hospital’s primary goal should be to provide quality medical care to the patients so that they can be as healthy as possible. A possible way to be able to measure the quality of care a hospital is giving would be to look at their readmission numbers. If a patient is readmitted into a hospital in a short period of time after being discharged, then it is very likely that the hospital did not fully address the patients’ health needs during the initial stay. In an effort to improve the quality of service that hospitals are giving, the Medicare 30-day readmission rule was established to help by incentivizing hospitals to provide better quality care for its patients or be financially penalized.
Overall, patients are going to be rendered more diagnosis-centered care, with an interdisciplinary look at each case inpatient, as well as outpatient. Patients will be given a work-up and plan for success, no longer as a “quick-fix”, but a long term plan of care to control chronic diseases outside of the acute care setting. Looking at a study from Connecticut, “By revamping the discharge process and working with post-acute providers, UConn Health Center/John Dempsey Hospital, Farrington, CT, reduced thirty-day heart failure readmissions from 25.1% in August 2010 to 17.1% in March 2012. Key initiatives included follow-up appointments within seven days in the hospital heart clinic, revising nursing education, adding automated dietician, social worker, pharmacy, and cardiology consults with the diagnosis order set, and collaborating with the community providers to smooth the transition of care” (“Hospital Initiative”, 2012).
According to Walker and Avant (2011), theory construction involves defining attributes that distinguish one concept from another. Concept analysis can help nurses understand how their definitions of concepts can differ from those of the populations they serve. For example, Brush, Kirk, Gultekin, and Baiardi (2011) used this methodology to determine the defining attributes of overcoming and how individual difficulties may vary between service providers and homeless mothers. Furthermore, this study also looked at the antecedents and consequences of overcoming.
Nursing assessment and Intervention People with a learning disability have complex health needs and they are also likely to have incontinence problems (Drennan et al., 2013). This is supported by (Drennan et al., 2013; Emerson & Baines, 2010). Transition may cause some sort of stress to Samir so as the incontinence. McGoldrick et al. (2015) identified family life cycle theory which explains the way adolescence with learning disability may enrich the family or cause family stress during transition.
Working in a renal/urology medical-surgical unit, it is a challenge for both the nursing staff and nursing administration to have readmissions due to fluid and electrolyte imbalance from patients with ESRD and CHF. In my own experience, patients who have been in and out of the hospital for the past six months to a year are at a higher risk of acquiring nosocomial infections resulting in a weaker immune system to an already compromised one, as well as longer hospital stay. Readmissions from these patients pose as a physical, emotional and financial strain to both patients and/or their families. Additionally, readmissions within 30 days for patients with CHF poses as an additional cost for hospitals as there is reduced Medicare payments for Inpatient
Then utilizing the results the clinic can drill down to the patients receiving beta-blockers, diabetes (eye & kidney exam) to determine if the correct interventions were being provided by the health care physician and identify gaps in treatment and then ensure the physician receives reminders on preventable measures to close quality care gaps and improve the quality of care provided to patients (Eddy, Pawlson, Schaff, Peskin, Shcheprov, Dziuba & Eng, 2008). I completed a chart audit of over 200 med advantage patient records this week utilizing CPT codes,ICD-9, progress notes, and lab results for HEDIS measures for HgbA1c (9 every 3 months), Diabetic Eye Exams (yearly), Colonoscopy Exam (every 10 years-unless indicated otherwise), Mammograms (yearly after age 50), BP (controlled < 100), and medication adherence (beta blockers, ACE/ARB, cholesterol, diabetic, etc) and my findings would be reported to BCBS, Humana, Clear River, Health Springs and NCQA. The yearly eye diabetic eye exam can detect retinopathy and help ensure early treatment to prevent blindness, control of BP can reduce MI infraction while yearly colonoscopy and mammograms can detect early signs of cancer and HbbA1c can help detect and identify gaps in diabetes
It is noticed that this model of nursing has gained significant success and popularity among the individuals but some issues are related to the appropriateness of this assessment tool. Timmins & Kelly (2008) argued that this model serves as a checklist. Moreover, the association of the model with the healthcare is also criticised because it is very hospital and medical oriented. While some of the critics stated that activities of living are based on physical aspect due to which patients might face problem in performing these activities. However, some of the criticism has been raised regarding the model and its implementation in the nursing it is still considered as the most effective model to be used because of its simplicity and effectiveness.
Although, I am familiar with quality if care measures due to working in quality departments at Arizona Medicaid and a health plan, I have never being responsible for quality measures. My role has mostly been quality of care processes relating to coordination and access to care. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Joint Commission, and the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA)Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) have substantive information.
An example includes respecting the decision when a patient refused to take lactulose because it made him have frequent bowel movements. In EPIC, we would chart patient refused the medicine resulting in providing patient-centered care. For quality improvement, the unit has data on how many infections have occurred with central lines and utilize benchmarks and evidence-based practice guidelines to prevent infections. For instance, I had to perform proper hand washing and scrub the hub for at least 30 seconds with alcohol pads to prevent infections in patients who have intravenous lines.
Advertisers are negatively affecting the lives of youth by using ads. For example some companies are trying to get into kids minds in the multiple environment that the teens and other age groups are in.(Nathan Brazley) Another example is food companies trying to get you to eat their food that is unhealthy and could make you obese if you eat it everyday.(Buruce Horovitz, Anna Lappé) One of the other ways is that the companies are making you attracted to ads that will enhance you to eat or buy their food and products.(Anna Lappé)
Quality and measurement theories that abandon the highest levels of appropriateness, will accomplish the healthcare industry evaluates the accountability costs and impacts. Having an understanding of the scrutiny of service, responsibilities, customer satisfaction, effective service and performance, and outcome assessments are all requirements of accountability, which are part of the continuum for accountability (Ledlow & Coppola,
Strengths and Weaknesses My three major strengths are medication administration, communication with patients, and asking questions when I do not fully understand something. I feel like throughout my preceptorship these have grown stronger, and have helped me to be successful. My three major weaknesses that I have been focusing on throughout my residency are communicating with physicians, completing skills I am unfamiliar with, and improving my confidence. I would say that these have improved quite significantly, but I still have a ways to go.