Healthcare Finance: Ongoing Change Healthcare in the United States (US) is a progressive movement that is constantly changing. Some may say these changes occur in hopes of providing the highest quality of care without causing undue financial burden to the largest group of citizens. Unfortunately, potential changes brought on by the American Health Care Act (AHCA) may be a step backwards when considering financial hardship to the most vulnerable of society. When comparing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with the AHCA, it would suffice to say that healthcare change has more to do with power at the top than what’s the greatest good for the greatest number of people.
The Impact of Potential Changes to the Affordable Care Act
The ACA, enacted in …show more content…
There are many contributing factors including an aging population with chronic disease processes, the healthcare technology boom, and over-treatment or redundant treatment of patients (Association of Washington Healthcare Plans (AWHP), n.d.; Mack, 2016; Taube, 2016). Nurses can’t stop our aging population, but they can soften the financial impact by providing quality care and education that is cost-effective. Implementation of evidence-based practice at the bedside can reduce hospital-acquired infections in a vulnerable aging population (Thew, 2015). The US strives to be the leader in healthcare technology, and though it ultimately allows the profession to provide the highest quality of care to its patients, it also comes with a hefty price tag. The medical technology market is estimated at $150-$200 billion (AWHP, n.d.). An area of technology that nurses can directly impact is that of information technology (IT) and software development. There needs to be a collaborative effort on the part of IT developers and nurses. Developers know the “ins and outs” of software, but they don’t know the particular needs in the clinical setting. Also, nurses should become involved in the training of other nurses when new technology makes its appearance on their …show more content…
This is seen in over-treatment of patients with unnecessary and inappropriate tests either at the request of the patient or in an effort to avert litigation (Mack, 2016; Taube, 2016). The US is known for its litigation-happy society. It’s rare to watch a full episode of anything on television without being bombarded with commercials from law firms asking the viewer if they have been a victim of medical harm due to the actions of a doctor or pharmaceutical company. Furthermore, with “medical information” at your fingertips, patients have a tendency to decide what is wrong with them first and then make an appointment with their physician and proceed to tell them how they need to be treated. This is unacceptable and this is where nurses come in. Patient education is the key to deter this type of wasteful spending, especially when the nurse can intervene in the community setting. Community education days and active participation in health fairs are all ways nurses can educate the public and help prevent wasteful spending due to unnecessary
The Impact of Potential Changes to the Affordable Care Act
The ACA, enacted in …show more content…
There are many contributing factors including an aging population with chronic disease processes, the healthcare technology boom, and over-treatment or redundant treatment of patients (Association of Washington Healthcare Plans (AWHP), n.d.; Mack, 2016; Taube, 2016). Nurses can’t stop our aging population, but they can soften the financial impact by providing quality care and education that is cost-effective. Implementation of evidence-based practice at the bedside can reduce hospital-acquired infections in a vulnerable aging population (Thew, 2015). The US strives to be the leader in healthcare technology, and though it ultimately allows the profession to provide the highest quality of care to its patients, it also comes with a hefty price tag. The medical technology market is estimated at $150-$200 billion (AWHP, n.d.). An area of technology that nurses can directly impact is that of information technology (IT) and software development. There needs to be a collaborative effort on the part of IT developers and nurses. Developers know the “ins and outs” of software, but they don’t know the particular needs in the clinical setting. Also, nurses should become involved in the training of other nurses when new technology makes its appearance on their …show more content…
This is seen in over-treatment of patients with unnecessary and inappropriate tests either at the request of the patient or in an effort to avert litigation (Mack, 2016; Taube, 2016). The US is known for its litigation-happy society. It’s rare to watch a full episode of anything on television without being bombarded with commercials from law firms asking the viewer if they have been a victim of medical harm due to the actions of a doctor or pharmaceutical company. Furthermore, with “medical information” at your fingertips, patients have a tendency to decide what is wrong with them first and then make an appointment with their physician and proceed to tell them how they need to be treated. This is unacceptable and this is where nurses come in. Patient education is the key to deter this type of wasteful spending, especially when the nurse can intervene in the community setting. Community education days and active participation in health fairs are all ways nurses can educate the public and help prevent wasteful spending due to unnecessary