Category: Healthcare

Introduction

Despite the recent advances in nursing, including the introduction of the latest technology, the redesign of some of the nursing practices, and the incorporation of the latest tools into the provision of nursing services, the quality of the latter is quite unstable due to the shortage of nursing specialists. The reconsideration of the current time management approaches, as well as the promotion of personal and professional responsibility in nurses does not trigger major alterations, which is an obvious reason for concern. Therefore, the areas of the human resource approaches adopted in the contemporary nursing setting, the quality of the corresponding services, and the means of addressing the issue, can be considered the scope of the problem. The significance of the issue in question to nurses and nursing staff is obvious: by considering the existing solutions to the problem, one will be able to develop the strategy that will allow for both a major improvement in the nursing services quality and the rearrangement of nurses roles and responsibilities. Thus, it is crucial for nursing staff to be aware of the issue. The quality of the healthcare delivery and the efficacy of the nursing staffs performance are the key dependent variables, whereas the nursing shortage and its increasing rates are the essential independent variables. Among the rest of the independent variables, the time management strategies, the recovery rates among the patients, nurses stress rates and satisfaction rates in nurses will be considered as well. Before the study is conducted, some of the terms that have been or will be used need definition and further clarification. The full list of terms and their definitions is provided below.

Nursing shortage is the lack of nursing specialists within the environment of a certain healthcare facility or community that is supported by one or more healthcare facilities (Morgan & Lynn, 2009).

Burnout/Compassion fatigue is the state of psychological exhaustion, which occurs after a nurse becomes overly engaged with the wellbeing of the patient or is assigned with an unrealistic amount of work and, therefore, is incapable of experiencing an emotional connection with the patient anymore. As a result, the nurse ceases to be empathetic with the patient; moreover, the quality of the nurses work may drop significantly (Brunetto et al., 2013).

Social Exchange Theory is a set of sociological and psychological concepts that allow understanding the significance of change and stability (Flinkman, Leino-Kilpi & Salantera, 2010).

Organizational commitment is the understanding of ones professional responsibilities and duties, as well as complete compliance with these duties and the existing code of ethics (Brunetto et al., 2013).

Perceived organizational support is an HRM approach, which presupposes a very delicate treatment of the staff and concern about the employees physical and emotional wellbeing, as well as an overall positive treatment of the nurses (Brunetto et al., 2013).

Career mobility is either a downward or an upward change in the position assumed (Flinkman et al., 2010).

Personnel turnover is the average tenure of the nursing staff within an organization.

Much to the credit of the researchers addressing the issue, the current state of knowledge on the subject is quite impressive. The problem of the nursing shortage, including the reasons for the phenomenon to occur, the implications of nursing shortage for the reality of healthcare and the provision of the services of the required quality, the correlation between nursing shorting and staff satisfaction, and, eventually, the link between nursing shortage and the quality of the healthcare services have been researched extensively over the past few years. Nevertheless, the problem still remains unresolved due to the lack of a proper strategy, which could help address the issue of nursing shortage.

Literature Review

Nursing shortage as is currently understood has been caused by a number of factors. In developed countries, particularly, in Europe and the United States, the shortage occurs partly due to increasing demand for nurses complicated by undersupply. Increasing demand for nursing services is related to the ageing population in these countries. The effects of ageing on nursing services are twofold. The ageing population has more healthcare needs. In order to meet the needs of this population it is important to increase the nursing workforce alongside other healthcare disciplines. Second, ageing removes a significant portion of nurses from the workforce. The supply of qualified nurses has been steadily declining in a number of countries. For instance, it was estimated that by the end of the first decade of this century, demand for nurses in the United States of America would outstrip supply.

Morgan and Lyn (2009) observe that dissatisfaction is a major cause of exit from both practice and the profession. They further claim that satisfaction and quality of care are positively related. The study seeks to describe the relationship between job satisfaction and nursing shortage. The results indicate that there are two dimensions of satisfaction in nursing. The intrinsic dimension refers to the satisfaction that nurses get after attending to patients. It includes comforting patients, making a difference in nursing, educating patients, as well as promoting patient advocacy, professional pride, autonomy, mentoring, respect for nursing, and professional boundary maintenance. The nurses, who were interviewed, put a strong emphasis on the reward systems inherent in the profession. For example, 95% of the responses identified making a difference in a patients life as an important aspect of their work (Morgan & Lynn, 2009). Fifty five percent of the respondents found comforting patients rewarding. Autonomy was cited as one of the factors that can contribute to the general satisfaction rates. Nurses desire more autonomy when discharging their duties. Other factors that influenced satisfaction of the respondents are considered extrinsic in nature. The external factors are not inherent in the profession itself; they include financial rewards, relationship with coworkers and mangers, career opportunities, and resource adequacy. Work relationship contributes a great deal to satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Adequacy of resources appears to be the most important factor among these. Availability of resources influences both time and the amount of energy that nurses put into their work. Resource deficient setting puts a great physical and mental strain on the nurses. While adequate financial compensation is important to nurses, it is not nearly the most important aspect of the profession.

Workplace relationships influence nurse recruitment and retention (Brunetto et al, 2013). Workplace relationships have a profound effect on nursing turnover. Intention to quit is exacerbated by strained workplace relationship. The aspects of workplace relationships important to nurses include supervisornurse relationships, teamwork, perceived organizational support, employee engagement, well-being, organizational commitment, and turnover intention.

Well-being is among the most important predictors of intention to quit. Nurses emphasize their well-being at the workplace. The nurses, who think that their well-being is not being catered to, quit either work or the profession altogether. On the other hand, those, who feel that their well-being is being catered for are likely to remain in the profession. It is, therefore, important for managers to consider nurses well-being when making major institutional decisions. This is important because hiring new staff is expensive and time-consuming In addition, nurses play an important role in the society. It is important to retain nurses because of the prevailing mismatch between supply and demand. Nurses are in short supply in most parts of the world. Attending to this need ensures that nurse turnover is kept at a manageable level.

The results indicate that nursing turnover is correlated to organizational support. The organizational support availed to nurses varies with the organization. Nurses, who receive adequate support, are likely to remain in the institution. The findings also indicate that the relationship between supervisors and the nurses varies based on the state, in which the nursing procedures are observed. In Australia, for instance, the supervisors played an important mediating role between the organization and the nurse. However, in the United States supervisors do not play an important role in mediation between the nurses and their organization. In those countries that the supervisor plays an important mediating role, the level of nurse satisfaction is thought to be higher. Even with the regional differences in mind, organizational support is a predictor of nurse turnover. Therefore, the way, in which an organization decides to extend its support, is important. Organizational support is associated with the promotion of staffs well-being. Well-being appears to be the key factor defining the rates of turnover and retention.

Effective workplace relationships are beneficial to both the organization and the employees. The benefits that the employees may derive from effective workplace relationships include improved access to resources and the establishment of useful networks. Effective workplace relationships may also improve adverse patient outcomes. This may occur because the employees can access help easily when they have effective relationships. However, the findings also indicate that effective workplace relationships are not associated with better outcomes in all settings.

Flinkman, Leino-Kilpi & Salantera (2010) found in their review of literature that a number of factors influence intention to leave the profession. They observe that, though many previous studies focus on intention to leave, few examine the core causes of this feeling. Accordingly, the problem appears to persist because the reasons for intention to leave the profession are not known. If the reasons were known, perhaps it would be possible to formulate mitigation measures. The variables that influence decision to quit include demography, work-related constraints, and individual constraints. The percentage of nurses intending to leave the profession is not constant across the studies. However, there is a correlation between the number of those, who quit, and the proportion of those, who intend to quit. In general, nursing shortage has been acknowledged in most parts of the world. It is further recognized that the shortage is affecting the quality of care. The shortage is associates with poor outcomes. This problem is compounded by the fact most countries need more nurses. Therefore, it can be said that as new nurses enter the profession those with experience are leaving. Research needs to focus on the factors leading nurses to leave the profession. A thorough analysis of those, who actually quit, will offer insight into the reasons for their choice. It has been observed that male nurses and younger nurses tend to transit to higher education. The quality of data in previous studies varies owing to the limitations. Most studies are quantitative in nature. The quality of the studies is also complicated by sampling methods used. Most rely on convenience samples; in addition, most surveys use small samples.

Current Status

The current knowledge regarding the subject matter, therefore, is rather restricted. It should be admitted that the factors setting the premises for nursing shortage to occur have been investigated rather thoroughly; specifically, the issue of workplace burnout in the nursing setting deserves to be mentioned as a recurrent theme in the articles regarding the subject matter. More importantly, the mechanism of nursing burnout has been studied rather thoroughly, with research implications showing clearly how the problem can be addressed and what needs to be done. Particularly, the introduction of a better time management strategy, as well as the reconsideration of the human resource management strategy, have been suggested as the most adequate measures for handling the problem of workplace burnout in the nursing environment. Nursing shortage, in its turn, has also been related to the problem of staff mistreatment and the lack of satisfaction among the nursing staff. Studies have shown that the career mobility options are not quite attainable for a range of nursing specialists; as a result, staff dissatisfaction rates grow, which leads to increased rates of staff turnover.

Meaning of the Current Knowledge

The current knowledge on the subject matter means that the issue needs to be researched deeper. While the negative effects of nursing shortage on the quality of healthcare services provided seems rather obvious, the actual links between the provision of the corresponding services and the number of nursing staff need to be explored in a more detailed fashion. To the credit of the researchers mentioned above, the fact that nurses shortage has a drastic effect on the quality of healthcare has been proven; moreover, some of the factors that cause nursing shortage to reduce the services quality have been revealed. Specifically, the fact that nursing specialists have an extraordinarily large workload and that a more adequate time management approach should be designed for the staff to handle the stressful environment has been explored vastly. The specified information is related directly to the clinical knowledge, as it sheds light on the psychological and physiological disorders that nurses may develop unless a proper strategy is introduced. In addition, the data acquired in the course of the literature review aligns with the research data, since it informs the researcher on the direction, in which further studies need to go. Nevertheless, the gaps in the current knowledge are quite significant. To be more exact, the tools for improving time management, as well as handling the stressful environment in question, have not been developed fully.

Formal Research Question

The formal research question, therefore, can be put in the following manner: what are the key tools for addressing the drastic effects, which the nursing shortage has on healthcare delivery, and the problem of the nursing burnout so that the quality of the healthcare service delivery should not drop?

Conclusion

Despite being addressed for a number of times in the contemporary literature, the issue of nursing shortage, as well as its effects on the quality of the healthcare services provided, has not been studied completely, which results in a gradual deterioration of the latter. In order to evaluate the scale of the problem and provide the tools for addressing it, a vast study of the effects, which nursing shortage has on the patients and the staff, needs to be undertaken. Consequently, with the analysis of the factors that trigger nursing shortage in the healthcare setting, the tools for improving service quality and at the same time reducing the rates of workplace burnout, can be provided.

References

Brunetto, Y., Xerri, M., Shriberg, A., Farr-Wharton, R., Shacklock, K., Newman, S., & Dienger, J. (2013). The impact of workplace relationships on engagement, well-being, commitment, and turnover for nurses in Australia and the USA. Journal of Advanced Nursing 69(12), 27862799.

Flinkman, M., Leino-Kilpi, H., & Salantera, S. (2010). Nurses intention to leave the profession: integrative review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 66(7): 14221434.

Morgan, J., & Lynn, M., (2009). Satisfaction in nursing in the context of shortage. Journal of Nursing Management, 17(3), 401410.

Electronic medical records (EMRs) are significant in the health care setting because they allow for storing patients medical information in one place and quickly accessing it. Since EMRs can contain protected information, it is necessary to consider how HIPAA applies to them. Firstly, the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules were specifically created to govern the electronic exchange of patient data (US Department of Health & Human Services, n.d.).

This information denotes that HIPAA equally applies to electronic and physical records. According to Myers (2009), every social worker should rely on HIPAA standards every time before sending clients data electronically. This information demonstrates that healthcare professionals should ensure that all the data is secured and the way of transmitting it does not have potential dangers (Myers, 2009). In other words, it is not allowed to send the details to dubious websites or unfamiliar email addresses.

In addition to that, it is rational to explain whether a social worker is allowed to access patients EMRs. As a rule, a patients information may only be released when they give official permission for that or in accordance with the law. However, Harman et al. (2012) stipulate medical professionals, including social workers, do not need to obtain a clients authorization to access their EMRs for administrative, treatment, or payment purposes. In other words, a social worker may access EMRs under particular conditions.

Simultaneously, there are no regulations that could prevent a social worker from accessing his or her EMRs. According to Harman et al. (2012), every person has federal, state, and legal rights to view, obtain a copy of, and amend information in his or her health record (p. 713). The only requirement is to have access to the portal and know the credentials, including a login and password.

As a rule, EMRs may only be accessed by a patient or their healthcare providers. In other words, a social worker cannot access their family members EMRs. However, there is an exception to this rule because access can be given when such family members are dangerous to themselves or others (Myers, 2009). Consequently, the answer to the question of whether a social worker can access their relatives EMRs depends on external factors.

Finally, HIPAA can have positive and negative ramifications on medical social work practice. On the one hand, these guidelines oblige organizations to conduct audit trials to ensure that they have sufficient hardware and software to keep EMRs secured (Harman et al., 2012). On the other hand, following the HIPAA requirements does not guarantee complete confidentiality, and the 2011 scandal with UCLA employees who improperly accessed celebrities records exemplifies the thought (Harman et al., 2012). That is why the HIPAA guidelines should be implemented with additional privacy and security policies.

References

Harman, L. B., Flite, C. A., & Bond, K. (2012). Electronic health records: Privacy, confidentiality, and security. Virtual Mentor, 14(9), 712-719. Web.

Myers, R. K. (2009). The fundamentals of HIPAA. Privacy, security and electronic data transfer in clinical settings: What we need to know. Clinical Social Work Association. Web.

US Department of Health & Human Services. (n.d.). Summary of the HIPAA privacy rule. Web.

The benefits of automating and systemizing, gathering, and storing data have their advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are that information becomes more structured and easier to access and use. This is particularly beneficial for research, as a large amount of data about different patients can be categorized, exported, and used for statistics. The disadvantages consist of lower security of information when it is stored digitally. There is always a possibility that information can be leaked if the system gets attacked by hackers (Richins, 2015). A way to address this is to lessen the ability of third parties to identify information in terms of who it is about. This can be achieved by not mentioning the names of patients and employees in the data, and, for example, identifying them by identification numbers that are not linked to their names in the database.

Key considerations to be taken into account when investing in automation technologies mostly concentrate on appropriate planning and looking for all the factors to be in the course of change being implemented. It is necessary to clarify what the technology is designed to improve and resolve. Many healthcare information purchases are made based on projected benefits that are frequently vague. This can make it difficult to get a consensus on a shared vision across the healthcare system. Building consensus and collective understanding of what kind of work and what is being conducted with everybody involved is crucial for keeping everybody engaged in the implementation. Many authors in the field of organizational change have emphasized the importance of high-level strategic leadership from senior management, including administrative and clinical leaders, and this is correct; however, it is also critical to involve and gain buy-in from various professional stakeholder groups to facilitate co-ownership and ensure commitment.

Different options should be considered, as they vary in price, quality, and purposes. Besides, the systems that meet clinical requirements and that an organization can afford must be chosen. Infrastructure has to be optimized to allow the software to function properly and most efficiently (Cresswell, Bates, & Sheikh, 2013). Staff is to be trained appropriately to be able to use and maintain new software and hardware, and the maintenance must be regular and structured. The performance and its changes should be regularly evaluated for further consideration.

Two factors that benefit from automation in healthcare are business care for patients. Automation helps provide better service that positively affects the experience of patients. For business, it gives an opportunity to easily assess all the systems, their reliability, and the proper use of all the tools, which leads to higher efficiency and lower waste of time and resources (ODowd, 2018). The main aspect determining this improvement is the effects of the human factor being reduced, as automation allows making many processes more precise and results in fewer errors occurring. A healthcare organization doesnt need to hire its own IT specialists team to develop such systems.

There is always an opportunity to find an IT organization that provides such services, and they often have their developed systems and sell them as products. Maintenance, feedback, updates, and tuning of the system for the specific need of an organization and its continuous development are also offered. Patients get better experiences not only because the services they are being provided are more developed and advanced. They can access their data via software related to their healthcare organization much faster and more conveniently as well.

The main organizational outcomes to be considered are the quality of services provided, satisfaction of the clients, compliance with the law, and proper care for patients. Improvements regarding the implementation of automized processes recently related to the increase in efficiency of artificial intelligence. Cases of its uses become more and more frequent, as they prove to be appropriate and beneficial both for businesses and patients experiences. Automation helps healthcare organizations tackle problems regarding case management processes like insurance and grievances, and automation of them proved in existing experiences of other organizations to be efficient (Bennet, n.d.). It appears to be easier to consider all important factors and increase the pace of work when such processes are automized. Nevertheless, this does not mean that doctors will rely more on technology. It would simply be a tool that would make their work easier and faster, and there is perhaps nothing to be concerned about if professionals from different areas including healthcare and IT trust such technologies.

In conclusion, Kensington Family Practice would be recommended to implement automation. The advantages consisting of improved care and patient experience, reduced labor cost, higher efficiency, and pace of work would be beneficial for the organization. The implementation would result positively in the capital and the organizational goals. Taking extra care of security and confidentiality is recommended as the main risks regarding these areas. Yet, it is almost necessary to make that step in the development of the organization to stay up-to-date with modern demands in healthcare and be on the level of concurrence on the market.

Reference List

Bennet, D. (n.d.). The Growing Trend of Automation in Healthcare.

Cresswell, K., Bates, D. & Sheikh, A. (2013). Ten key considerations for the successful implementation and adoption of large-scale health information technology. Web.

ODowd, E. (2018) Applying Automation Technology to Health IT Infrastructure.

Richins, S.M. (2015). Emerging Technologies in Healthcare (1st ed.). Web.

In the present day, the health care system has become highly dependent on information technology (IT), and a growing number of activities within medical facilities are not performed without it. At the same time, particular attention should be paid to data safety and accessibility, especially in the case of natural and manmade disasters. As a serious disruption, a disaster leads to the unplanned interruption of the main components of the health IT infrastructure and results in the breakdown of facilities performance. Moreover, a loss of patient data may be regarded as the most devastating consequence for healthcare informatics systems. From personal experience, I know that when data is unprotected, it cannot be retrieved.

A hurricane is one of the most dangerous natural disasters that may occur in multiple regions across the country. A storm characterized by extremely strong winds may cause massive destruction and flooding. In my practice, I experienced a situation when the storm surge cut all communication channels and made a hospital completely offline. In addition, a facilitys basement with laundry, food services, and fire alarm, heating, and electrical systems may be flooded. As a result, both hardware and software of health IT infrastructure will be damaged, making patient data inaccessible.

There are several methods of saving data for retrieval after a hurricane that may be applied. The use of cloud storage and cloud-based HER systems may be regarded as the most reliable one, as data will be unattached to both hardware and software within clinical settings (Cohen, 2019). In this case, it will be available for healthcare providers from any device, even if a hospital is flooded. In addition, having several copies of essential information and keeping it in various media types and offsite is beneficial.

Another way of protecting data from loss due to a disaster is the use of health information exchange (HIE) and other aggregation services provided by third-party organizations. In this case, providers should be connected and linked to HIEs in advance before a potential disaster may occur (Arndt, 2018). Therefore, data will be protected, and patients will receive an opportunity to connect with clinicians and access their health information as well, even if HER systems are offline.

It goes without saying that disasters are strongly associated with considerable financial costs for medical facilities. The consequences of the hurricane, such as the destruction of constructions and the damage to communication systems and IT infrastructures hardware and software due to the storm and flooding, lead to substantial expenditures for repair and reconstruction. At the same time, the development and implementation of efficient disaster recovery are particularly necessary for the prevention of non-financial costs. When patient data is lost and cannot be retrieved, clinicians cannot provide quality healthcare delivery. It leads to negative patient outcomes, including chronic diseases, comorbidities, and even death. That is why it is possible to conclude that a disasters non-financial cost is more important than financial costs, as health recovery is a more complicated process.

References

Arndt, R. Z. (2018). As Hurricane Florence hits, health information exchanges fill in patient data gaps. Modern Healthcare. Web.

Cohen, J. K. (2019). Four ways to maintain access to patient data during natural disasters. Modern Healthcare. Web.

The healthcare system has experienced significant technological changes over the years that have affected the healthcare sector. The electrical medical record has reduced the issuing of wrong medicine to patients assuring them of their safe prescription and prevented unnecessary investigations (Kalid et al., 2018). The time of accessing records of the patients by health officers for medication is favorable because it is fast and reliable, and patients can access them at any time. The effectiveness of this invention is that it improves productivity in health sectors and patient service (Kalid et al., 2018). Patients experience fairness in cost as there is less paperwork done. Online doctors appointments have replaced the long queues in the facilities that wasted much time.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed healthcare systems in that machines perform diagnoses. The use of AI in healthcare has minimized the occurrence of risks during the treatment of patients (Kalid et al., 2018). Instead, it has taken part in treating, preventing, and managing some disease conditions. Treatment of some diseases took much time, especially performing surgery. Machines have reduced the time of performing surgery on patients. In terms of equality, research shows that the algorithms used when making the equipment had racial discrimination. Biasness has reduced as this invention in health is programmed to perform its services to all people despite having differences in race, sex, and tribe. Patient-centered care has been improved with the help of AI because the same treatment has transformed from a traditional model to a patient partnership concerning treatment options. Innovative medical equipment, which is sometimes quite expensive, provides increased productivity and effectiveness in the healthcare sector. Machines have replaced some tasks performed by medical workers.

Reference

Kalid, N., Zaidan, A. A., Zaidan, B. B., Salman, O. H., Hashim, M., & Muzammil, H. (2018). Based real-time remote health monitoring systems: A review on patients prioritization and related big data using body sensors information and communication technology.Journal of Medical Systems, 42(2), 30. Web.

Introduction

Accrediting institutions play a significant role in the field of public health. Their purpose is to ensure that medical organizations follow existing standards and provide the highest possible quality of care. Accreditation serves as a tool for the identification of services strengths and weaknesses and supports positive changes. This paper discusses the role of accrediting bodies, their goals and purposes, and issues related to the evaluation of public health departments.

Discussion

Accreditation programs are significant for health institutions as they allow for the establishment of quality standards and eliminate the outcomes of poor public health management. Accrediting bodies can help hospitals to evaluate their capability of delivering high-quality services, promote transparency in their operations, enhance management processes, as we as become competitive (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018).

Such organizations ensure that medical institutions are accountable to their stakeholders, patients, and policymakers. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018) show that almost 100% of health-related companies report performance improvement as a result of accreditation.

Accrediting institutions affect the quality of public health education as well because they assess the quality of programs, promote necessary changes, as well as allow institutions to seek funding. Also, accreditation enables graduates to become certified and eligible for selected jobs, fellowships, and training (Association of Accredited Public Health Programs, 2015). Evaluation of the educational institutions quality assists them in adhering to existing standards and encourages them to develop effective preparation programs. As a result, students have enhanced knowledge and clinical skills, which leads to an increased quality of patient outcomes and eliminates potential medical errors.

It is vital to mention that having a singular accrediting institution in the field may be associated with adverse outcomes and the decreased quality of evaluation. Such organizations are responsible for maintaining a competent workforce, conducting assessments based on health issues affecting the community, and enforcing public health regulations (Bender, Kronstadt, Wilcox, & Tilson, 2014). However, a singular accrediting body may promote the same changes and policies for all health institutions, which will not allow for competition and may result in a decrease in the quality of services. Although the evaluation should be based on existing standards, it is vital to support diversity in training programs, as well as create different opportunities for medical students, patients, and clinicians.

Another possible weakness of having one accrediting body is that it may be insensitive to the specific concerns of communities and groups of the population. For example, a large all-American accrediting organization may not be aware of the financial needs of hospitals located in remote areas and avoid suggesting changes that would support them. Also, some health-related companies have a particular area of services, such as geriatrics, which means that they may follow different standards compared to other institutions. Finally, it is necessary to mention that accreditation aims to encourage the best solutions in medical care. With a singular organization, such an approach to evaluation may be unrealistic due to a lack of a comprehensive perspective on hospitals performance.

Conclusion

Accreditation is beneficial for public health and educational institutions, as well as medical professionals and patients. It allows for the enhanced quality of services and training, promotes transparency and reliability, and encourages changes in existing policies. Having a singular accrediting body may have various disadvantages, as it may prevent competition and cause the assessing institutions insensitivity to the problems of a particular community or public health organization.

References

Association of Accredited Public Health Programs. (2015). About MPH program accreditation. Web.

Bender, K. W., Kronstadt, J. L., Wilcox, R., & Tilson, H. H. (2014). Public health accreditation addresses issues facing the public health workforce. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 47(5), 346-351.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). National voluntary accreditation for public health departments. Web.

Introduction

Revenue cycle management (RCM) is a financial process used by healthcare institutions to facilitate tracking patient care events from when they register to the time they make payment for the rendered services. RCM utilizes medical billing software and integrates the clinical and business sides of healthcare. The process combines administrative data, including patients personal information and insurance providers, with the healthcare data and treatment they receive. While RCM has significant importance in an acute care environment and positively impacts healthcare organizations, it can hurt the latters operations if improperly implemented.

Main body

RCM plays a significant role in reducing the time between offering services and receiving payments. RCM is integrated with other information technology systems in healthcare facilities, such as electronic health records (EHR) and billing schemes (DelVecchio & Lee, 2017). As a result, healthcare providers in the acute care settings quickly access patients information from the EHR and enter the prescriptions and charges, which are reflected immediately on the billing systems. Patients would be required to the billing department, which is time-consuming because of possible queuing. The facilities electronically send the information regarding treatment provided to patients to relevant insurance companies for payment.

RCM helps identify the cause of delay and underpayments, reduces facilities operational costs, and helps them evaluate value-based payment accuracy. According to Healthcare Financial Management Association (2018), RCM cuts operational costs by approximately 15 % because few healthcare providers are needed to execute the same amount of work. Delays and underpayment may be inevitable when errors occur during coding treatments and sending the information to insurance companies. RCM systems ensure the coding of all diagnoses and provide organizations with opportunities for correcting mistakes, alleviating the possibility of underpayments and reimbursement delays. Inaccuracies are bound to happen when hospitals have separate workflows and dissimilar billing systems for a single episode of care. However, RCM systems ensure that all departments access the same workflow, making it easier to reconcile incurred costs with payments.

RCM system performs various administrative tasks in acute care settings. RCM reminds payers (insurance companies) and patients of existing balances, informs clients about upcoming appointments with doctors, and questions the insurers when claims are denied (Healthcare Financial Management Association, 2018). These tasks ensure that healthcare facilities have a consistent flow of revenues. RCM allows healthcare providers the enter information, such as patients names and type of treatment received, needed for claim processing without resubmission or revision of the latter. Thus, RCM significantly decreases the amount of denied claims reported by a healthcare facility. Other benefits of RCM in acute care settings include improved quality of treatments and efficient services (DelVecchio & Lee, 2017). RCM permits doctors and nurses to access patients data about previous treatments, assess their effectiveness, and prescribe different medications or refer them to specialists.

Improper RCM in healthcare facilities has negative impacts on organizational productivity. Ineffective RCM lessens the amount of revenue a healthcare institution generates due to possible unprocessed payments and denied claims (Healthcare Financial Management Association, 2018). As a result, the organization lacks enough money to purchase needed care services for patients. The hospital may also have trouble paying salaries, reducing employees job satisfaction and engagement, which significantly lowers productivity. The issues can also increase the chances for doctors and nurses to move to another institution with well-planned RCM. Moreover, patients avoid such facilities that do not offer the quality of services they need.

Conclusion

Conclusively, RCM is an instrumental tool that facilitates tracking patient care events from the time they register they make payment for the rendered services. It has a significant role in reducing the time between offering services and receiving payments. It also helps identify the cause of delay and underpayments and reduces facilities operational costs, aids them in evaluating value-based payment accuracy, and performs various administrative tasks. Improper RCM hurts organizational productivity due to inadequate resources and reduced employee satisfaction and engagement.

References

DelVecchio, A., & Lee, K. (2017). What is revenue cycle management (RCM)? SearchHealthIT. Web.

Healthcare Financial Management Association. (2018). Enterprisewide revenue cycle management reduces costs, improves patient loyalty. HFMA. Web.

Introduction

The Healthcare system has its administration because it is an essential part of any activity. Everywhere a manager is needed, a person who would structure, give vectors and make effective decisions. Moreover, healthcare administrator has to make decisions considering competing interests and values, and such a task is a big responsibility to bear. Despite all the difficulties, the administration is necessary and has an essential role in many areas.

Main body

For example, health equity has a problem that demands a managers intervention to solve it. There are several actions that he can take: firstly, care for patients from discriminated groups of people can become a priority, all other things being equal. Secondly, a manager can establish regular checks on their health status using the telephone, which will help prevent readmission. Another issue in the healthcare system is quality data transparency. It is about ratings of hospitals that are assumed to allow patients to choose where to go. The administrations role here can be manifested in creating an objective system of ratings that would consider all conditions of different hospitals.

Furthermore, administrators can formulate relative criteria by which a hospitals activity would be rated. Managers can also solve another problem related to behavior protocols in hospitals. Punke and Zimmerman (2017) note that 23 percent of all emergency department shootings involved guns stolen from hospital security; it demands the intervention of the administration (para 28). The administration can provide more trained security and behavior protocols that would decrease such cases.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is crucial to see the administrations influence on the whole healthcare system, understanding that not all problems are clinical. Some issues demand another form of solving on the management level. Health equity, quality data transparency, and behavioral protocols are some of them. Administrators take definite actions in solving these problems and minimize factors that inhibit operations improvement; their role is no less important than that of the physician.

Reference

Punke, H., & Zimmerman, B. (2017). 10 Top patient safety issues for 2017. Beckers Healthcare. Web.

School nurses may act as child advocates in various ways: protecting students well-being, health, academic success, and even lifelong achievement. The roles that are most commonly ascribed to school nurses include care coordination, community or public health principles, leadership, and, occasionally, quality improvement (Best et al., 2018). This posts selected topics of discussion will be care coordination, leadership, and community or public health. Best et al. (2018) state that care coordination includes a range of responsibilities, from care and chronic disease management to student care plans. Some of the tasks that emphasize the advocating role entail communication with school staff and parents on behalf of a child regarding any healthcare concerns and, in some cases, motivational counseling for struggling students (Best et al., 2018). In this case, collaborative communication regarding consultations, vaccine administration, and treatments may be the middle ground between family members. The nurses may be able to successfully raise concerns that children themselves either cannot or are afraid to formulate.

Another crucial aspect of advocacy is being well-informed, which applies to both the healthcare providers and the students. The leadership aspect of advocacy includes nurses continuous education on biological events preparedness, neglect, and adolescent abuse (Best et al., 2018). Lastly, the community health responsibility involves teaching a curriculum on sexual health and regular screenings for vision, asthma, and mental health issues (Best et al., 2018). In those instances, a school nurse may serve as a source of support for the students, helping address issues like anxiety, body image issues, depression, issues at home, at school, or with peers, and dating violence. Thus, school nurses tasks extend beyond direct care application or documentation  they may act as educators of wider groups and individual counselors. Such support may not be available at home for some students, making these tasks of paramount importance.

The school district in question is the Kenton County school district in northern Kentucky (Kenton, NKY). Together with two others from NKY, this county has become known for its struggle with high rates of opioid and fentanyl overdoses (Johnson, 2018). Moreover, NKY is the hotspot for drug trafficking, with drug-related activities significantly impacting the area (Johnson, 2018). There has been a disparity in addressing the issue of reducing opioid trafficking. Some programs aimed to appoint a regional coordinator for substance abuse, while some remained local, relying heavily on civic involvement (Johnson, 2018). Either way, the coordination of healthcare and advocacy groups and sufficient funding are vital for addressing this crisis effectively.

While it is not exceedingly likely that the school-aged demographic will be ubiquitously involved in opioid use, some of the childrens parents may be. Yet, at the moment, the lack of medically assisted treatment (MAT) represents a serious issue in NKY (Johnson, 2018). Local judges highlight the need for appropriate public education about the opioid crisis and its stigma, and I concur with this sentiment. However, currently, not enough data is present  the county officials do not even have accurate numbers on the extent of the crisis in our community. Rather, they feel like they do not have time to establish what works or does not, favoring immediate action.

In recent years, the situation is still riddled with uncertainty regarding effective policies. For instance, some additional sources of support were secured with the NKYASAP Harm Reduction Funds FY20 issued to the Kenton County Detention Center through the memorandum of agreement (2020). However, this funding only seeks to address the already-formed problem. I believe that one of the vital steps in reducing the opioid crisis in the future is preventative measures in the form of education. School nurses are often responsible for organizing educational events; perhaps, informing children in the Kenton school district about the symptoms of overdose may save the lives of some of their parents. Moreover, teaching children about the vast scope of opioids adverse effects may help mitigate the crisis in the future years.

References

Best, N. C., Oppewal, S., & Travers, D. (2018). Exploring school nurse interventions and health and education outcomes: An integrative review. The Journal of School Nursing, 34(1), 1427. Web.

Johnson, Q. (2018). Case study: County-level responses to the opioid crisis in northern Kentucky. The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 46(2), 382386. Web.

Memorandum of agreement between Mental Health America of Northern Kentucky and Southwest Ohio, fiscal agent, and Kenton County Detention Center. (2020). Northern Kentucky Agency for Substance Abuse Policy. Web.

Ageism refers to the stereotypes associated with ones age. Ageism is reflected in various aspects of an individuals life such as the work place and health care settings and etcetera. One instance of ageism I have personally witnessed is when a younger person came to the emergency room with severe pain but was neglected, because the health care providers gave more attention to other patients. Their decision was most likely justified by the individual being young, meaning they could either handle the pain or were actively overstating its severity. Similar cases happen to older adults as well, in that they are perceived as cognitively compromised when it comes to explaining their issues. This mostly applies to the older adults who speak slowly. Ageism negatively affects health of the elderly population as it often leads to older peoples complaints being ignored. If the concerns and pains of older individuals are not taken seriously, it can significantly impede their overall wellness (Exploring the health effects of ageism, 2022). Furthermore, medical neglect concerning the elderly can contribute to isolation, mental and physical health problems, financial instability and many other issues.

It can be deemed challenging to differentiate ageism from perfectly reasoned medical decisions since in order to make sound decisions; stereotyping and classifying patients becomes a necessity. However, in order to stop ageism in healthcare settings, it is crucial to first implement the following strategies in the society at large which include training the nurses and other professionals, reviewing the policies and procedures of institutions and addressing the ageism attitude that is present in older persons (Erturk & Karacizmeli, 2022, p.13). Nonetheless, the strategies that the nurses themselves would adopt to eradicate ageism in health care settings would include adaptation of an individualized treatment methodology, defining anti-ageist attitudes and practices and attitudes and acknowledging the necessity to disregard ageism in practice.

Reference

Erturk, N. O., Karacizmeli, A. (2022). Aging and age discrimination in Europe: Understanding and challenging ageism. Waxmann Verlag.

Exploring the health effects of ageism. (2022). The New York Times.