NR 506 Week 5 Discussion, Healthcare Systems

NR 506 Week 5 Discussion, Healthcare Systems Drivers of our healthcare system include quality, access, and cost. For some, healthcare is not affordable. For others, healthcare is limited. There has been a change in insurance my hospital accepts in recent months. We now only accept two out of seven different Medicaid plans, which means our patient census has been struggling. Some patients that have long ago established care with our physicians are no longer accepted due to these changes, which means they have to transfer to a completely new group and hospital. Working in labor and delivery, this is a very big deal. You build a relationship with your physician and the team during your entire pregnancy, only to find out your insurance is no longer accepted at this hospital and you are a week away from your delivery date. For the driver of quality, insurance companied influence the care delivered by regulating what medical professionals must do and the populations within their network to be seen in order to be reimbursed. The driver of access, some patients I care for no longer will be able to receive care in a convenient location to their housing due to the lack of coverage. Voth Lowen et al. (2017) further elaborates on access to healthcare not only as treating a condition, but also as continuity, a comprehensive supply of services, and as coordination of care. Economics and distance are both critical in the driver of access. With the natural disasters, as a nurse working in the hospital I have found that I have limited access to resources I need to provide high quality of care, which is of great concerns as there has been shortages of medications and supplies. This is a concern affecting both drivers discussed, access and quality. Cost is another driver of our healthcare system. Courtemanche, Marton, Ukert, Yelowitz, and Zapata (2018) acknowledge the driver of cost in a positive manner explaining that the Affordable Care Act addressed the cost and affordability by promoting universal coverage. Theoretically, the expansion of the insurance coverage brought by the Affordable Care Act should increase access to care. A positive manner for the access provided through this act can translate to improvements of health behaviors through education, information, accountability, and treatment programs (Courtemanche et al., 2018). I have found in my current inpatient setting work environment that since the Affordable Care Act, more patients seek care, attend follow-up, and participate in their own health. Natalia Courtemanche, C., Marton, J., Ukert, B., Yelowitz, A., & Zapata, D. (2018). Early effects of the affordable care act on health care access, risky health behaviors, and self-assessed health. Southern Economic Journal, 84(3), 660-691. doi: 10.1002/soej.12245 Voth Lowen, I.M., Peres, A.M., da Ros, C., Neto, P.P., & Gaoro, N.T. (2017). Innovation in nursing health care practice: Expansion of access in primary health care. Revista Brasileira de Engermagem, 70(5), 898-903. doi: 10.1590/