Policy Brief sample essay – NSG/514 Health Law, Policy, Ethics, and Global Trends
Policy Brief sample essay – NSG/514 Health Law, Policy, Ethics, and Global Trends
Policy Brief
Name
Institution
Introduction
Policy analysis brings about the understanding of nursing issues, problems and the context of the problem. It entails the creation of policy briefs that provide resolution approaches, the problem context, creates awareness, determines the pros and cons of the alternatives and the best resolutions recommended (Bekker, 2007). Communication of solutions and issues to the government by nurses uses policy briefs.
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Underlying Issue
The quality of care, cost and health disparities affect the accessibility of health services. This undermines the achievement of public health goals. Health disparities describe opportunity differences in the access to care by the populations that are disadvantaged socially (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2019). The cost of healthcare has become a challenge to accessibility of affordable care by consumers due to the increase in the deductible health plans and out-of-pocket costs. Provider transparency is also an issue of concern with regard to the quality of health information and price limitations on devices and drugs. Policy Brief sample essay – NSG/514 Health Law, Policy, Ethics, and Global Trends.
Stakeholders
The issues of healthcare cost disparity can be addressed by the engagement of multiple stakeholders. These include the consumers, providers, accountable care organizations, government and health insurance providers. The providers are involved in the provision of quality health care services to consumers. In this case, maintenance of transparency is essential in billing, recording, and delivery of services as well as prescription of medication. This prevents overcharging of the patients and maintains the affordability of care. The consumer, on the other hand, is involved in following up on the payment and as well obtaining health insurance policies to lessen the cost burden. The government and the transparency organizations conduct audits and formulate regulations that ensure that the providers provide affordable care according to the legal terms. Private payers pay the cost of the consumers and hence set contract agreements that ensure sharing of information to prevent exploitation of the consumer during billing. Policy Brief sample essay – NSG/514 Health Law, Policy, Ethics, and Global Trends.
Specific Alternative Resolutions
One alternative solution for the health care cost issue is the presentation of data to the consumer. In order to promote transparency, sharing the information needed by the consumer in a personalized and user-friendly manner can help increase accountability of financial resources in the healthcare system. It has been noted that many hospitals provide the consumers raw and complex data that cannot be understood easily which forces them to cover the bills without a clear comprehension of the compensation patterns.
Another alternative solution is the creation of regulatory reforms that promote healthcare transparency. This includes the breakdown of the private payer data to allow information sharing and comparison of prices for particular procedures and health plans. The creation of public databases provides research findings that inform on healthcare availability and costs to prevent exploitation in the hospitals. Protecting the consumer’s confidentiality is also a strategic alternative to prevent manipulation of data related to the cost of treatment of patients. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act’s (HIPAA) emphasis on security and privacy regulations is essential in enhancing transparency and maintaining affordable healthcare costs.
Positive Consequences
Transparency will increase public awareness of healthcare costs. Moreover, accountability of the hospital financial resources will be upheld. The consumer will be able to pay for customized services and obtain information related to whatever payments they are expected to make. Thus, financial exploitation will be alleviated and healthcare services will become more affordable. Economic disparities will also be resolved.
Negative Consequences
Sharing of information with the public through databases will challenge competition in the healthcare market. Breaking into the private payers silo might undermine the confidentiality of the patient information. The cost of availing simplified and customized data to patients might undermine the aspect of cost reduction.
Cost of Each Resolution-Resolution Costs
The presentation of data to the consumer will involve the creation of public databases, customizing and simplification of the patient’s data. This resolution will incur the information technology data involving the purchase of electronics and hiring personnel to undertake the data presentation roles. The creation of regulatory reforms that promote healthcare transparency will entail the change and emphasis of existing policies as well as changing new ones. The process of documenting the anticipated changes, pilot studies and implementation, as well as application of the policies, will be incurred in this resolution. Policy Brief sample essay – NSG/514 Health Law, Policy, Ethics, and Global Trends.
Financial Implication of Each Resolution
Economic
The economic implications for the resolutions will involve the injection of funds to the changes. For instance, the presentation of data to the consumer in a simplified and customized manner will incur financial cost on the provider. These costs will include those of hiring and compensating experts as well as training them on data presentation. The purchase of electronics will also require economic resources. On the other hand, policy reforms will require funds for analyzing, evaluating, implementation and application of the new changes.
Resources
The resources involved in resolution will include human, physical and financial resources. Creation of reforms will entail the involvement of stakeholders, implementation teams, analysts and evaluators of the resolution. Financial resources will also be required. Consequently, presentation of information will require the trainers for both the patients and the providers on the delivery and interpretation of sensitive healthcare data. The information and technology personnel will also create databases and keep the public informed. Physical resources include offices for the new staff, computers and the internet. Policy Brief sample essay – NSG/514 Health Law, Policy, Ethics, and Global Trends.
Quality of Care
The implications of the resolutions on quality of care include the improvement of transparency and reduction of healthcare prices which allows more patients to access the hospitals. Transparency also improves the quality of care delivered and promotes accountability on not only the cost but the services delivered and their effectiveness. Patients will also ensure they are served right as they are engaged in the process through data access and protection by healthcare policy reforms.
Patient outcome
Transparency and accountability improve the quality of care delivered to patients. As such, healthcare reforms seek to achieve positive patient outcomes. Notably, data presentation and information of the public regarding healthcare costs help them access affordable services that improve their health outcomes.
Ethical Considerations
The recommended resolutions demand ethical application. For instance, presenting healthcare information to the patient upholds autonomy in that the patient is informed clearly about the financial costs of the procedures and services offered. The patient is involved in decision making regarding his health as they are aware of the costs and thus can recommend affordable treatment options beforehand. Non-maleficence principles of nursing ethics are also upheld as the resolutions ensure that the patient is not exploited (Wirt, 2012). Conducting healthcare reforms that are beneficial to the client also upholds beneficence. Furthermore, health reforms that promote transparency ensure fairness and justice in the process of billing the patient. Policy Brief sample essay – NSG/514 Health Law, Policy, Ethics, and Global Trends.
Legal Considerations
Confidentiality is essential in protecting the privacy of the patient. However, it might be compromised during the presentation of the patient’s information in a more simplified form. However, the HIPAA emphasis on security and privacy regulations and hence upholds confidentiality. Healthcare reforms are also guided by the professional nursing practice standards. In this case, the transparency reform falls within the legal healthcare budget and meet the practice standards serving justice to consumers and resolving disparities.
Legal Case
An example of a case supporting the resolutions is Case: Columbus vs. Trump (Levey, 2018). This case condemns Trump for deliberately undermining the Affordable Care Act. This is because; the healthcare reforms brought about by the Act reduced the cost of healthcare in the country. This case shows that the city of Columbus, Ohio, and other cities understand the Obamacare Act and are fighting for their cost rights since they were provided with the right information to understand its significance. Moreover, Obamacare Act was presented with transparency and therefore enabling the citizens to advocate for it through a lawsuit.
Existing Regulation
The 1987 Nursing Home Reform Act is a regulation set up in 1986 to address the negligence, inadequate care and abuse of patients in home nursing care facilities which increases the healthcare costs (Klaube & Wright, 2001). This Acts ensures that quality care is given to patients and also provides payment plans and funding through Medicaid and Medicare payments. The reform has its information presented to the public to ensure transparency and understanding of its objectives. This supports the representation of information to the patient as well as policy reforms for quality care provision. Certification criterion ensures that an organization meets the standards of practice and operation which qualifies the providers to provide simplified and customized information to patients.
Conclusion
Healthcare cost disparities bar the American citizens from accessing affordable healthcare. Healthcare reforms that enhance transparency, as well as accountability, are effective in reducing healthcare costs. On the other hand, presentation of information to patients as well as provision of public databases help in health information access and prevent financial exploitation of the consumers by providers Policy Brief sample essay – NSG/514 Health Law, Policy, Ethics, and Global Trends.
References
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2019). 2016 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report. Retrieved from https://www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/nhqrdr/nhqdr16/index.html on Saturday 31,2019
Bekker, M. (2007). The politics of healthy policies: redesigning health impact assessment to integrate health in public policy. Eburon Uitgeverij BV.
Klaube & Wright (2001).The 1987 Nursing Home Reform Act. Retrieved from https://www.aarp.org/home-garden/livable-communities/info-2001/the_1987_nursing_home_reform_act.html on Saturday 31,2019
Levey (2018). These lawsuits could change healthcare nationwide if they make it to the Supreme Court. Retrieved from https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-obamacare-legal-cases-20180830-story.html on Saturday 31,2019
Wirt. S. (2012). Association of rehabilitation nurses health policy tool kit. Retrieved from https://rehabnurse.org/uploads/membership/hptoolkit12_full.pdf on Saturday 31,2019 Policy Brief sample essay – NSG/514 Health Law, Policy, Ethics, and Global Trends