Discussion Week # 3 _ NURS 6053
ligiarivera
Reply2-DiscussionWeek3_NURS6053.docxInstructions:
Respond to your colleague by providing additional thoughts about competing needs that may impact your colleagues’ selected issues, or additional ideas for applying policy to address the impacts described.
**minimum of three (3) scholarly references are required for each reply cited within the body of the reply & at the end**
Reply # 2
Esther Chukwu
RE: Discussion - Week 3
Top of Form
Organizational Policies and Practices to Support Healthcare Issues
In an effort to create a high-value health care system in the United States, many providers, insurers, and healthcare delivery systems are focused on providing quality care and improving population health. However, there is a shortage of primary care providers needed to meet these needs. Often, leaders face the ethical dilemmas associated with these competing needs (providing quality healthcare, improving population health) and limited resources (shortage of primary care providers). Moral leaders focus as much on serving others as on leading. Moral leaders are watchful of the behavior of others but also maintain accountability for their ethical standards. (Laureate Education, 2018).
With the shortage of primary care providers, the available physician workforce is at high risk for burnout due to increased workload to meet patients’ needs and the expectations of the organization leaders. Burned-out doctors are more likely to leave practice, reducing patients’ access to care and continuity of care. Burnout can also threaten patient safety and quality of care when depersonalization leads to poor patient interactions and when burned-out physicians suffer from impaired attention, memory, and executive function. (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2017).
To ensure the provision of quality patient care and improved population health, effective leaders need to find a balance between meeting the needs of the organizations, quality and safe patient care, and sustaining the welfare of the workforce. Leaders can strike this balance by developing policies that will help address the shortage of primary care providers.
According to Bodenheimer & Smith 2013 physician shortage is more accurately portrayed as a gap between the adult population’s demand for primary care services and the capacity of primary care to meet that demand. The authors discussed that policy recommendations, including increasing primary care reimbursement, improving the stressful primary care work life, and graduating more nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs), could help. The researchers discussed that primary care practices could significantly increase their capacity to meet patient demand if they allocate clinical responsibilities with the help of current technologies to non-physician team members and patients themselves. For example,
· Licensed practitioners, including nurses, pharmacists, physical and occupational therapists, can be empowered using standing orders to provide more care such as behavior change, improving medication adherence, managing uncomplicated upper respiratory infections, uncomplicated urinary tract infections, and uncomplicated back pain.
· Non-licensed personnel such as medical assistants can be empowered by standing orders as health coaches and panel managers to address many preventive and chronic needs.
· New technologies can encourage patients to care for themselves. Self-care helps balance primary care demand and capacity by reducing demand instead of increasing capacity. In addition, to self-care, patients with chronic conditions can add to primary care capacity by serving as peer coaches for patients with the same conditions.
Fixing the physician shortage requires a multi-pronged approach that includes increasing physician assistants’ use to maximize a physician’s reach and embracing new and innovative technologies to expand medical coverage, especially in rural and underserved areas. For example, increasing the use of telehealth can help hospitals and health systems utilize the current supply of physicians more efficiently. Telemedicine can help physicians use unused time by treating more patients, connecting specialists to rural hospitals, and enabling patients to access a wider pool of physicians. (Mangioficio, 2018).
References
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2017). Physician Burnout.
https://www.ahrq.gov/prevention/clinician/ahrq-works/burnout/index.html
Bodenheimer, T.S. & Smith, M.D. (2013). Primary Care: Proposed Solutions to the Physician
Shortage Without Training more Physicians. Health Affairs, 32(1),
https://doi.org/10.1377/hltaff.2013.0234
Laureate Education. (2018). Moral Leadership [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Mangioficio G. (2018). Physician Shortage Requires Multi-Prong Solution. American Journal of
Managed Care, https://www.ajmc.com/view/physician-shortage-requires-multiprong-
solution
Bottom of Form
Instructions
:
Respon
d
to
your colleague
by providing additional thoughts about competing needs that may impact
your colleagues’ selected issues, or additional ideas for applying policy to address the impacts
described
.
**minimum of three
(3)
scholarly references are required for each reply
cited
within the body of the reply & at the end
**
Reply
#
2
Esther
Chukwu
RE:
Discussion
-
Week
3
Organizational
Policies
and
Practices
to
Support
Healthcare
Issues
In
an
effort
to
create
a
high
-
value
health
care
system
in
the
United
States,
many
providers,
insurers,
and
healthcare
delivery
systems
are
focused
on
providing
qu
ality
care
and
improving
population
health.
However,
there
is
a
shortage
of
primary
care
providers
needed
to
meet
these
needs.
Often,
leaders
face
the
ethical
dilemmas
associated
with
these
competing
needs
(providing
quality
healthcare,
improving
populatio
n
health)
and
limited
resources
(shortage
of
primary
care
providers).
Moral
leaders
focus
as
much
on
serving
others
as
on
leading.
Moral
leaders
are
watchful
of
the
behavior
of
others
but
also
maintain
accountability
for
their
ethical
standards.
(Laureate
Education,
2018).
With
the
shortage
of
primary
care
providers,
the
available
physician
workforce
is
at
high
risk
for
burnout
due
to
increased
workload
to
meet
patients’
needs
and
the
expectations
of
the
organization
leaders.
Burned
-
out
doctor
s
are
more
likely
to
leave
practice,
reducing
patients’
access
to
care
and
continuity
of
care.
Burnout
can
also
threaten
patient
safety
and
quality
of
care
when
depersonalization
leads
to
poor
patient
interactions
and
when
burned
-
out
physicians
suffer
from
impaired
attention,
memory,
and
executive
function.
(Agency
for
Healthcare
Research
and
Quality,
2017).
To
ensure
the
provision
of
quality
patient
care
and
improved
population
health,
effective
leaders
need
to
find
a
balance
between
meeting
the
needs
of
the
organizations,
quality
and
safe
patient
care,
and
sustaining
the
welfare
of
the
workforce.
Leaders
can
strike
this
balance
by
developing
policies
that
will
help
address
the
shortage
of
primary
care
providers.
According
to
Bodenheimer
&
Smith
2013
physician
shortage
is
more
accurately
portrayed
as
a
gap
between
the
adult
population’s
demand
for
primary
care
services
and
the
capacity
of
primary
care
to
meet
that
demand.
The
authors
discussed
that
policy
recomme
ndations,
including
increasing
primary
care
reimbursement,
improving
the
stressful
primary
care
work
life,
and
graduating
more
nurse
practitioners
(NPs)
and
physician
assistants
(PAs),
could
help.
The
researchers
discussed
that
primary
care
practices
could
significantly
increase
their
capacity
to
meet
patient
demand
if
they
allocate
clinical
responsibilities
with
the
help
of
current
technologies
to
non
-
physician
team
members
and
patients
themselves.
For
example,
Instructions:
Respond to your colleague by providing additional thoughts about competing needs that may impact
your colleagues’ selected issues, or additional ideas for applying policy to address the impacts
described.
**minimum of three (3) scholarly references are required for each reply cited
within the body of the reply & at the end**
Reply # 2
Esther Chukwu
RE: Discussion - Week 3
Organizational Policies and Practices to Support Healthcare Issues
In an effort to create a high-value health care system in the United States, many providers, insurers, and
healthcare delivery systems are focused on providing quality care and improving population health. However,
there is a shortage of primary care providers needed to meet these needs. Often, leaders face the ethical dilemmas
associated with these competing needs (providing quality healthcare, improving population health) and limited
resources (shortage of primary care providers). Moral leaders focus as much on serving others as on leading.
Moral leaders are watchful of the behavior of others but also maintain accountability for their ethical standards.
(Laureate Education, 2018).
With the shortage of primary care providers, the available physician workforce is at high risk for burnout due
to increased workload to meet patients’ needs and the expectations of the organization leaders. Burned-out doctors
are more likely to leave practice, reducing patients’ access to care and continuity of care. Burnout can also threaten
patient safety and quality of care when depersonalization leads to poor patient interactions and when burned-out
physicians suffer from impaired attention, memory, and executive function. (Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality, 2017).
To ensure the provision of quality patient care and improved population health, effective leaders need to find
a balance between meeting the needs of the organizations, quality and safe patient care, and sustaining the welfare
of the workforce. Leaders can strike this balance by developing policies that will help address the shortage of
primary care providers.
According to Bodenheimer & Smith 2013 physician shortage is more accurately portrayed as a gap between
the adult population’s demand for primary care services and the capacity of primary care to meet that demand.
The authors discussed that policy recommendations, including increasing primary care reimbursement, improving
the stressful primary care work life, and graduating more nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs),
could help. The researchers discussed that primary care practices could significantly increase their capacity to
meet patient demand if they allocate clinical responsibilities with the help of current technologies to non-physician
team members and patients themselves. For example,
