Week 4

Respond to the following with small paragraphs and include references.

1. Would states be better at managing healthcare policy, than the federal government?

2. What are some ways do you think APNs can use nursing informatics to help build healthier populations?

3. Researching the legislation and issues confronting the nurse practitioner professions confirmed the fact that generally, in a primary care practice for a nurse practitioner service to be cost-effective, it has to cover about 30% of the workload of the entire practice. Nurse practitioners are reimbursed 85% of the amount physicians are paid, although numerous nursing studies confirm that nurse practitioners provide care at the same level with physicians and, in many instances, superior to them. That aspect hinders the nurse practitioner job prospects because they would bring in less revenue for any practice. A student from the University of Pennsylvania conducted an extensive study. Nurse practitioners services versus physician services, synthesizing and comparing quantitative and qualitative data of different services provided by nurse practitioners and physicians, in an acute and primary setting, for different types of populations ranging from neonates to adults while covering several groups of diseases. It was found that nurse practitioners provide equal to superior care when compared to the care provided by physicians. The study showed that patients in the care of Nurse Practitioners make fewer visits to the emergency room, and they have lower rates of readmissions to hospitals for conditions such as asthma and congestive heart failure. Thus, because of the holistic approach to health care provided by Nurse Practitioners, often patients have a better outcome.

4. Some major insurance companies are reimbursing APRNs. APRNs are part of interdisciplinary teams and reimbursement is becoming more available. Research has shown that APRNs are safe and cost-effective alternatives to physician-based health care (Hamric, A., Hanson,C.,Tracy,M.,& O’Grady,2014). The increase numbers of APRNs will help with costs if providing care to patients. APRNs must show positive outcomes to justify Medicare reimbursement. Population growth and collaborative practice are creating more opportunities. NPs provide equivalent care at a lower cost than physicians. By collaborating with physicians and other team members APRNs can reduce the misuse or overuse of services. Developing communication strategies can also help with misuse or overuse of services. NPs practicing in Tennessee’s state- managed care organization delivered health care at 23 percent below the average cost associated with other primary providers, achieving a 21 percent reduction in hospital inpatient rates and 24 percent lower lab utilization rates compared to physicians (AACN,2020).