Quality Healthcare: Measuring Nurse Practitioner Performance GRADED A+

Quality Healthcare: Measuring NP Performance Quality Healthcare: Measuring NP Performance Paige Carson NR506 – 13653 September 2019 https://www.coursehero.com/file/54264852/NR-506-week-3-docx/ This study resource w ...

Quality Healthcare: Measuring NP Performance Quality Healthcare: Measuring NP Performance Paige Carson NR506 – 13653 September 2019 https://www.coursehero.com/file/54264852/NR-506-week-3-docx/ This study resource was shared via CourseHero.com Quality Healthcare: Measuring NP Performance Introduction As a nurse, regardless of level of education completed, there is a natural instinct to go to extreme measures for all of our patients. It is in our nature to want our patient to heal, all the while providing comfort when the patient is in need. As a family nurse practitioner in the primary care setting, we earn the privilege of taking control of the patient’s healthcare plan by continuous management through office visits. The nurse practitioner is able to assess, recommended treatment, and prescribe required tests and or medications. Although the financial aspect may not be the first dilemma to cross the nurse practitioner’s mind, it is a real issue in healthcare that has to be taken into consideration. The National Committee for Quality Assurance is a committee designed to ensure quality patient care by measuring patient outcomes against set standards (NCQA, 2019). There are more than sixty patient outcomes that are categorized into six domains known as Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information (NCQA, 2019). Millions of people are enrolled in healthcare plans that report HEDIS results to the NCQA, which are then condensed into data reports that can then analyzed by the public (NCQA, 2019). All efforts within the NCQA such as the HEDIS results are subject to professional audits to ensure healthcare accountability. Controlling Hypertension The domain Effectiveness of Care incorporates multiple subcategories such as prevention and screening, respiratory conditions, cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, and behavioral health (NCQA, 2019). Due to the fact the Center for Disease Control has issued data that reflects 23.5% of the total deaths within the United State to be linked to heart disease, it can be assumed that cardiac care requires a massive amount of medical management and treatment https://www.coursehero.com/file/54264852/NR-506-week-3-docx/ This study resource was shared via CourseHero.com Quality Healthcare: Measuring NP Performance (CDC, 2017). As the nurse practitioner in a per capita practice setting, it will be essential to measure and improve patient outcomes while saving the medical practice cost. A per capita Controlling a patient’s hypertension is an effective way to reduce the risk of a cardiac event. The nurse practitioner can measure the patient’s hypertension and then try to successfully keep it within an acceptable range with medication or promoting a lifestyle change. When the patient initially comes to their appointment, the nurse practitioner can prescribe the medications they see fit. The patient could be asked to keep a journal of their daily blood pressure along with implementation of the suggested plan of care. The patient’s progress can be reviewed amongst provider and patient during the scheduled follow up appointment. If an adjustment is indicated based upon data collected, it can be done at that time. If the patient’s hypertension were to go ignored by the provider and further damage the heart, it could result in extensive and potentially expensive testing. Both of which would cause a financial burden to the practice and the patient when the practice is funded through a fixed payment from medical care groups. When a patient feels as if their health is of priority to the provider, trust can be established that can also promote medical treatment compliance. If the patient were to develop a complication and appropriate adjustments are made, continuous positive patient ratings are likely to follow. Diabetes Management Alongside controlling hypertension within the domain of Effectiveness of Care, is the issue of diabetes management. Diabetes is a complicated disease that is characterized by high blood glucose levels as a result of the human body’s inability to make or utilize insulin (NCQA, https://www.coursehero.com/file/54264852/NR-506-week-3-docx/ This study resource was shared via CourseHero.com Quality Healthcare: Measuring NP Performance 2019). When left uncontrolled, diabetes can result in heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, amputation, and premature death (CDC, 2014). Due to the fact that more than 100 million Americans suffer from diabetes or prediabetes, controlling and preventing the escalation of the disease is a common concern when patients visit their primary care provider (CDC, 2017). As a family nurse practitioner, it is our duty to encourage and guide a better lifestyle to our patients. Modification can be made within the patient’s diet, level of physical activity, and amount of stress that the patient has the ability to control within their life. As the provider, there are tests that can be ordered to track a patient’s progress over a two to three-month span known as a hemoglobin A1c (Mayo Clinic, 2019). An initial level should be collected so there is evidence for comparison at the patient’s follow up appointment. When the nurse practitioner is proactive in getting control of a patient’s blood glucose levels, they are preventing future hospital stays as well as irreversible harmful effects on the patient. If the patient’s diabetic status were to go by the wayside, it could cost the practice financially due to the need of increased medical intervention. If the provider were to make an error in the correct amount of prescribed medication, it could too cause a need for more medical intervention that was ultimately not the patient’s fault. Costing the patient, will cost the practice. When the nurse practitioner is throughout with each patient’s individual plan of care, error is less likely to occur. Displaying such competence will leave the patient feeling encouraged and supported, influencing positive patient satisfaction. https://www.coursehero.com/file/54264852/NR-506-week-3-docx/ This study resource was shared via CourseHero.com Quality Healthcare: Measuring NP Performance Antidepressant Medication Management Last to be mentioned within the domain of Effectiveness of Care is the topic of antidepressant medication management. Extreme depression can lead to a collection of complications such as, altered sleep pattern, negative self-image, poor eating habits, and suicide (NAMI, 2013). According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, major depressive disorder effects 16.1 million Americans between the age of 15 and 44.3 years old (AADA, 2019). With such an astonishing amount of suffers in the U.S., it is guaranteed that the primary care nurse practitioner will encounter depression disorder whether it is the patient’s chief complaint or a comorbidity. As a result, medication management is a necessity for the provider while medication compliance is crucial for the patient. If the patient’s symptoms appear to be severe, appropriate referrals should be made. When a patient comes to the nurse practitioner with symptoms associated with depression disorder it should be taken to a high priority. Before antidepressant medications are prescribed, the provider should try to find the root cause of the patient’s depression. Often times, other healthcare aliments are the culprit. Debilitating disease such as paralysis, kidney failure, or cancer can take a toll on the patient’s mental wellbeing. In return, depression could be the result of but not limited to inherited traits, hormone imbalance, brain chemistry, traumatic event, and or substance abuse (Mayo Clinic, 2019). If the source of the depression can be linked to a specific cause, it can help the nurse practitioner in prescribing the correct medication. Each antidepressant targets a different neurotransmitter within the brain such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine (Mayo Clinic, 2019) Effective communication between patient and provider will determine the https://www.coursehero.com/file/54264852/NR-506-week-3-docx/ This study resource was shared via CourseHero.com Quality Healthcare: Measuring NP Performance appropriate medication for the patient. The provider should then thoroughly educate the patient on the side effects of the elected medication, for some of them are life threatening and can require immediate intervention. In addition, the provider should elaborate on the fact that most antidepressants do not work instantly but take weeks or even months to take effect (Mayo Clinic, 2019). Effective communication can make a difference between a costly lawsuit and a patient who is now able to function in their daily life. If a patient were to choose to end their life after starting a new anti-depressant medication, the provider may be found liable if the court were to determine the choice of medication fell below the expected standard of care (Edersheim, J., 2009). If this situation were to occur, the practice could experience a devastating financial loss. There is potential for the patient to experience extreme gratitude towards the provider if they felt as if they were cared for in an effective way. Although medications may not be the universal answer, giving someone their life back by a simple prescription can improve not only the patient’s life, but the satisfaction between provider and patient. The only true way to measure the effectiveness of the intervention is to be observant of the patient’s mannerisms and demeanor while listening to how they feel. Conclusion The entire domain of Effectiveness of Care and the subcategories within encompass a huge part of the nurse practitioner’s role within healthcare. The National Committee for Quality Assurance’s healthcare data information can answer the question of how effective we as nurse practitioners are in providing care for our patients. Although the provider may feel as if they were successful when the patient walks out of their office, the true test is if they come back. If https://www.coursehero.com/file/54264852/NR-506-week-3-docx/ This study resource was shared via CourseHero.com Quality Healthcare: Measuring NP Performance they do come back, did the providers recommendations make a positive change in the patient’s life. Continuous commitment from health care providers to supply data to committees such as the NCQA well influence healthcare in a profound way.