NRS 440 Trends and Issues in today’s Health Care

Week 4 Discussion

DQ1 Choose a legislator on the state or federal level who is also a nurse and discuss the importance of the legislator/nurse’s role as advocate for improving health care delivery. What specific bills has the legislator/nurse sponsored or supported that have influenced health care.

DQ2 Research legislation that has occurred within the last 5 years at the state or federal level as a result of nurse advocacy. Describe the legislation and what was accomplished. What additional steps need to be taken to continue advocacy for this issue?

 

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The importance of the legislator/nurse’s role as advocate for improving health care delivery

Introduction

The nurse is often the first person to enter a hospital or clinic, and the last to leave. This can be a very important role in shaping health care policy, but many nurses feel that they are not adequately represented on these decisions. This lack of representation has led many nurses to become advocates for improving health care delivery through legislation and regulation.

Introduce role of nurse and legislator/regulator.

The role of the nurse and legislator/regulator is very important to improve health care delivery. Nurses are the most trusted profession in health care, which means they have more influence on decisions and policies that affect their patients. They also provide information about health issues, which can help shape policy-making processes.

As a result, nurses play an essential role in improving quality outcomes for all Canadians by advocating for changes that will lead to improved standards across all levels of care delivery—from primary care through long-term specialty services like palliative care or rehabilitation therapy—and beyond into community settings where access may be limited due to geographic location or socio-economic status (e.g., elderly people living alone).

Importance of advocacy as a profession.

As a nurse, you have an important role to play in improving health care delivery. You can advocate for changes that will help improve the quality of your patients’ care and ensure that they receive high-quality care.

As a legislator or regulator, you also have an important role to play in improving health care delivery. You can work with other legislators and regulators to create laws and regulations that will help ensure better patient outcomes; this includes making sure those laws are enforceable by agencies like Medicare Fraud Division (MFD).

In addition to advocating for legislation or regulation changes at the state level, nurses often advocate on local levels as well—for example, by supporting efforts aimed at reducing homelessness among veterans or increasing access to quality mental health services for children who need them most.*

Defines advocacy

Advocacy is a term that describes the actions of an individual or group who speaks out on behalf of another person, group or cause. Advocates can be individuals, organizations or coalitions of various types. Whether they are acting alone or working in concert with others, advocates share common goals and strategies to achieve them.

The role of legislators differs from that of lobbyists because they do not have direct access to decision makers at the legislative level (e.g., senators). Legislators instead rely on their colleagues who are more capable at influencing policymaking than they are themselves; however this does not mean that legislators should simply ignore what lobbyists have to say! Legislators should instead look at all available information sources before making decisions about health care reform legislation so they can properly represent the interests of their constituents within those institutions where these issues will ultimately be decided upon by elected officials such as Congressmen/women and Governors across states across America

Outline history of nursing advocacy efforts.

Nursing advocacy is part of the nursing profession and has been successful in improving health care delivery.

Nursing advocacy is a long-standing tradition that dates back to ancient times when nurses were responsible for caring for patients with injuries or illness. In modern times, nurses continue to play an important role in advocating for better health care services by helping physicians make informed decisions, communicating concerns about patient outcomes, and advocating on behalf of those who lack access to quality healthcare services.

Nursing and the US health system.

Nursing has been involved in a variety of health care issues over the years. In addition to advocating for improved health care delivery and quality, nurses have also played an important role in shaping legislation that improves access to care.

Nurses are often called upon to testify before Congress on issues pertaining to nursing practice and patient safety. They also participate as expert witnesses in court cases involving patients’ rights or malpractice suits by healthcare providers against clients who were injured while under their care. Nurse practitioners (NPs) play an increasingly important role in providing primary care services at various points along the continuum from emergency rooms through outpatient clinics and community settings such as schools or senior centers where individuals may not always be able to afford private insurance coverage for treatment expenses incurred during visits outside normal business hours when needed most urgently; thus reducing unnecessary costs associated with emergency room visits due simply because there’s no place nearby where someone could go instead!

Outline steps in the policy making process.

• Step 1: Identify a problem or need that needs to be addressed.

• Step 2: Research the issue, gather information and make recommendations based on what you have learned.

• Step 3: Share your findings with others so that they can continue to build on your work and help shape future policy decisions relating to health care delivery systems in their area or across the nation.

Discuss nursing history of involvement in the health care legislative process (focus on US).

Nursing has been involved in the legislative process since the beginning. The first step toward improving health care delivery was through education and advocacy, which can be traced back to ancient Greece. In fact, it was not until after World War II that nursing got its first taste of formal involvement in federal legislation when Congress passed Medicare and Medicaid as part of President Truman’s “Fair Deal.”

Nursing played a vital role in helping shape these two programs because there were no other organizations with similar interests at that time (e.g., AARP). Nurses also took part in creating many state-based initiatives designed to improve access to care while reducing costs associated with hospitalization or emergency room visits by providing more preventative services such as cancer screenings and diabetes management programs within their communities

Nursing impact on legislative and regulatory decisions.

Nursing has been involved in public policy making since the early 20th century. In fact, nurses have played a role in shaping health care policy since that time. Nurses have helped to shape legislation and regulations related to nursing education, nurse licensing, patient rights, healthcare system reform and quality improvement initiatives.

Conclusion

Nursing advocacy is a key component of the nursing profession. Advocacy is an important and fundamental part of the role of nurse, which involves advocating for the health needs of patients and providing professional input into policy decisions that affect nursing. Nursing involvement in legislative and regulatory processes can have a positive impact on patient care because it improves access to healthcare services, promotes appropriate use of healthcare resources, and encourages policy makers to consider issues such as cost containment measures related to long-term illness management. Therefore, nurses should be encouraged by legislators and regulators who are willing to listen; more importantly, nurses should engage with these decision makers so that they understand how their decisions will affect others within their profession