NURS FPX 6612 Assessment 2 Quality Improvement Proposal

Name

Capella University

NURS-FPX 6612 Health Care Models Used in Care Coordination

Prof. Name

Date

Quality Improvement Proposal

To improve healthcare quality and enhance patient safety, healthcare organizations should strive to become Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). ACOs provide patients with a higher level of confidence in managing their health needs while offering better healthcare solutions at lower costs. Evidence-based practices, such as care plans, have shown to improve patient outcomes at reduced expenses. The structure of ACOs is ideal for utilizing care plans to manage patients’ complex health needs (Fraze et al., 2020).

NURS FPX 6612 Assessment 2: Quality Improvement Proposal

ACOs have proven successful in providing quality care for patients with conditions such as depression, effectively reducing preventable hospitalizations. When comparing ACO hospitals to non-ACO hospitals, the data indicates that preventable hospitalizations are significantly lower in ACO-affiliated settings (Barath et al., 2020).

Coordinated medical care for larger populations results in better quality and safety outcomes for patients within ACOs. The ACO model is designed to address both the cost and quality of healthcare services, ensuring that all stakeholders are held accountable for providing care at affordable rates, with a focus on minimizing waste (Moy et al., 2020).

Recommendations to Expand Health Information Technology (HIT)

Health Information Technology (HIT) plays a crucial role in providing affordable, quality healthcare. HIT improves data access, allowing healthcare providers to filter out the most relevant information, while data analytics offer detailed insights into patients’ complex health needs. Each patient is assigned a unique medical registration number (MRN), ensuring that their health records are accurately maintained and accessible to all healthcare staff.

By expanding HIT across healthcare organizations, systems can better serve patient care. For example, patients can access their health charts via mobile applications, while healthcare staff can remotely access patient data through hospital databases. A case example involves a 61-year-old woman, Caroline McGlade, whose Electronic Health Record (EHR) contains a history of examinations and a potential breast cancer diagnosis. Such systems ensure that quality care is delivered, and nursing informatics plays a key role in enhancing patient outcomes (Alaei et al., 2019).

Focus on Information Gathering and Guiding Organizational Development

The primary goal of information gathering is to provide high-quality healthcare at reduced costs while addressing complex healthcare needs. By using informatics and analytics, healthcare providers can plan better care and eliminate redundant information. The implementation of digital health records has significantly increased organizational productivity, resulting in better patient outcomes and staff efficiency.

Healthcare professionals are given extended control over their performance, with access to performance charts and growth projections. Feedback portals also allow employees to express satisfaction and suggest improvements. Monitoring healthcare databases is challenging but essential for ACOs to achieve optimal patient outcomes (Robert, 2019).

Problems with Data Gathering Systems

Data gathering systems face several challenges. The three key steps in overcoming these issues include data collection, preprocessing, and analysis. Proper staff training is necessary to prevent confusion in managing patient data. Additionally, ensuring data security is vital to protect sensitive patient information.

Data security protocols must be strictly followed, with systems in place to safeguard patient information. This ensures that only authorized healthcare personnel have access to sensitive data. Given the rapid increase in data size, healthcare organizations should adopt cloud storage solutions to meet growing data storage needs.

The stress associated with using HIT daily is measurable, especially among physicians and healthcare staff. Healthcare organizations must address burnout by providing appropriate support to their staff (Gardner et al., 2018).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the implementation of Health Information Technology (HIT) is central to the success of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). HIT not only facilitates better patient data management but also enhances the quality of care. However, challenges related to data collection, security, and storage must be addressed to ensure the continuous improvement of healthcare services. Adequate training and support for healthcare professionals can help mitigate these challenges, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes at reduced costs.

References

Alaei, S., Valinejadi, A., Deimazar, G., Zarein, S., Abbasy, Z., & Alirezaei, F. (2019). Use of health information technology in patients care management: A mixed methods study in Iran. Acta Informatica Medica, 27(5), 311. https://doi.org/10.5455/aim.2019.27.311-317

Barath, D., Amaize, A., & Chen, J. (2020). Accountable care organizations and preventable hospitalizations among patients with depression. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 59(1), e1–e10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2020.01.028

Fraze, T. K., Beidler, L. B., Briggs, A. D. M., & Colla, C. H. (2020). Translating evidence into practice: ACOs’ use of care plans for patients with complex health needs. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 36(1), 147–153. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-020-06122-4

Gardner, R. L., Cooper, E., Haskell, J., Harris, D. A., Poplau, S., Kroth, P. J., & Linzer, M. (2018). Physician stress and burnout: The impact of health information technology. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 26(2), 106–114. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocy145

NURS FPX 6612 Assessment 2 Quality Improvement Proposal

Moy, H., Giardino, A., & Varacallo, M. (2020). Accountable care organization. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK448136/

Robert, N. (2019). How artificial intelligence is changing nursing. Nursing Management (Springhouse), 50(9), 30–39. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.numa.0000578988.56622.21