ESSENTIAL V 1

Regulations in Health Care

Regulation In Health Care

In the community assessment project that was covered, the need for preventative health

was one of the needs that was assessed in Prince William County. Health promotion and disease

prevention go hand in hand in the community as the county has one of the largest growing

county as more immigrants migrate in to the community. This 22 percent increase of immigrants

bring in more need for education of health promotion. There is a great need for education on

street drugs and prescription drugs (Dart, 2015). These problems that were assessed affect the

community regarding the procedures and policies in the area hospitals, emergency departments

and police stations will be affected in order to get a hold on this crisis. The crisis of opioid

overdose is affecting many practices as patients are going from one system to another in order to

get more prescriptions. The fact that the county faces 11% deaths due to overdose states that

there is a great need in changing practice with in the system. The first hand providers are the

ones that face most of the problem first as they are the ones who either are aiding the problem by

providing these narcotics or they are the ones who are the first emergency responders therefore

get the impact on both ends.

Reflection:

Essential V discusses Healthcare policies, including financial and regulatory policies, directly

and indirectly influence nursing practice as well as the nature and functioning of the healthcare

system. These policies shape responses to organizational, local, national, and global issues of

equity, access, affordability, and social justice in health care. In order to give safe patient care the

quality of the care has to be regulated and managed across the nation. These regulatory agencies

set forth policies and procedures that aid in improving the health system and give a standardized
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care across the health care system.

Healthcare policy shapes the nature, quality, and safety of the practice environment and

all professional nurses have the responsibility to participate in the political process and advocate

for patients, families, communities, the nursing profession, and changes in the healthcare system

as needed. Advocacy for vulnerable populations with the goal of promoting social justice is

recognized as moral and ethical responsibilities of the nurse. As nurses make up the large amount

of the health care system workers, it is vital that nurses understand the policies that are set up in

order to protect and aid the patient and the health care system. These regulatory agencies help by

setting up goals for the healthcare system that can aid in promoting standard care and optimized

outcome. These agencies aid in holding the system accountable for the care that it provides.

These agencies set up frame work that helps the health care system care out practices and change

as needed and as based by evidence. The fact that these agencies have no individual ties to any

health care system helps in managing the overall system better. What makes the US health

system be different than some of the international world system is that these agencies will

regulate per policy in order to improve and manage the overall national system. Agencies that

regulate hospitals and other health care systems have the rules and guidelines for everyone to

understand. As nurses it is our duty to make sure that we are fully aware of the policies and

procedures in where we give care and provide safe patient environment. A collection of agencies

regulate and govern the technological side of healthcare in the U.S. In the U.S. there are several

agencies that are regulatory agencies. The Department of Health and Human Services Office for

Civil Rights (OCR) is in charge of HIPAA enforcement, by auditing healthcare providers and

their business associates and handing out fines for noncompliance. The Centers for Medicare and

Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) both
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play roles as healthcare compliance resources and regulators of the meaningful use program

(www.techtarget.com). These agencies assist nurse demonstrate basic knowledge of healthcare

policy, finance, and regulatory environments, including local, state, national, and global

healthcare trends. Nurses can describe how health care is organized and financed, including the

implication of business principles, such as patient and system cost factors. The Essential V also

helps the nurse explore the impact of socio-cultural, economical, legal, and political factors that

influence and shape the health care system and in return affect the outcome of the health care

system. Essential V discusses the implication of healthcare policy on issues of access, equity,

affordability, equality and social justice in healthcare delivery. As nurses must take part and

participate in political processes and legislative efforts in influencing the health care policies and

guidelines (www.ncbi.org). Nurses must examine the roles and responsibilities of the regulatory

agencies and their ongoing effect on patient care quality, work place safety and guidelines for

variety of health care professions and practices. Essential V portrays how much nurses have to be

involved in the formation and formulation of policies and engage in the current changes that

affect the nursing profession. Nurses must utilize ethical framework to evaluate the impact of

social and population based policies and advocate for those patients that are underserved and

vulnerable to care. Nurses must continue to advocate for the patients and the nursing profession.

According to essential V nurse should utilize their professional knowledge and engage in current

change in policies and regulations. By participating nurses will gain power and more clarity in

the care that nurse do provide. The essential aids in the nursing profession by empowering nurses

to become more than bedside care providers but overall achievers that has control of the health

care system from the grass root of policies and procedures that set up our day to day operations.
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These agencies guide the health care system to more quality patient care with safe and affordable

stage.
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Reference:

Dart, R. C., Surratt, H. L., Cicero, T. J., Parrino, M. W., Severtson, S. G., Bucher-Bartelson, B.,
& Green, J. L. (2015). Trends in opioid analgesic abuse and mortality in the United States. N
Engl J Med, 2015(372), 241-248.

Holm, A. L., Gorosh, M. R., Brady, M., & White-Perkins, D. (2017). Recognizing Privilege and
Bias: An Interactive Exercise to Expand Health Care Providers Personal Awareness. Academic
Medicine, 92(3), 360-364.

www.aacn.nche.edu