Discuss how quality measures and pay for performance affect patient outcomes. Explain how these affect nursing practice and describe the expectations and responsibilities of the nursing role in these situations.

Discuss how quality measures and pay for performance affect patient outcomes. Explain how these affect nursing practice and describe the expectations and responsibilities of the nursing role in these situations.

The nursing profession has experienced numerous changes. In 1980s, there was a shift to all registered nursing staffing that led to nursing care being solely delivered by highly skilled nurses. Additionally, at the moment, health care institutions are restructuring their workforce in a bid to cut costs. Hospitals are reducing the number of registered nurses, but increasing the number of unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP). Health care institutions are establishing nursing care delivery models, which include nursing teams consisting of a registered nurse leader and assistive personnel such as the UAP. Currently, there is a focus on a nurse as a supervisor of a team of care givers with a spectrum of cognitive skills and knowledge. Due to the fact that a registered nurse if held responsible for the outcome of nursing care delivered by a team, registered nurses should be skilled in capacities, such as delegation, and so forth. Health Care Delivery Models and Nursing Practice Essay

It is imperative for present-day nurses to have delegation skills as much as the critical thinking and traditional assessment nursing skills. The solution to performing in the function of a care leader is an understanding of the principles and role of delegation. Nurses are advocates of patients, and the objective of delegation is to guarantee that patient safety and quality care reach the bedside.

However, delegation is a challenging skill to obtain. It is simply a leadership and management skill. Nursing students in their early education experience should be introduced to the concept of a nurse as a care giver or a leader of a care delivery team. Nursing students need to be provided with ample opportunities to practice such skills in the clinical setting. They should know which kind of nursing skills should be delegated, and those that cannot. More significantly, they should be aware of basic delegation skills which be expected in their first nursing experience or job where they will have to supervise and lead care delivery. Health Care Delivery Models and Nursing Practice Essay

A popular model for delivering enhanced nursing primary care, which has gathered momentum and is now being tested globally, is the medical home. This model is likely to get more prominence in the coming years when accountable care organizations (ACOs) start operation, because many believe that primary care practices that belong to an ACO will want to adopt some elements of the medical home model to manage the care of their ACO patient panel efficiently enough so as to generate shared savings ( ). Health Care Delivery Models and Nursing Practice Essay

In general, there is a scarcity of research to allow a satisfactory evaluation of what the model of medical homes can accomplish. At least, there is some supportive evidence for some elements of medical homes. According to ( ), improvements are required in quality of preventive care, patient access, care processes, and general cost savings resulting from inpatient utilization and reductions in emergency department. Health Care Delivery Models and Nursing Practice Essay