Competency
Appraise economical aspects that influence healthcare delivery systems.
Scenario
Your hospital received $4,000,000 in revenue this past year. Medicare withholds 2.6% of this amount ($) until the value-based purchasing scores are in. If the scores are good this year, the hospital will earn back this money. If scores are below the national average, the hospital can lose this money. Twenty five percent (25%) of this score is based upon the Community Engagement patient satisfaction score (HCAHPS). Last year’s patient satisfaction scores (HCAHPS) in the following areas were below the national average, which cost your hospital $398,000 in revenue.
The hospital director of Quality Improvement has asked you to participate in developing a nursing action plan for your facility.
Instructions
Prepare a nursing action plan in poster format for improving one of the following key areas that:
- Selects one key area of focus:
- Communication with nurses
- Communication with physicians
- Responsiveness of hospital staff
- Communication about medications
- Cleanliness and quietness
- Discharge information
- Care transition
- Examines nursing actions to achieve optimal scores to contribute to the hospital’s financial success with comprehensive supporting details.
- Provides a list of recommended nursing actions to improve the selected key area with comprehensive examples.
- Provide exemplary appraisal of references, resources for best practices to increase score and enhance reimbursement with comprehensive supporting details.
- Exemplary rationale for the nursing actions with comprehensive supporting details listed in the action plan.
- Provides stated ideas with professional language and attribution for credible sources with correct APA citation, spelling, and grammar in the action plan poster.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
As a medical professor responsible for creating assignments and evaluating student performance, I understand the importance of economical aspects in healthcare delivery systems. In this scenario, the hospital received revenue of $4,000,000, but Medicare withholds 2.6% of the amount until the value-based purchasing scores are in. Therefore, it is crucial to devise strategies that can improve patient satisfaction scores and prevent revenue loss. This answer will provide a nursing action plan in poster format to improve communication with nurses and achieve optimal scores to contribute to the hospital’s financial success.
Answer:
Communication with nurses is a key area that requires improvement to enhance patient satisfaction scores and hospital revenue. The following nursing actions can be implemented for this purpose:
1. Increase staff training and development: The hospital can organize regular training sessions to enhance nurses’ communication skills. The training can include effective listening, empathetic responses, and conflict resolution techniques with patients.
2. Improve shift handover process: Nurses can be encouraged to provide comprehensive information during the shift handover process. This can include vital signs, medications, allergies, and any concerns they may have noticed during their shift.
3. Use standardized communication tools: The hospital can adopt tools such as SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) to ensure effective communication between nurses and other healthcare team members. These tools can be used during shift handovers, patient transfers, and inter-professional meetings.
4. Use patient-centered care approach: Nurses can adopt a patient-centered care approach that considers patient preferences, cultural background, and values. This approach can help build trust, establish personalized care plans, and enhance patient satisfaction.
To support these actions, the nursing staff can refer to the following resources and best practices:
1. American Nurses Association (ANA) standards for communication
2. Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) resources on SBAR and patient-centered care
3. Online courses on effective communication and conflict resolution
The rationale for the actions above is that effective communication is crucial in building trust, preventing medical errors, and enhancing patient satisfaction. Research has shown that hospitals with better communication and teamwork have lower rates of adverse events and readmissions. Therefore, improving communication with nurses can contribute to the hospital’s financial success by reducing revenue loss due to low HCAHPS scores.
Conclusion:
In summary, a nursing action plan in poster format can be developed to improve communication with nurses and enhance patient satisfaction scores. The plan includes actions such as increasing staff training, improving shift handover, using standardized communication tools, and adopting a patient-centered care approach. These actions can be supported by resources and best practices from the ANA and IHI. Effective communication is a crucial element in enhancing patient satisfaction, reducing adverse events, and promoting hospital financial success.
