Healthcare reforms
Healthcare reforms is the process of changing the healthcare system to address challenges such as costs, accessibility, and clinical practice (Xue and Intrator, 2016). Successful healthcare reforms will result from increasing in insured Americans. This low-cost healthcare will benefit Nurse Practitioners because NP positions will be created to address the nursing shortage pandemic. NPs will receive scholarships to advance their education and supplement their competencies. They will be eligible for fully paid tuition fees with a reasonable monthly stipend. Lastly, healthcare reforms will benefit nurses because they will have the latitude to practice their advocacy role.
The payment section of healthcare reforms is aimed at focusing on value-based care delivery. This is an approach of incentivizing NPs to continue keeping their patients healthy and providing the best care (Morrison, 2016). This means that NPs will be reimbursed based on the magnitude of their work. Currently, NPs are subjected to standard compensation while being overworked. Value-based payment ensures that NPs can provide quality care while they receive appropriate reimbursement. Such reforms would mean that the healthcare delivery model is more sustainable, and patients are likely to experience improved healthcare outcomes.
It is no secret that currently, the quality of healthcare varies according to the kind of health insurance a patient has. In my experience, I have witnessed patients being turned down on the fact that they are not insured and cannot afford out pocket costs. NPs are forced to make such decisions because healthcare payments affect hospital operational costs and also are not motivated to assist due to huge workloads and standard pay. Healthcare reforms are necessary because they have the potential to increase access to healthcare and also improve healthcare services. While patients are an essential stakeholder in healthcare, healthcare reforms need to focus on nurses because they play a pivotal role in ensuring that patients get the treatment they need (Brom, Salsberry, and Graham, 2018).