Capella 4050 Assessment 2 Ethical and Policy Factors in Care Coordination
Capella 4050 Assessment 2 Ethical and Policy Factors in Care Coordination
Name
Capella university
NURS-FPX 4050 Coord Patient-Centered Care
Prof. Name
Date
Ethical and Policy Factors in Care Coordination
Greetings, esteemed members of the American Heart Association! I’m thrilled to be here today as a nurse manager and care coordinator in community cardiovascular health. Our focus is on the ethical and policy dimensions shaping care coordination for patients with heart disorders. It’s crucial to ensure comprehensive and seamless care for these individuals, requiring an understanding of ethical and policy landscapes. I’m grateful for your interest in this vital topic, and I’m optimistic that our discussion will lead to improved care plans. Let’s delve into today’s session without delay.
Contents and Agenda
In our upcoming session, we’ll cover the following topics:
- Introduction to Care Coordination: We’ll briefly overview care coordination, emphasizing its importance in delivering seamless healthcare.
- Impact of Government Policies: We’ll examine how governmental policies, at national, state, and local levels, affect the organization and implementation of care coordination and consider their ethical implications.
- Detailed Policy Examination: This section will examine specific policies more closely, analyzing their ethical outcomes and how they shape care coordination practices across different governance levels.
- Nursing Code of Ethics and Care Coordination: We’ll explore how the nursing code of ethics influences care coordination and highlight nurses’ ethical responsibilities in ensuring patient-centered care.
Let’s systematically examine each of these topics to gain a thorough understanding of their role in care coordination.
What is Care Coordination?
Care coordination involves purposefully planning patient care tasks and sharing information among healthcare professionals and organizations to ensure comprehensive and seamless healthcare services. Care coordination in cardiovascular diseases is crucial for optimizing patient outcomes, particularly those managing chronic conditions like heart failure or undergoing cardiac procedures. Effective coordination provides timely access to interventions, supports medication management, and encourages adherence to lifestyle modifications.
Healthcare organizations specializing in cardiovascular care coordination benefit from enhanced patient care quality through interdisciplinary collaboration and community resource utilization. They streamline care transitions between hospital, rehabilitation, and home settings, resulting in improved patient outcomes, reduced healthcare costs, and increased satisfaction among patients and providers (Porter et al., 2021).
Governmental Policies Impacting the Care Coordination Process
Now, we will delve into certain governmental policies that can profoundly impact care coordination process.
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA): HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, stands as a critical policy in care coordination. It was established to facilitate the electronic exchange of health data while upholding the confidentiality and integrity of patients’ protected health information (PHI). Within the American Heart Association (AHA), compliance with HIPAA regulations is essential across all care coordination activities, including patient consultations and research endeavors. When the AHA collaborates with healthcare providers, researchers, or community organizations, adherence to HIPAA ensures the confidentiality and security of patient information, fostering trust among stakeholders and facilitating effective collaboration (Ezell et al., 2021).
Capella 4050 Assessment 2 Ethical and Policy Factors in Care Coordination
- HITECH Act: The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, has significant implications for care coordination within the American Heart Association (AHA). HITECH incentivizes healthcare providers to adopt and meaningfully use certified EHR technology. By promoting the adoption of EHRs, HITECH facilitates the digital exchange of patient health information, making it easier for different healthcare providers involved in a patient’s care to access relevant medical records. This can enhance care coordination efforts within the AHA by providing a comprehensive view of a patient’s health history across different care settings (Gill et al., 2020).
Health Policies at National, State, and Local Levels, Along with Ethical consequences
Two significant policy provisions that raise ethical questions for care coordination within the American Heart Association (AHA) are privacy and confidentiality laws, such as HIPAA, and health equity initiatives. Privacy and confidentiality laws, while essential for protecting patient information, can sometimes pose ethical dilemmas by potentially hindering practical care coordination efforts. Stricter interpretations of HIPAA regulations may limit the sharing of vital patient information among healthcare providers, leading to fragmented care and compromised patient outcomes (Kaufman, 2022).
Balancing the imperative of patient privacy with information sharing for coordinated care requires careful consideration of ethical principles such as beneficence, non-maleficence, and respect for autonomy. On the other hand, health equity initiatives addressing disparities in healthcare access and outcomes, such as prohibiting health insurance discrimination based on existing conditions in ACA’s provisions, may also raise ethical questions related to resource allocation and prioritization of services. One dilemma arises from the tension between promoting patient autonomy and ensuring responsible resource allocation.
Capella 4050 Assessment 2 Ethical and Policy Factors in Care Coordination
While individuals with pre-existing conditions have a right to access healthcare services, their increased healthcare needs may strain limited resources within the healthcare system. Care coordination efforts must navigate this tension by balancing the needs of individual patients with broader considerations of healthcare resource allocation and sustainability (Lucas, 2024). Ensuring these provisions promote fair and just distribution of resources and services is crucial for upholding ethical principles of justice and beneficence in care coordination efforts within the AHA and broader healthcare systems. Zoning laws regulate the distribution of healthcare facilities within a community.
If specific neighborhoods lack access to essential cardiovascular care services, such as clinics or rehabilitation centers, health disparities and inequities can be exacerbated. This raises ethical questions about distributive justice and fairness in resource allocation. Policymakers must consider the moral implications of zoning decisions and strive to ensure equitable access to cardiovascular care services across all communities (Mohtat & Khirfan, 2022).
Analysis of Nursing Code of Ethics and Their Impact on Care Coordination and its Continuum
The nursing code of ethics plays a crucial role in shaping care coordination and the continuum of care within the American Heart Association (AHA) and its affiliated healthcare settings. Nurses, as frontline caregivers, adhere to ethical principles outlined in the code of ethics, guiding their interactions with patients, families, and interdisciplinary care teams. Within cardiovascular care, nurses prioritize beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice to ensure patients receive compassionate and high-quality care across the care continuum, from prevention to rehabilitation.
Healthy People 2020 highlights socioeconomic determinants of health as major factors influencing health, health inequities, and access to cardiovascular care services (Horwitz et al., 2020). Nurses, guided by ethical standards, recognize the impact of these determinants and advocate for equitable access to resources and services that address social and economic barriers to cardiovascular health. They engage in community outreach programs and policy advocacy initiatives to improve access to affordable healthcare services for underserved populations (Horwitz et al., 2020).
Capella 4050 Assessment 2 Ethical and Policy Factors in Care Coordination
Evidence suggests that nurses’ adherence to ethical principles leads to improved patient outcomes, increased satisfaction, and more efficient care delivery (Aghamohammadi et al., 2021). Initiatives addressing social determinants of health have been linked to reductions in health disparities and improvements in population health outcomes. By aligning their practice with ethical standards and advocating for strategies addressing socioeconomic determinants of health, nurses contribute to the AHA’s mission of promoting cardiovascular health and reducing disparities in care.
Conclusion
Our discussion highlights the intricate relationship between governmental policies, ethical considerations, and nursing practice in cardiovascular care coordination within the American Heart Association (AHA). While policies like HIPAA and the HITECH Act aim to improve care coordination, they also raise ethical questions about privacy and equity. Nurses, guided by ethical principles, play a crucial role in advocating for patient-centered care and addressing social determinants of health. Nurses contribute significantly to improving patient outcomes and advancing cardiovascular health by aligning their practice with ethical standards and policy objectives. Continuing efforts to address ethical dilemmas, promote health equity, and foster interdisciplinary collaboration are essential for enhancing care coordination within the AHA and beyond.
References
Aghamohammadi, F., Imani, B., & Koosha, M. M. (2021). Operating room nurses’ lived experiences of ethical codes: A phenomenological study in Iran. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2021.05.012
Ezell, J. M., Hamdi, S., & Borrero, N. (2021). Approaches to addressing nonmedical services and care coordination needs for older adults. Research on Aging, 016402752110339. https://doi.org/10.1177/01640275211033929
Gill, E., Dykes, P. C., Rudin, R. S., Storm, M., McGrath, K., & Bates, D. W. (2020). Technology-facilitated care coordination in rural areas: What is needed? International Journal of Medical Informatics, 137, 104102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2020.104102
Horwitz, L. I., Chang, C., Arcilla, H. N., & Knickman, J. R. (2020). Quantifying health systems’ investment in social determinants of health, by sector, 2017–19. Health Affairs, 39(2), 192–198. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2019.01246
https://doi.org/10.1161/cir.0000000000000759
Capella 4050 Assessment 2 Ethical and Policy Factors in Care Coordination
Kaufman, C. (2022). At what cost? An evaluation of the health and human services proposed rule,” proposed modifications to the HIPAA privacy rule to support, and remove barriers to, coordinated care and individual engagement. Heinonline.org. https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/plyps29§ion=7
Lucas, J. (2024). California v. texas: Avoiding an antidemocratic outcome. EngagedScholarship@CSU. https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/jlh/vol37/iss3/9/
Mohtat, N., & Khirfan, L. (2022). Distributive justice and urban form adaptation to flooding risks: Spatial analysis to identify toronto’s priority neighborhoods. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2022.919724
Porter, W. D., Ullman, K., Majeski, B., Miake-Lye, I., Diem, S., & Wilt, T. J. (2021). Care coordination models and tools—systematic review and key informant interviews. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 37(6), 1367–1379. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-021-07158-w