The field of nursing crosses paths with the insurance industry in many ways. Therefore, it is incumbent upon nurses to be familiar with the various elements of insurance, as it directly impacts patient care.
As nurses are on the front lines of care delivery, they often gain significant insights into how to pay for this care — and what gaps exist in the field.
According to an article by Nursing World, nurses historically respond to changes in regulation and financing of healthcare with innovation and professional responsibility. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), backed by nurses, identified three aims of reform: reduced healthcare expenses, elevated quality of care and increased access for all Americans.
Value-Based Care and the Impact of Nurses
Nurses play a critical role in managing the finances of healthcare systems and processes while considering external factors and activities with policymakers, legislators and administrators. The healthcare field is experiencing increasing gaps between funding for Medicare Trust, health-related expenditures and insurance plan instability.
Due to this, nurses play a key role in advocating for the affordability of healthcare for all individuals who require treatment.
With the implementation of the Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Model, healthcare payments derive from quality care that is cost-efficient and patient- and family-centered. This means that “the better the quality of care, the higher the payment.” If a hospital does not meet certain benchmarks, the system lowers payments for that hospital.
Value-based care allows nurses to experience what their patients are going through while also changing the system into an inclusive environment. Nurses utilize their unique position within the health delivery system to link, measure and re-engineer processes within and beyond the healthcare system. Nurses consistently advocate for and provide lifesaving and life-sustaining care for vulnerable populations.
Preventative Care: The Future of the Healthcare System
Many individuals who once lived without access to healthcare can gain access to many healthcare opportunities through the ACA. This law means health insurance companies provide coverage for many more chronic health conditions, such as behavioral and mental health disorders.
However, preventative care is one major consequence of the ACA law. Overall, people are caring for their health and well-being before illness or injury. Many receive flu shots or cancer screenings as preventative care measures, which means fewer people end up in emergency rooms or suffer preventable death.
With new laws, leaders continue to make revisions and propel the future of preventative care. More patients will be able to participate in this new advancement related to the healthcare system — thanks to the nurses who fight for their insurance rights.
This progress also requires more nurses to work for a multitude of healthcare providers. An increase in patients equates to an increased need for nursing staff.
Nurses have an even more significant role as health laws and trends in insurance payment encourage more coordination of medical care to ensure patients get the proper treatment in the right place and at the right time.
Preparing Nurses With an RN to BSN Degree
One way to empower your ability to deliver expert care and compassion to diverse patients in various settings is to earn your Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. Those who enroll in the Registered Nurse (RN) to BSN online program at William Paterson University will broaden their career opportunities and meet the challenges of changing nursing responsibilities in contemporary healthcare.
In as few as 10 months, nursing students will be able to develop their self-development, professional growth and leadership capabilities alongside faculty members. Students will be encouraged to grow and learn at their own pace.
Graduates of this program will be able to apply economic and management principles in leadership roles to ensure affordable healthcare. They will advocate for patients, families and other healthcare providers to design, manage and coordinate healthcare that benefits all individuals. Additionally, they will learn the skills necessary to communicate effectively and synthesize knowledge from all aspects of life to implement nursing practice decisions.
Each future nurse leader will obtain the knowledge needed to impact the lives of their patients for the better and advocate for the affordability of healthcare for all demographics and communities.
Learn more about William Paterson University’s online RN to BSN program.
