Health Care Reform and the Transcultural Nurse, Research Paper Example

Generally, the healthcare delivery system implemented in the United States requires nursing professionals to be aware of payment method as well as information that will help advance patient care. While nurses are not expected to bill insurance companies or the patient, it is important for them to either be aware of the procedures and treatments covered by the patient’s insurance or the patient’s personal ability to pay for them (Ludwig-Beymer, 2014). Ultimately, care is occasionally restricted to what is affordable for the patient, which requires that it is covered by the insurance. Fortunately, there are many effective alternative options for performing certain procedures and treatments and it necessary for healthcare professionals to determine which would be best in light of affordability.

Nurses are often strained because they believe that the less affordable option is the one that would benefit the patient in the long run. Therefore, it is important for the health care professional to think beyond current health care costs in a manner that will allow them to determine a long-term cost of care as consequence of certain procedures (Dodge et al., 2013). Specifically, in maternity, women, and infant services, cesarean sections and vaginal births cost different price differentials. However, cesarean sections are generally recommended for mothers and children with certain risk factors. It is important for the nurse to consider that not only will the billing be entered differently, the recovery time for cesarean section is more significant. It is therefore necessary for nurses to implement these understandings when helping make a decision for the patient’s care. Both medical knowledge and financial knowledge related to the healthcare delivery system is necessary to make the best clinical decisions for the patient.

References

Dodge, K.A., Goodman, B., Murphy, R.A., O’Donnell, K., Sato, J. (2013). Randomized Controlled Trial of Universal Postnatal Nurse Home Visiting: Impact on Emergency Care. Pediatrics, 132: S140 -S146.

Ludwig-Beymer, P. (2014). Health Care Reform and the Transcultural Nurse. J Transcult Nurs, 25(4): 323-324.