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Nursing involvement in accountable care organizations
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR NCLEX-RN is a registered trademark of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc, Chicago, IL.
www.aornjournal.org
2.
References
Balik B, Conway J, Zipperer L, Watson J. Achieving an Exceptional Patient and Family Experience of Inpatient Hospital Care [IHI Innovation Series white paper]. Cambridge, MA: Institute for Healthcare Improvement; 2011. http://www.ihi.org/knowledge/Pages/IHIWhitePapers/ AchievingExceptionalPatientFamilyExperienceInpatient HospitalCareWhitePaper.aspx.
1.
Herlehy AM. Influencing safe perioperative practice through innovation. AORN J. 2011;94(2):119-121.
f f
Nursing involvement in accountable care organizations
I found the editorial by Patricia Seifert, “Accountable care: is it solely cost-conscious?” (June 2011, Vol 93, No 6), to be particularly interesting because the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act1 is a current focus at my hospital. I am curious about the accountable care organizations (ACOs) that will be responsible for meeting the demands of Medicare fee for service under the new health care reform policies. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services definition does not specifically mention nursing involvement in the ACOs; however, it does mention “other health care professionals,”2 which could include nurses. I believe it is vital to have nurses involved in ACOs, not only for our own profession but to help keep the focus on the patient. Nursing care is centered on performance measures, so it would be natural to have nurses guide the ACOs recommended practices. Nurses are at the head of care coordination for their patients 24 hours a day. They are in constant comf f
munication with physicians, therapists, social workers, family members, and ancillary support personnel to ensure that their patients are receiving the highest level of care possible. As members of the largest group of caregivers, nurses must be involved in shaping the future of health care.
SUZANNE SCHOENROCK BSN, RN, CNOR OPERATING ROOM SUPERVISOR HEALTH FIRST VIERA HOSPITAL VIERA, FL doi: 10.1016/j.aorn.2012.01.005
References 1.
2.
Public Law 111-148 —Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. March 23, 2010. US Government Printing Office. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-111publ148/ content-detail.html. Accessed December 31, 2011. Overview: What you need to know about Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. https://www.cms.gov/ACO/. Accessed December 31, 2011.
Preparing for leadership roles
In the article “Influencing safe perioperative practice through leadership” (October 2011, Vol 94, No 4), President Anne Marie Herlehy, DNP, RN, CNOR, states that succession planning is an important role of leaders. Today, there is not only a shortage of nurses but a shortage of nurses who are capable of leading a unit or an organization. This article was intriguing to me because I followed the path that so many nurses do into leadership positions. I
have been in the nursing profession for 20 years and have seen over and over again that nurses with great clinical skills are moved into leadership positions when their nurse director moves on. These bedside nurses are not prepared for their new leadership roles and are set up for failure. In many hospital settings, nurses are coached and guided into leadership positions through an informal training process that just addresses AORN Journal
321
www.aornjournal.org
2.
References
Balik B, Conway J, Zipperer L, Watson J. Achieving an Exceptional Patient and Family Experience of Inpatient Hospital Care [IHI Innovation Series white paper]. Cambridge, MA: Institute for Healthcare Improvement; 2011. http://www.ihi.org/knowledge/Pages/IHIWhitePapers/ AchievingExceptionalPatientFamilyExperienceInpatient HospitalCareWhitePaper.aspx.
1.
Herlehy AM. Influencing safe perioperative practice through innovation. AORN J. 2011;94(2):119-121.
f f
Nursing involvement in accountable care organizations
I found the editorial by Patricia Seifert, “Accountable care: is it solely cost-conscious?” (June 2011, Vol 93, No 6), to be particularly interesting because the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act1 is a current focus at my hospital. I am curious about the accountable care organizations (ACOs) that will be responsible for meeting the demands of Medicare fee for service under the new health care reform policies. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services definition does not specifically mention nursing involvement in the ACOs; however, it does mention “other health care professionals,”2 which could include nurses. I believe it is vital to have nurses involved in ACOs, not only for our own profession but to help keep the focus on the patient. Nursing care is centered on performance measures, so it would be natural to have nurses guide the ACOs recommended practices. Nurses are at the head of care coordination for their patients 24 hours a day. They are in constant comf f
munication with physicians, therapists, social workers, family members, and ancillary support personnel to ensure that their patients are receiving the highest level of care possible. As members of the largest group of caregivers, nurses must be involved in shaping the future of health care.
SUZANNE SCHOENROCK BSN, RN, CNOR OPERATING ROOM SUPERVISOR HEALTH FIRST VIERA HOSPITAL VIERA, FL doi: 10.1016/j.aorn.2012.01.005
References 1.
2.
Public Law 111-148 —Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. March 23, 2010. US Government Printing Office. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-111publ148/ content-detail.html. Accessed December 31, 2011. Overview: What you need to know about Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. https://www.cms.gov/ACO/. Accessed December 31, 2011.
Preparing for leadership roles
In the article “Influencing safe perioperative practice through leadership” (October 2011, Vol 94, No 4), President Anne Marie Herlehy, DNP, RN, CNOR, states that succession planning is an important role of leaders. Today, there is not only a shortage of nurses but a shortage of nurses who are capable of leading a unit or an organization. This article was intriguing to me because I followed the path that so many nurses do into leadership positions. I
have been in the nursing profession for 20 years and have seen over and over again that nurses with great clinical skills are moved into leadership positions when their nurse director moves on. These bedside nurses are not prepared for their new leadership roles and are set up for failure. In many hospital settings, nurses are coached and guided into leadership positions through an informal training process that just addresses AORN Journal
321