With the ongoing debate about the cost and importance of everyone throughout the nation having access to health care, regardless of ability to pay, concern continues among the disadvantaged or low income groups about their future ability to access health care services. Unfortunately, this is a common scenario for all too many Americans. As the only industrialized nation in the world without UHC, the rising costs of health care, and the challenges of being able to access care at any time or any place, many in our nation will continue to be exposed to situations where the outcomes could have been better. As nurses, we may assume that patients will do the right thing when it comes to their health or the health of those that depend upon them. With experience and understanding of health care research, we know this is not always the case. We have tremendous opportunities to make needed changes in how health care can be accessed and payed for, as well as helping patients understand how they can best navigate the health care system.
EXPLORING THE WEB
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT:
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ): www.ahrq.gov
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): www.cdc.gov
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS): www.cms.gov
Department of Defense (DOD) TRICARE program: www.tricare.mil
Food and Drug Administration (FDA): www.fda.gov
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA): www.hrsa.gov
Indian Health Service (IHS): www.ihs.gov
National Center for Health Statistics: www.cdc.gov. Search for National Center for Health Statistics.
National Guidelines Clearinghouse: www.guidelines.gov
National Institutes of Health (NIH): www.nih.gov
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): www.samhsa.gov
Veterans' Health Administration (VHA): www.va.gov
PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS:
Commonwealth Fund: www.cmwf.org
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF): www.kff.org
Joint Commission (JC): www.jointcommission.org
National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA): www.ncqa.org
National Quality Forum (NQF): www.qualityforum.org
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF): www.rwjf.org
Malcolm Baldridge Quality Award (MBQA): www.quality.nist.gov
INFORMATICS
Visit the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Innovation Center: https://innovation.cms.gov and review the innovation models and see where the partners are located. You can share your ideas here as well.
LEAN BACK
Although it is difficult to modify the structure of health care, what could you do to implement a system to continually modify the process of health care delivery to improve health care quality in your organization?
What are strategies to ensure patient access to appropriate health care services in public and private health care agencies?
How can the five IOM health professions competencies and the need for safe, high‐quality care be achieved in the current workplace?
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