DQ3
DQ3
The Patient Protection Affordable Care Act (PPACA) being a reform of the healthcare system in the U.S consisting of the regulations and legislations of the federal government. The main role of the act is to extend the scope of health insurance to American citizens, however the provision has several implications for the nursing practitioners as well by measures intended to streamline the scope of practice restrictions on practicing nurses mainly through financial incentives (Goodson, 2010).
The PPACA entails a lot of provisions which are meant to address the shortage of physicians in the field of primary care which is anticipated. For instance starting in 2011 up to 2015, those physicians who attend to Medicare patients are eligible to acquire a reimbursement which is 10% more in the event their Medicare charges for the primary care office visitations are at least 60% of their total charges in Medicare (Goodson, 2010). Also the PPACA entails several provisions which are meant to raise the general capacity of primary care, this might also be strengthened by other approaches considered as complimentary by the different states which would be effected at a faster rate. By easing the restrictions on nurse practitioners, the scope of practice will also be expanded. This will go a long way in ensuring that there is proper care for the ever expanding population of people who are not insured (Skinner, 2013).
The PPACA funding for the nurse-managed health clinics as well as the school-based health clinics which can all be managed by practicing nurses as well as the authorization of the funding for the advancement of nursing degrees by grants and loans, will raise the standards of outcomes as well as lead to value-driven health care in the line of alleviating primary care shortage being experienced currently. This will generally translate to the provision of a cost effective healthcare especially in schools where most of the children qualify for medical assistance under the Medicaid plan. In most of these areas, the nurse practitioners are obviously more likely to treat patients as compared to physicians, this will go a long way in offering primary care in areas which still lack the primary care providers (Skinner, 2013).
References
Skinner, D. (2013). Defining Medical Necessity under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Public Administration Review, 73(s1), S49-S59.
Goodson, J. (2010). Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Promise and Peril for Primary Care. Annals Of Internal Medicine, 152(11), 742.
