An Analysis of Restructuring USA Healthcare and Nursing's Impact

This report provides an overview of the restructuring of the USA healthcare system, focusing on the initiatives taken since the 1980s to reduce disease prevalence, improve patient safety, and manage healthcare expenditures. It highlights the crucial role of nurses as frontline healthcare professionals in this process, discussing the impact of technological advances, regulatory changes like the Affordable Care Act, and financial structuring. The report analyzes the influence of federal regulations, quality measures, and pay-for-performance systems on nursing responsibilities and practice. Furthermore, it explores the importance of leadership and management in promoting patient safety and quality care, as well as two emerging nursing roles: data analytics and legal consultancy. The conclusion emphasizes the ongoing need for healthcare leaders and nurses to drive improvements in patient care and outcomes.

Running head: RESTRUCTURING USA HEALTH CARE
RESTRUCTURING USA HEALTH CARE
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RESTRUCTURING USA HEALTH CARE
Introduction:
The restructuring of the US healthcare system is one of the common phenomenon since
the 1980s which not only reduced the high prevalence of disease and patient safety issues but
also reduced the high expenditure of health care sector (Smith, Bagchi-Sen & Edmunds, 2016).
Being front line health professionals, nurses play a crucial role in restructuring the health care
sector. This paper aimed to discuss the actions taken for restructuring the health care sector and
the role of nursing in restructuring in the following paragraphs.
Discussion:
Over the last decade, health care sectors in hospitals have restructured the care delivery
in terms of the development of major technological advances, regulatory changes along with
financial structuring. The major initiatives that have been taken by health sector for restructuring
the health care include structuring outpatient facilities into a wide range of services, imposing
federal laws for quality improvement, providing quality improvement training, installing
advanced technological equipment’s for diagnosis and monitoring the workflow (Burke, Ng &
Wolpin, 2015). Nurses play a crucial role in restructuring the health care sector as they are the
pillars of the health care sector who shapes the quality and safety of the care through improving
their practice.
Federal regulation and impact on the role of nurses:
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is one such federal regulation
introduced for restructuring the health care which aimed to provide numerous rights and

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protection. It facilitate fair health coverage and quality health care delivery to the patient for
reducing the gap in health equity (Sommers et al., 2016). It impacts the responsibility as nurses
are main provider of the health care and they must realize that they are required to provide care
to the patient despite the race, gender and ethnicity. Under this legislative section, nurses can
advocate for the patient who belong to under privilege area.
Impact of Quality measure and pay for performance on health care:
The quality measures and pay for performance prioritize quality over quantity of health
care. Hence, it impacts the patient outcome positively as it redirects fund to encourage best
clinical practice where professionals receive monitory benefits in exchange of best clinical
practice and quality measurement help to identify the gap in clinical practice (Frean, Gruber &
Sommers, 2017). Consequently, these two factors are not only improving workflow but also
reducing the high prevalence of health conditions that are raised due to the discrepancy of the
health care practice.
These two factors impacted the nursing practice, expectations and responsibility since
quality measures assist nurses to identify the discrepancy in practice and increase awareness of
providing best clinical practice and pay for the performance of the nurses assist nurses to gain
monitory benefit in exchange of providing best possible care through the development of unique
professional skills (Frean, Gruber & Sommers, 2017).
Role of leadership and management in emerging trends and patient safety and quality
care:

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Management, as well as leadership, are significant for the delivery of safe and responsive
health services. They are responsible for responding to all aspect of changes in health care which
include health care laws, policies, patient care, quality measures, and patient safety. Considering
the current aspect, Sommers et al. (2017), responding to emerging trends and in the promotion
of patient safety and quality care in diverse health care settings, managers and leaders are crucial
as they have a vision of what can be achieved for providing the best quality and safe services.
Effective Managers and leaders involve employees in effective communication and share their
vision with their employees for achieving these standards. Leaders and managers are able to
motivate people, bring their innovation through support and empowerment and able to negotiate
for resources so that they achieve the desired goal of patient safety and quality health care
services (Buchmueller et al., 2016). On the other hand, Williams (2015), highlighted that good
leaders and managers not only share their vision with their employees but also provide support,
resources, and training for the skills required for achieving patient safety, improve quality of care
along amending policies and infrastructure. Hence, they are crucial pillars in restricting health
care system of the United States.
Two emerging nursing role in next five years:
Factors for the transformation of the healthcare system in leadership include
disintegration, access problems, unsustainable costs and disparities. In order to restructure the
health care system for improving quality of care, nursing professionals are positioned to
contribute to the leading changes (Buchmueller et al., 2016). Two such nursing roles that would
be transformed within 5 years include the role of nurses in data analytics and legal consultancy.
Considering the first role, with the fast pacing health care restructuring, with the assistance of
proper skills, nurses would be able to analyze and manipulate large databases to the discovered

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pattern of the diseases which were previously done by technical experts. On the other hand,
considering the second role, within the next five year, with the assistance of specialized training,
nurses would be able to consult on medical-related legal cases (Buchmueller et al., 2016).
Conclusion:
The reformation of the US healthcare system reduced the high prevalence of disease and
patient safety issues. It also reduced the high expenditure of health care sector. Health care
leaders and nurses are required to take initiatives in this case for improving patient safety and
best quality of care.

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References:
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Affordable Care Act on racial and ethnic disparities in health insurance
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Frean, M., Gruber, J., & Sommers, B. D. (2017). Premium subsidies, the mandate, and Medicaid
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