The Nursing and Technology

Ways Comprehensive Virtual Care Helps Health Plans and Their Members Facing Complex Health Challenges However, due to restrictions placed on Medicare reimbursement for the use of telehealth treatment behavioral health components or chronic pain, chronic conditions,cancer and more, many patients who would benefit from the accessibility and convenience of telehealth options are unable to receive the treatment they so desperately need. In largely due to coverage, payments, and reimbursements, Building member-centric virtual services allows health plans to better serve their clients and plan members, in three ways: reduce expenses, improve outcomes,and Support payer-provider collaboration.

fierce healthcare,“ in the ever-growing efforts to reduce cost of healthcare treatment, this appears to be a great alternative to costly emergency visits .

This paper will address the benefits and disadvantages to using telehealth. This paper will also discuss the necessity of mastering various nurse informatics skills to properly prepare and present professional papers and the value of nursing informatics to advanced nursing practice. The Expanding of Telehealth is a major concern in regards to reimbursement. In an article “ Telehealth and the Law” reports the disadvantage of telehealth,that medicare will at this time will only reimburse telehealth services of members/patients that reside in rural or under service areas. There are currently fourteen states lacking telehealth parity laws that would allow for private insurance coverage allowing members to utilize telehealth services.

According to Sweeney (2018), writing in FierceHealthcare, Sweeney also notes that the current Medicare regulations limit the number of telehealth visits a patient can access and therefore unfairly targets reimbursement opportunities to rural telehealth providers. I mention the above article due to how it correlates with the article I chose from FierceHealthcare. The article “ Telehealth Evolves” both discuss telehealth in its positive effect it will have on patients and disease. The article (Telehealth Evolves) I chose in FierceHealthcare is particularly interesting to me, because I am currently in the family nurse practitioners (FNP) program. I will be working with all population with chronic conditions and I believe telehealth will be a great tool in aid in preventing exacerbation of diseases such as congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,and Diabetes,etc.

“Research shows clients prefer telehealth sessions because of its convenience and perceived increase in confidentiality”. The article discuss a scenario where a wealthy patient receives treatment by top doctors in their field by means of his dad collaborating with both specialist via technology. Telehealth would have the ability to provide this services to patients of every class by use of technology. Where doctors may communicate through telehealth without the patient having to flying to the practice of the specialist located out of state. Providing a better outcome for the patient,less billing for the insurance companies,and the convenience of the patient not having to take a leave of absence from work in order to attend this appointment. Providing telehealth outside rural and underserved areas is beneficial to all involved.

The article goes on in saying how these type of coordinated treatment will only improves members’ quality of life, by increasing their understanding in their diagnoses in turn building confidence allowing the patient to carry out their Plan of care. By medicare expanded coverage or laws pass allowing for private insurance to cover the cost of virtual approach, medical information and collaboration would be front and center. The downside to virtual approach or telehealth could be patients not being technically challenged, access to devices, funds to pay a month prescription for internet. In my belief I feel those are minor details to work out and provide when it comes to telehealth being successful. Nursing informatics skills are frequently used in all aspects of nursing, from clinical practice to data and records management.

I used nursing informatics skills in the development of this paper, though accessing educational libraries through the use of a computer and reaching other databases, research relevant issues. During the word processing of the final document I engaged in Nursing informatics. I am in amazement of the commonly viewing of the display on the computer screen is a nursing informatics skill. There are more advanced skills, such as determining the appropriate methods of collecting relevant information, navigating through numerous databases, carrying out searches through search engines, identifying material that is appropriate for direct quotation and evaluating the sources of information for validity, authenticity and scholarly merit, are all nursing informatics skills that are necessary to produce professional papers.

These skills are universal, not only do we use them for education purposes. We need them to perform the duties of advanced practice nursing in today’s technology-driven medical environment, which includes but not limited to,the use of telehealth and other electronic delivery of treatment to patients. The use of telehealth in this discipline creates numerous benefits to patients as well as providers, and the removal of restrictions such as payment,will open up new avenues of treatment alternatives to benefit patients with chronic condition and limited resources.

The increased usage of telehealth and other electronic and digital means facilitates the delivery of needed care to patients who otherwise might not be able to access facilities due to lack of transportation, lack of funds, lack of time off at work, other obstacles. “Virtual care helps competitive health plans to be more strategic in the market while facilitating high-quality care at a lower cost for members and clients.”. However, with this technology comes the need for the continuing education and training of practicing nurses in nursing informatics competencies so to effectively administer the treatment remotely. Finally, we must also ensure that the patient population is educated in the use of electronic and mobile devices so that the treatment is not only addressed, but is received and executed by the end user, the patient. 

Did you like this example?

569

30