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cost and quality analysis

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Cost and Quality Analysis: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality & Commonwealth Fund Paul Hamel Grand Canyon University: NUR 508 Dr. Forester February 27, 2013 Presently, cost and quality in health care are both indicators that are benchmarked in determining best healthcare practice. Two organizations both work towards meeting these objectives in healthcare, The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a public agency and the Commonwealth Fund, a private agency. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) was formed under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989 (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2012). This public agency operates by setting up four …show more content…

For example, the AHRQ’s program design of Team STEPPS requires a nurse to voice their concern if they see a potential error in patient care. After the concern is voiced, then the team must stop patient care and address the concern (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2012). Many hospitals after implementing this program have tremendously improved patient safety within their organization. Also, nurses and advanced practice nurses will need to be familiar and comfortable with documenting their patient care electronically in computers due to AHRQ’s initiatives on Health Information Technology, which mandates all hospitals to merge into electronic patient care records (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2012). This process will promote patient centered care by allowing providers to easily transfer patient records between one another. The Commonwealth Fund will also impact daily patient care for nurses. The formation of the State Action on Avoidable Rehospitalizations (STAAR) program, mandates a nurse will need to provide verbal and written discharge instructions along with a new reconciled medication list for patients. Also, nurses are required to follow-up with patients after hospital discharge, which has prevented numerous hospital readmissions (Commonwealth Fund, 2012). Also, nurses and advanced practice nurses will have to perform quality nursing care based on new processes based off of evidenced base practices from high performing

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