Examine Changes Introduced to Reform or Restructure the U.S. Health Care Delivery System

Healthcare Delivery Models and Nursing
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Healthcare Delivery Models and Nursing
Question 1: Current or Emerging Health Care Law
The U.S healthcare system is under constant review with an aim to increase access to healthcare irrespective of one’s social status. The strong link between the healthcare system and politics means that any political changes are likely to affect healthcare. The proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is one of the examples of health care reform law that will have far reaching consequences for the poor majority. The ACA was enacted in March 2010 and is still regarded as one of the best healthcare trends. In December 2018, the Texas District Court ruled that the act was unconstitutional and hence should be repealed. The Trump administration and the justice department, which should be at the forefront of defending federal acts or statutes in courts opted to support the repeal clause. If the Supreme Court votes to repeal the act, close to 21 million Americans will lose their insurance cover.
These changes will have significant implications for the future of the nursing profession. These changes are occurring when the nursing profession is also undergoing rapid changes, nurses are being tasked with prominent roles in decision making and expected to assume leading roles in improvements. The changes are encouraging adoption of technology in the process and hence nurses will be expected to utilize the Internet of Things (IoT), which will allow nurses to use the nurses to use analytics and undertake. Therefore, the changes in the country’s healthcare system will lead to radical changes in the roles among the practitioners.
Question 2: Quality Measures and Pay for Performance
Quality measures and the pay for performance are initiatives in the healthcare sector that incentivize health service providers to observe the appropriate clinical guidelines. Pay for performance (P4P) creates a link between reimbursement and metric-driven outcomes. This approach improves patient outcomes by stressing on quality of care rather than quantity. It allows papers to redirect their funds to encourage better clinical practices and improve the health outcomes. The approach also improves patient outcomes through its focus on transparency through use of metrics. Consequently, organizations are compelled to protect and strengthen their reputations and also encourages accountability by the health service providers (Catalyst, 2018). Medical errors are some of the contributors to the poor health outcomes reported in the country. However, the pay for performance reduces such errors by making the providers to be more careful in handling patients and ensuring that only effective and efficient procedures are utilized.
As pay for performance continues to gain momentum, healthcare providers have had to reassess their organizational infrastructure and measures to enhance quality services. While the main focus of the pay for performance has been on physicians, the program has not focused on nurses. However, its impact on nursing is inevitable and nurse leaders will have to incorporate changes through education, documentation, team collaboration and patterns of ca...