Ethical and Policy Factors in Care Coordination
FPX 4050: Coordinating Patient-Centered Care
Slide 1:
Hello everyone, I am []. Today, I will discuss various ethical policy factors related to care coordination within the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA). This presentation focuses on developing a care coordination plan to improve government policies, ethical viewpoints, and the roles of medical and paramedical staff, including nurses, in GLMA policies.
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Factors of Health Policy in Care Coordination
A care coordination plan is a detailed health care plan put in place to address the health needs of an individual or a group of people (Karam et al., 2021). While formulating a healthcare policy for care coordination, the following factors need to be taken into account. This policy purviews aspects such as education and training of healthcare professionals, ethical standards, relations between professions, questions of privacy and confidentiality, consensus obtaining, and healthcare equality and availability.
It is also necessary to pay attention to the various prejudices concerning gender orientation, diseases, and other factors. It is crucial to raise awareness among the public on how to incorporate these health factors to promote inclusive health care.
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Governmental Policies Affecting ANA
There are government policies, which serve as useful frameworks for coordinating health systems throughout the country. The American Nurses Association (ANA), which produces the key documents outlining the scope of nursing practice, is impacted by these governmental policies (Copeland, 2020). Obamacare is a massive healthcare policy that brought changes to the US
healthcare system, it is also referred to as the ACA. Its implementation is especially relevant for the ANA in terms of care coordination (Béland et al., 2023). In this context, ACA aims at offering financial assistance, better plans, preventive care, and interventions for enhancing the patient outcome.
In addition, it is important to note the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) that aims to protect the privacy of patients’ information (Oyeleye, 2021). It controls the flow of information between the healthcare professionals and prevents the leakage of information that is not supposed to be disclosed. These regulations should be followed to ensure that nursing staff respects and upholds the dignity of their patients.
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Examples of Policies Affecting the Organization
Medicare and Medicaid policies affect communication and coordination of care; this pertains to the initiatives of the ANA to improve patient care (Donohue et al., 2022). ANA’s efforts towards enhancing education programs for nurses go a long way in enhancing the two programs leading to Medicare and Medicaid hence positive patient care and satisfaction.
The use of HIT has come into focus with the developments in information technology. Likewise, Electronic Health Records have emerged as an effective means of safely documenting patients’ health information and only sharing when necessary (Ali et al., 2023). To the ANA, adopting these digital systems could help improve the healthcare system since it pushes for the improvement of nursing practice and care coordination.
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Local, State and National Policies that Raise the Ethical Dilemmas
Policies at local and national levels may sometimes give rise to ethical issues or questions especially within the ANA. Solving these issues is the only way, with which the ethical problems can be solved.
National Policy Provisions
Some of the national policies can implement some ethical issues to healthcare in relation to coordination. For instance, the EMTLA requires hospitals and other healthcare facilities to offer emergency services to all patients irrespective of their financial status (Warby & Borger, 2020). Although this provision is a positive step towards enhancing patient care and outcomes, it has to give merit to resource management. Reduced funding capability engulfs ethical implications and moral imperative to fairly allocate available funds. The ANA has to fill this void by trying to be ethical while being practical at the same time.
State Policy Provisions
There are several policy provisions in the states that affect the care coordination policies of the ANA. Several states have what is referred to as the Certificate of Need (CON) that must be obtained before expanding their services (Conover & Bailey, 2020). While this provision seeks to reduce costs and promote efficiency in the delivery of health care services, it also contributes to health care rationing. It remains the responsibility of care coordinators and health authorities at the ANA to normalize cases of high costs without compromising patient accessibility to these healthcare facilities.
Local Policy Provisions
Local land use regulations may therefore have an impact on the accessibility of healthcare facilities and services. The ANA needs to set guidelines on how it will allow community access to its healthcare facilities given the geographical restrictions. Some tasks set by local public health centers may involve offering care management to particular populations, and this raises issues of distributive justice. Consequently, any changes or new policies related to resources or QPP must consider cost-control and quality patient care within the ANA.
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Consequences and Implications of Special Policy Provisions
While healthcare policies are developed for the purpose of optimizing care management and the health status of patients, certain policies may have further consequences and implications. For example, the Certificate of Need (CON) seeks to reduce the healthcare cost even as it addresses appropriate care integration (Conover & Bailey, 2020). However, it may lead to restricted opportunities to access healthcare facilities for patients. Likewise, the EMTALA makes sure that all patients, regardless of their ability to pay, receive emergency services and stabilization, which is costly to the healthcare system (Shenoy et al., 2022).
Therefore, it falls on health care providers and the ANA to strike a balance on the efficiency of care coordination and the financial capability of the health care system. This balance is important in order to keep both the access to care as well as the viability of the healthcare sector.
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Effect of Nurses Code of Ethics on care Coordination and Continuum
The nursing staff has an important role in determining the Medical ethic because they are the communicating link between the health care providers and patients or families of the patients. Both patient and fellow health care professionals interact with nurses who continuously engage in patient care activities. The Code of Ethics for Nurses developed by the American Nurses Association (ANA) provides framework of ethical practice (Haddad & Geiger, 2023). This code is based on four core principles: The four principles of medical ethics include beneficence (offer the maximum care and benefits to the patient), non-maleficence (avoid causing harm to the patient), autonomy (recognize the patient’s permission regarding treatment), and justice (deliver impartial care services).
In the context of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA), the nursing code of ethics emphasizes non-discriminatory care and inclusivity (Ortelli, 2020). Health care providers especially the nurses must embrace diversity and equally provide services for all the population groups including the marginalized LGBTQ+ population without prejudice. They have to do away with discrimination and stigmatization of sexual orientation to ensure the safety of health care for everyone. Further, the LGBTQ+ nurses should understand and embrace everyone as a person with equal rights and privileges regardless of the person’s gender, sex, community, economic status, color, race, or religion, and offer quality services where necessary without discrimination. Nurses should heed these guidelines to follow the ANA and GLMA ethical standards and equality across the healthcare industry.
The Code of Ethics for Nurses also states that nurses should respect, be fair and advocate for all patients, especially those of the LGBTQ. LGBTQ persons must be respected by the nurses and should not discriminate against them while observing the patient’s rights and privacy of their sexuality and gender. Cultural competence is essential because nurses have to consider and approach the health care needs of the clients in this group. This means understanding and being responsive to the concerns that gay people may have in the health care setting.
Advocacy is also an element as nurses should endorse policies on equal healthcare access and fight against disparities in the LGBTQ population. LGBTQ health issues should be an ongoing learning process to provide quality care and nurses should work closely with other members in healthcare to provide quality and accepting care. Thus, by following these ethical principles, nurses contribute to the creation of a perceptive healthcare culture for LGBTQ patients.
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Factors Contributing to Health Disparities and Health Access
The following are some of the main factors that have been identified to help in influencing health disparities that affect the healthcare rights of members of the LGBTQ community. ANA has the significant role of promoting policies that aim at improving regulations in order to reduce these disparities. First, patients’ unawareness and providers’ unawareness leading to the concept of cultural unawareness may lead to challenges in accessing adequate treatment. This is so because traditional societal beliefs may demoralize an individual from seeking treatment hence leading to poor health. These legal restrains include aspects such as non-recognition of gay marriages means limited access to health insurance and family benefits. This is compounded by structural factors within the LGBTQ community that contribute to economic precarity, which in turn hinders many
from being able to afford adequate medical care. Stress and depression results from prejudice and discrimination and there is a high level of unmet need for psychological services because the majority of the LGBTQ people cannot afford professional psychological services. Also, inadequate information is provided to health facilities concerning the special health needs of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) and may be discriminated against or even ignored. Lack of culturally appropriate workplaces also affects the LGBTQ patients and they may not find a place in health care facilities. Thus, different social, economic, and systemic factors influence the health disparities of the LGBTQ population, which underlines the relevance of appropriate policies and best practices promotion within healthcare systems.
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Social Determinants of Health in Healthy People 2020
The Social Determinants of Health are vital in the development of the American Nurses Association’s (ANA) policies towards better care coordination, especially for the LGBTQ+ population. Such determinants, described in Healthy People Goals for 2020 and promoted by the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA), identify components impacting the health of LGBTQ+ people.
According to GLMA, it is crucial to pay attention to these factors to improve the communities’ health. These are fighting prejudice involving the LGBTQ+ population, offering counseling and mental health assistance, providing employment and social inclusion, and addressing inequality within the community. Thus, by identifying such social determinants of health, the ANA will be in a better position to formulate better policies that will enhance healthcare and general health of the clients belonging to the LGBTQ+.
Slide 11
Evidence Supporting Conclusion
Analyzing the major social determinants of health for the LGBTQ+ population gives some crucial findings and concerns. According to (Robinson, 2024), Arkansas, Texas, Tennessee, and Oklahoma banned gender-affirming healthcare as a form of discrimination; therefore, the policies must be changed to make healthcare accessible. According to research, there exists a relationship between the health care provider education and the attitude towards the LGBTQ+ people, thus the need to enhance provider knowledge to deliver the desired patient treatment (Wahlen et al., 2020).
Furthermore, Heiderscheit et al. (2022) noted that LGBTQ+ surgery residents are harassed during their training, stressing the importance of enhancing tolerance in programs. Similarly, R points to the knowledge deficits that nursing students learn due to a lack of preparation to meet the needs of the LGBTQ+ community (Ryan Michael Oducado, 2023). Addressing these challenges requires policies improvement, right health promotion and the development of the friendly healthcare services for the LGBTQ+ people. They will enable the healthcare systems to better meet the healthcare needs and enhance the health of the LGBTQ+ community.
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It is crucial to increase the literacy level of the common population and the specific segments of the population belonging to the LGBTQ+ community to minimize social injustice (Leung et al., 2022). It is equally important that healthcare staff should have sufficient knowledge on how to address patients’ needs regardless their origin. The needy groups should be provided with better health insurance and there should be no discrimination in access to health care. This involves accessibility of professional therapy and support groups to boost mental health, incorporation of diversity and unity within the society. This is why paying much attention to
education, health care, and support; society can endeavor to close the gaps and create a place where the people of color would feel at home.
Slide 13:
Ethical and Policy Issues Affecting the Care Coordination
All the ethical and policy challenges regarding the coordination of care can be met by an ethical and balanced approach that has been developed by ANA. This balance entails equitable resource allocation alongside quality service delivery that respects the rights and dignity of the patients. In this regard, the HIPAA is quite relevant since it plays the role of contributing to patient’s privacy and his or her confidentiality. HIPAA’s privacy rule can bar discrimination and privacy invasions of HIV positive clients including their sexual orientation and gender identity. Additionally, adopting technological services like Health Information Technology (HIT) and Electronic Health Records (EHR) enhances patient satisfaction and the intellect of healthcare institutions (Okolo et al., 2024).
The ethical considerations in policies developed by such organizations as the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association also contribute a lot in the consideration of the race, ethnicity, religion and socio economic status of the heterosexual and the lesbian community. As is the case with LGBTQ+ concerns, it is also essential to increase the knowledge of healthcare staff; however, other aspects of society should not be neglected. The goals of decisions regarding the distribution of resources must include the needs of the identified minority, namely the LGBTQ+, as well as the rest of the population in terms of health. Collection of pertinent information continues to be critical in effecting healthcare related decisions while at the same time addressing community level data collection without infringing on the human rights of the individuals.
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Conclusion
Indeed, GLMA, which focuses on the representation and advocacy for the LGBTQ+ population in policy and practice, engages in communications with healthcare boards to champion the legislation that aims at eliminating disparities and improving patient-centered care. On the other hand, ANA engages in the formulation of the nursing care policies as well as engaging in the formulation of the health care policies to enable the appropriate and adequate health care needs of the members of the LGBTQ+ community. Collectively, they advocate for proper policies to guard the health and rights of vulnerable populations and advocate for the creation of a more progressive approach to medicine on various levels of interaction.
References
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