Nurses play an essential role in reducing the cost of healthcare overall while ensuring that a high level of care is provided for every patient who enters their healthcare facility. With a large population of aging adults and more people living longer with chronic conditions, reducing healthcare costs is very important for the future of many people.
Here are some ways advanced care nurses are taking on these challenges.
Faster and more accurate diagnosis
When a patient comes into practice with a health issue, it is essential that they get a fast and accurate diagnosis. Nurses in advanced practice roles have more experience and education to draw on when they are interacting with patients. Knowing the right questions to ask patients is essential, but the actual experience is different. An experienced nurse can more easily assess and diagnose a patient. Over years of practice, nurses come to understand the symptoms of the most common complaints and illnesses. If an initial diagnosis is uncertain, they know what type of specialists and tests to collaborate with in order to confirm a diagnosis or explore symptoms further to get to the root of the problem quickly.
The faster and more accurate a diagnosis is, the faster a patient can begin the treatment protocols needed to heal, recover, or learn to cope with a chronic condition. Faster diagnosis can prevent a condition from worsening – thus reducing the cost of treatment. An accurate diagnosis assures patients that they are getting a high level of very experienced care at every visit.
Evidence-based care practices
Nurses use a lot of different methods to treat conditions and disorders. Treating the whole person is an increasingly popular method of evidence-based care. While advanced medical treatments, medications, surgeries, and more may all be utilized, ensuring that a patient’s mental and spiritual health is considered is also essential. Patients’ lifestyle habits should always be considered in a treatment plan. Sometimes, symptoms can be managed more readily or even eliminated with lifestyle changes. This often includes making changes in diet and exercise routines.
A good example is a patient with high blood pressure and diabetes. A managed diet may be able to significantly reduce or eliminate the need for diabetes medications in those who have non-insulin-dependent diabetes. Blood pressure can be reduced with weight loss, good eating habits, and adequate exercise. On top of that, these changes can often improve mental health and morale, an essential factor to consider when anyone is dealing with a health issue.
Of course, the most important thing is that nurses provide treatments and suggestions based on accurate professional research. Many advanced care practices are pivotal in the study and collaboration that goes into researching and implementing advances in medical care.
Research essential in reducing cost and improving quality of care
Many advanced care nurses conduct and contribute to medical research outside of their clinical hours. It is common for nurses to teach university-level classes and conduct research after they earn an advanced degree and gain a lot of experience.
Research is how we get new treatments and medications that can help people with a wide range of conditions. Thanks to constant research and advancements in treatments and medications, some diseases can be cured that once were typically fatal. Modern antibiotics are perhaps one of the biggest examples of miraculous medications that have saved countless lives from being lost due to conditions we consider very minor in modern society.
Better treatments and medications also reduce the cost of healthcare because they can reduce how long it takes to treat or cure someone. Even if a medication is initially expensive, if it reduces the length of an illness, it can still save a lot of money and time away from jobs.
Preventative care reduces health care costs
There is a good argument for never missing preventative healthcare appointments or routine screenings and tests. As we age, our healthcare needs change, and the need for preventative care visits and tests increases. Unfortunately, a lot of people are not in the habit of going to their primary care provider for visits that they don’t consider 100% necessary. In short, a lot of people only go to the doctor if they are sick, hurt, or need medications refilled that require a visit.
While more people have health insurance that covers preventative care, one of the hurdles is finding a care provider if they do not already have one. By earning an advanced degree, nurses can fill the gap in the shortage of primary care providers and take care of a lot of routine visits and preventative health screenings. In fact one of the many upcoming future trends in nursing is that more nurses are expected to earn degrees that enable them to become fully licensed nurse practitioners. Carson-Newman University offers nurse practitioner degree programs that can be completed online. Programs are available for those that currently hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree and an unencumbered RN license.
By catching conditions before they become advanced, the cost and length of treatment can be significantly reduced. Patients can reduce the need for time away from work or school. Many health concerns can be treated and eliminated without a major change in quality of life if patients keep up with preventative care visits. Nurses have a duty to make sure patients are aware that preventative care is covered by their insurance provider or, at the very least, of the reduced cost. Practically all health insurance companies have decided to include preventative care visits because it reduces their costs.
Reducing costs without quality of care
With healthcare costs on the rise and an ongoing shortage of healthcare providers, reducing costs without impacting care is going to be a challenge. Better organization, telehealth, research, and increased use of preventative care visits will all help advanced care practices meet this challenge and help patients have a better quality of life.
