Week 5 Discussion
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Week 5 Discussion
Several current trends issues play a part in my potential role as a family nurse practitioner. COVID-19, Medicare reimbursements, and RN autonomy are the main three issues that concern me the most. The first topic to discuss is COVID-19, which is now the most prominent and critical. This catastrophic pandemic has changed the face of healthcare and how we work under the restrictions of a national lockdown. How FNPs work with patients and plan visits is one of the most significant shifts. Many doctors are only practicing telehealth consultations for their patients, minimizing their susceptibility to the infection. As FNPs, we see this as a valuable scheme, but it is still a path of healthcare that lacks human involvement and may lead to worse health outcomes in the coming years. I am a firm believer in the direct contact that exists in a formal healthcare environment and our capacity as clinicians to treat our clients physically and give them the dignity and compassion they need. We always do some stuff in the workplace that we would not likely do over the online platform. Numerous doctors would not recommend something high-risk through telehealth. For sensible measure: we lose the leverage of our patients’ conditions because we cannot pinpoint the whole picture one-on-one and validate the necessity for medical treatments (Dorsey & Topol, 2016).
The subject of Medicare reimbursements and the coverage gap between NPs and is another current issue. The Medicare payment rate for a registered nurse appointment is 85 percent benefit reimbursement of medical physicians reimbursable at 100 percent compensation (MPAC, 2019). This ensures that with any person I care for, I will be paid 85 percent of what a doctor will be paid by Medicare. Generally, this does not appear to be a significant concern since we are still paid, however as we consider the nature of the treatment given, it is unreasonable to consider our operation and services to be less important monetary terms than those of physicians. In certain ways, we encounter the same kinds of patients and develop the same treatment strategies, saving Medicare resources in the long run. One aspect of the issue is that your practice can just fail to embrace Medicare; however, the other aspect shows how more people will be served when Medicare is accepted as a coverage choice. Both aspects eventually restrict an NP’s earnings, however as FNPs, our responsibility is to represent our families regarding well-being and access to healthcare. Therefore reimbursement may not be our primary consideration when deciding whether or not to register under Medicare. With the rising number of FNPs in care, I believe this is an issue that will be solved with time.
Lastly, the status in FNPs’ autonomy of practice in Minnesota is a current issue that could change the way I practice. Registered nurses in Minnesota have complete practice autonomy, which means they can provide healthcare to patients in any surrounding, even their own private clinics, considering their license is valid, unfettered, and current (Goolsby & DuBois, 2017). This degree of practice autonomy characterizes my vision and conforms to my ambition of opening my own privately family-run facility in Minnesota. I have long been interested in family practice and the value of managing people through their lives to achieve good health at all times. I believe getting a client base that comes back for your services, and they value your judgment and advancement in managing their healthcare for the best possible outcomes, is essential. Several states have different types of nurse practitioner autonomy requirements, rendering Minnesota one of the most flexible and lenient states in terms of including such a significant degree of autonomy and because of this, realizing my ambition is entirely feasible in Minnesota.
References
Dorsey, E. R., & Topol, E. J. (2016). State of telehealth. New England Journal of Medicine, 375(2), 154-161.
Goolsby, M. J., & DuBois, J. C. (2017). Professional organization membership: Advancing the nurse practitioner role. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 29(8), 434-440.