Professional Capstone and Practicum Reflective Journal- Topic 8: Health Policy

 

Healthcare policies are important because they help establish guidelines that benefit the patients, organizations, and healthcare systems. Having these protocols in place will help to prevent human error and poor communication around medical decisions. For nurses and physicians, understanding and following policies can help ensure that the patients are given the best care. Healthcare providers will also use the policies to inform future policies and healthcare decisions. Patient and health care policies cover protocols and workflow for treatment procedures, outlining how healthcare professionals should respond to specific medical situations (Purba et al., 2018). Of course, policies need to be tailored to the care of the facility providers. As a result, each healthcare organization has different patient policies because of the differences in protocols. On the other hand, employee health policies are critical components of running an effective facility, as staff must be able to care for the patients safely while maintaining their well-being. These policies include rules around alcohol and substance consumption in the workplace.

For most families, healthcare takes up a huge portion of their budget. Policies should help reduce healthcare costs for these families and make care accessible, affordable, and high quality for all. In 2019, 92% of Americans had a certain form of healthcare coverage. A higher number of insured individuals has been the main focus of many policymakers (Purba et al., 2018). The affordable care act implemented in 2010 played a critical role in increasing the number of insured Americans. While the percentage of the uninsured has reduced, policymakers have diverging viewpoints on this issue. The main solutions include significantly reducing prescription drug prices and allowing policymakers to regulate healthcare prices.

References

Purba, F. D., Hunfeld, J. A., Fitriana, T. S., Iskandarsyah, A., Sadarjoen, S. S., Busschbach, J. J., & Passchier, J. (2018). Living in uncertainty due to floods and pollution: the health status and quality of life of people living on an unhealthy riverbank. BMC P

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