Does the Public Want Health Care Reform?

According to a recent CNN poll, most Americans are not in favor of the current health care reform legislation and many do not want any reform. http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/01/26/poll.health.care/

However, one must question if those that claim to not want health care reform are well - informed in making that choice or are they simply afraid of what the change might be? Further, did those polled already have health insurance? Or were they among those without basic coverage -- that certainly would influence how critical one views the issue of health care reform.

I believe that without some type of reform, we will be unable to maintain our current system. It is unlikely that Medicare can be sustained in the coming decades without reform -- as the Baby Boomers enter the Medicare system in droves, costs will continue to rise -- potentially to levels to high to finance.

Are Nurse Patient Ratios The Answer?

As you can see in the linked article, the number of patient a nurse cares for at a given time is an important factor in patient safety, quality and overall patient outcomes. Numerous studies have demonstrated that nursing levels, in particular the number of registered nurses, are critical indicators in preventing various complications, decreasing length of stay and decreasing mortality. However, there is no good answer as to what is the right number of patients for each nurse. So much depends on the acuity, or overall illness/intensity of care, of a given patient. Thus, simply applying set ratios, such as 1 nurse for every 5 patients is inadequate to fully address the myraid of issues.

In PA, the PA State Nurses Association has introduced safe staffing legislation that calls for each organization to establish staffing patterns that are appropriate to the particular facility -- and staff nurses must be involved in the decision making. Rather than looking to mandated ratios, the PSNA bill calls for acuity, staffing experience, skill mix and more to be considered.

As the article at the attached link describes, sometime set ratios are also a limiter -- for example the ratio of one nurse to every four patients in Emergency Rooms. While a good rule to follow, there are certainly times when a nurse could accomodate an additional patient, thus decreasing ER waiting. However, in order for a more flexible system to work, all parties must be reasonable and have a voice!

http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/page-1/NRS-245408/Does-Mandating-NursePatient-Ratios-Improve-Care

Top Ten Healthcare Issues for 2010

According to a recent report, efforts to decrease healthcare costs, enact healthcare reform, improvements in information technology, great focus on community health, not just individual health, better public health preparation are among the top 10 healthcare issues for 2010. Also in the top 10 are continued increases in physcians joining existing hospital organzations rather than having private community based practices, as well as continued focus on decreased insurance fraud and abuse. Read more at the following link:

http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/healthcare-it-among-pwcs-list-top-10-healthcare-issues-2010