Many of the available consumer-driven healthcare plans (whether they are spending-account or tiered-model plans) are now categorized as high-deductible health plans. These plans are currently the fastest growing plan options on the market, growing over 25% in the past decade. Although they are low in cost, members’ willingness to access care in a high-deductible environment have brought about valid quality of care and access to care concerns.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a high-deductible/consumer-driven health plan? How would you best explain these points to your employees if your organization were changing to this type of coverage? Explain these items in a 200-word peer-reviewed source supported analysis (vs. posting opinions). Remember to use in-text citations in your post.

Your posts will be graded on how well they meet the Discussion Requirements posted in the “Before You Begin” section”. Please review this section, as well as the discussion scoring rubric.

  

Week 4 End of Life 

Hi class,

End of life issues. 

With our aging population living longer with, in many cases, multiple chronic diseases, it is important we feel confident identifying and addressing end of life challenges and expectations.

Choose 1 focal point from each subcategory of practice, education, research and administration and describe how the APRN can provide effective care in end of life management, using the American nurses association position statement, recommendations for improvement in end of life management focuses on practice, education, research and administration. Listed below are steps that nurses can take to overcome barriers in healthcare practice.

Practice

1. Strive to attain a standard of primary palliative care so that all health care providers have basic knowledge of palliative nursing to improve the care of patients and families.

2. All nurses will have basic skills in recognizing and managing symptoms, including pain, dyspnea, nausea, constipation, and others.

3. Nurses will be comfortable having discussions about death and will collaborate with the care teams to ensure that patients and families have current and accurate information about the possibility or probability of a patient’s impending death.

4. Encourage patient and family participation in health care decision-making, including the use of advance directives in which both patient preferences and surrogates are identified.

Education

1. Those who practice in secondary or tertiary palliative care will have specialist education and certification.

2. Institutions and schools of nursing will integrate precepts of primary palliative care into curricula.

3. Basic and specialist End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) resources will be available.

4. Advocate for additional education in academic programs and work settings related to palliative care, including symptom management, supported decision-making, and end-of-life care, focusing on patients and families.

Research

1. Increase the integration of evidence-based care across the dimensions of end-of-life care.

2. Develop best practices for quality care across the dimensions of end-of-life care, including the physical, psychological, spiritual, and interpersonal.

3. Support the use of evidence-based and ethical care, and support decision-making for care at the end of life.

4. Develop best practices to measure the quality and effectiveness of the counseling and interdisciplinary care patients and families receive regarding end-of-life decision-making and treatments.

5. Support research that examines the relationship of patient and family satisfaction and their utilization of health care resources in end-of-life care choices.

Administration

1. Promote work environments in which the standards for excellent care extend through the patient’s death and into post-death care for families.

2. Encourage facilities and institutions to support the clinical competence and professional development that will help nurses provide excellent, dignified, and compassionate end-of-life care.

3. Work toward a standard of palliative care available to patients and families from the time of diagnosis of a serious illness or an injury.

4. Support the development and integration of palliative care services for all in- and outpatients and their families.

Note por the professor:

Hello class,

Please refer to your APA format in your postings. The journal name and volume is italicized font. Ex.

…The American Nursing Journal,7(9),,,,

Please update your APA to reflect doi or retrieved point, Refer to your APA manual, include the doi or retrieved from ..