Hospital-acquired conditions (HAC)
Hospital-acquired conditions (HAC) are medical complications that arise while a patient is under treatment in a hospital that initially was not there during admission. There is no compensation to health institutions when treating such complications; this forces medical facilities to control the arising of any adverse medical condition to an individual. HACs result in additional costs due to an increase in the period in which one stays in hospital and the subsequent treatment. Additionally, these conditions are not paid for by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, thus forcing hospitals to encounter more expenses. Examples of Hospital Acquired Conditions are those complications caused by an object left in the body after surgery such as fistula.
Foreign objects like sponges, needles, and scalpels, if left inside a patient after surgery or delivery of a baby in case of the cesarean section, can cause severe damage to body organs. Such as blood vessels and even cause problems in the digestive system as a result of puncture of intestine walls. Injuries might lead to a severe health problem that may also lead to death if the damage. Primary retained objects include sponges, towels scissors, and much other surgical staff use during the surgical procedure (Jaspen,2008).
The economic impact of Hospital-acquired conditions.
They lead to financial challenges on the health care system due to additional Medicare payments resulting from initial hospitalization and subsequent healthcare encounters. These conditions create a financial burden to Medicare because the policy which denies payment to medical services attributed to Hospital-acquired infections. The increased length that one stay in the hospital in case of a medical complication during a conventional surgery or a cesarean section is an additional expense as the patient needs some essential services and other treatment.
How the center of Medicare and Medicaid service non-payment policy impact provision for providing cost-effective care.
Good
communication and multidisciplinary teamwork can enable health organizations to achieve cost-effective care. It allows management to control costs in daily care, for example, the use of drugs, management of circumstances, and avoiding unnecessary expenses. This policy has changed how the nurses work in health organizations, more especially in increasing the implementation of fall prevention measures through different methods such as the use of bed alarms (Shorr,2012). Further, CMS policy contributes to a substantial reduction in the amounts of hospital-acquired infections like catheter-related urinary tract contagions and central line-linked circulation contaminations (Waters et al., 2015).
An evidence-based policy that supports the reduction of HAC and how the APRN can promote it
Hospital-acquired conditions are preventable. For instance, a complication that results from an object left inside a patient can be avoided by identifying a correct starting point sum of items before an operation, reducing interruptions throughout surgery, item count, locating besides retrieving missing items, and systematic wound exploration. APRNs are assumed to be competent clinicians upon graduation, they can promote the reduction of HACs by being responsible for their actions, and towards a patient, the corresponding authorizing board and the nursing organization. Additionally, it’s their duty to asses and treats the sick in their boundaries of lawfully authorized choice of practice.
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Shalit, N., 2016. Healthcare-associated infections in Australia: is it time for national surveillance?. Australian Health Review, 40(4), p.475
Shalit, N. (2016). Healthcare-associated infections in Australia: is it time for national surveillance?. Australian Health Review, 40(4), 475. DOI: 10.1071/ah15163