Affordable Care Act
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Signed into law by former President Barack Obama in 2010, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) contains community and public health-centred provisions to promote quality care and patient outcomes. Nurses are responsible for the implementation of the majority of these provisions and laws by working in, and with, the community, and in conjunction with other medical professionals. First, the act establishes community health centres and patient-centred medical homes in a bid to promote patient-centred medical care. In the health centres, nurses are tasked with managing multifaceted patient needs by using quality improvement procedures and available health information technology. In the medical homes, the nurses work with other medical professionals, such as pharmacists, nutritionists and social workers, to offer coordinated medical care using evidence-based practices. The homes work best for patients with conditions that are manageable from home, including some chronic diseases such as diabetes.
Secondly, the act establishes nurse-managed health centres whose central leadership is an advanced practice nurse. Here, nurses offer all-inclusive primary and wellness care to the underserved and vulnerable populations in the community. Federally Qualified Health Centres are almost similar to the nurse-managed centres as they require nurses to cater to underserved and vulnerable people in rural and urban communities. (American Nurses Association, 2014) Services in these facilities are offered by nurse practitioners, certified midwife nurses and visiting nurses. Moreover, ACA establishes The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Visiting Program, which focuses on pregnant women and families. Nurses implement this law by working with parents and children for up to 5 years after birth to ensure they develop physically, emotionally, mentally and socially. Nurses offer developmental assessments and inputs to parents, stimulate school readiness and aid in preventing child abuse and neglect.
References
American Nurses Association. (2014). Health Care Transformation: the Affordable Care Act and More. Nursing World.