Cost and quality analysis in service delivery

¶ … Quality Analysis

Healthcare Quality and Cost

Despite the fact that there is a comprehensive policy agreement that both cost control and quality enhancement are vital, the relationship between health care costs and quality is one of contention in debates in health care policy. One conceivable aspect is that enhancement in quality necessitates infusion of investments or on the contrary, reductions on cost could diminish quality. On the other hand, improvements in quality could decrease costs by diminishing intricacies or healthcare facility readmissions. As a matter of fact, the relationship between cost and quality possibly lies between these two ends, so that some kinds on health care costs are linked with high quality and others with poor quality. The impact is reliant on the areas the funds are expensed (Hussey et al., 2013).

Select one public agency and one private agency and differentiate their roles and major activities in addressing cost and quality in health care

A public health agency in the United States is the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. On the other hand, a private agency in the nation considered in this essay is Center for Health Care Strategies, Inc. These two agencies play different roles and undertake dissimilar activities in addressing cost and quality in health care. Center for health care Strategies, Inc. (CHCS) plays an impartial convening role, connecting federal agencies and state programs to come up with solutions for policy and execution challenges and deliver the best returns on public investments. The work undertaken by this agency is to lay emphasis on bringing partners together, and building capacity and agreement to render the highest quality care in the lowest cost possible. The activities undertaken by CHCS consist of cooperative learning and technical assistance, leadership and capacity building, state technical assistance and best practice dissemination (Center for Health care Strategies, 2016).

On the other hand, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are included in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The role of CMS in the greater health care setting has been largely propagated beyond the customary role of undertaking the Medicare, Medicaid and Children's health Insurance programs (CHIP). The Affordable care Act (ACA) is intended to increase accessibility to affordable health care and make the health care system of the United States to be more results oriented and cost effective. In turn, ACA necessitates that CMS work in tandem with various states to institute Health Insurance Marketplaces, propagate Medicaid, and regulate private health insurance plans (CMS, 2013). CMS takes the responsibility to lead the healthcare industry in the provision of high quality care and better health at decreased costs through enhancement to healthcare for all Americans. The activities undertaken by the public health agencies include placing more focus on its ongoing endeavors in program integrity, health care invention and health variances reduction, together with the institution of Affordable Insurance Marketplaces (CMS, 2013).

Analyze current and projected initiatives to improve quality while simultaneously controlling costs. Describe any unintended consequences

Contemporarily prevailing and projected initiatives aim to not only improve the level of quality in healthcare but also control costs. One of the initiatives is developing quality indicators, which are deemed to be fitting measures for monitoring and evaluating the quality of services provided to beneficiaries in various facilities. Another initiative is to institute performance based and results-oriented settings and thereby realize strategic objectives of performance measure, and report the accomplishments attainment. With regard to evidence-based practice, the implications for staff nurses and advanced practice nurses encompasses education and attaining core competencies. The desired outcome is to ensure enhanced patient health outcomes. What is more, there is the initiative to maximize the systematic engagement of patients and their families and increasing the accessibility level. One of the unintended consequences of the prevailing and projected initiatives is that with the increase in the level of quality of healthcare, there is also a rise in the costs incurred by the beneficiaries (CMS, 2013). Another unintended consequence encompasses restricted resources and tools accessible for healthcare facilities and staff nurses, for instance budgetary investment in evidence-based practice. The overall implication is the need for better coordination between organizational policies with the new evidence-based practice policies.

Synthesize implications for staff nurses and advanced practice nurses, including evidence-based practice, relative to cost and quality