Healthcare Regulations and Excellence Programs

This flashcard set covers the key concepts of healthcare reforms, state navigation, accreditation agencies, nursing excellence programs, and tools for measuring patient satisfaction as detailed in the lecture.

Affordable Care Act (ACA)

A law enacted in 2010 intended to improve health care quality while lowering costs, expanding Medicaid eligibility, and focusing on disease prevention.

ACA Marketplace

The health exchange platform that individuals, families, and businesses use to obtain ACA subsidized insurance.

American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act

Implemented in 2021 by the Biden-Harris administration to strengthen the ACA by lowering health care premiums and closing the gap in Medicaid coverage.

State Board of Nursing (BON)

A state government office that determines eligibility requirements, issues licenses, governs policies, and reviews disciplinary cases for all nurses (PNs, RNs, and APRNs).

National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)

A nonprofit organization that offers guidance to each state's BON through position statements and standards, and develops the licensing examinations for nurses.

Accreditation

A status assigned by an outside organization assuring that a healthcare facility has policies and procedures in place to maintain quality services and client safety.

The Joint Commission (TJC)

A nonprofit organization that accredits diverse health care settings and sends expert surveyors to perform accreditation visits valid for three years.

National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs)

Annually published standards by TJC based on current client safety issues specific to various care settings like hospitals or home care.

Sentinel Event

An adverse event that results in a client's death or harm that is determined to be permanent or severe, such as a wrong-site surgery or infant death.

National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)

An independent non-profit organization that focuses on improving healthcare through the development and administration of evidence-based standards for care plans and facilities.

American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)

An organization that supports nurses to improve client care through education, certifications, and professional designations like the Magnet and Pathway programs.

Magnet Recognition Program

A program recognizing healthcare organizations, primarily acute care facilities, that provide excellence in nursing based on five categories of excellence.

Structural Empowerment

One of the five Magnet categories involving administration empowering nurses to work with community and organizational entities to accomplish goals.

Exemplary Professional Practice

A Magnet category indicating that the nurse is not only safe in practice but also strives to apply new information and evidence-based practice (EBP).

Transformational Leadership

A Magnet category involving a visionary leadership team that leads the staff to learn and grow together while constantly questioning how to improve.

Empirical Outcomes

The 'report card' of a Magnet organization, showcasing data such as low nursing turnover, low mortality rates, and high patient satisfaction.

Pathway to Excellence Program

An ANCC designation for long-term or outpatient facilities that demonstrate a commitment to providing a healthy workplace and supportive environment for staff.

Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS)

A standardized, publicly reported tool used by acute care facilities to measure client satisfaction through 29 items administered 48 hours to 6 weeks post-discharge.

Press Ganey

A survey tool, often administered by a private third-party via email, designed to evaluate the client's perception of their experience in outpatient settings.