FNPN New Year Message to All Florida NPs

FNPN would like to take this opportunity on the very last day of the year to wish you all much success in 2013!

 

2012 proved to be a very positive year for health care and health policy changes. The Affordable Care Act was challenged and confirmed as constitutional by the Supreme Court last June making way for new programs and hopefully soon better patient outcomes. We also foresee nationwide, the role of NPs will strengthen.

 

By the end of 2012, most of your practices have adopted some sort of EMR making computerized patient medical records the norm and paper charts a thing of the past! With the expectation that health IT will improve overall efficiency, we all know the start up can be time consuming and frustrating! But once in place, this orientation period is soon offset by the ease of retrieving data from a detailed patient centered and individualized record. This tracking system will provide for decreased cost of unnecessary tests or hospital admissions leading to cost-savings and quality improvement. 

 

Indeed, 2012 left its mark on our country’s health care delivery system. How it plays out for NPs in Florida in the upcoming year depends on our unity as we focus on improved health care access and health outcomes. To achieve these goals we must work collaboratively and do whatever we can to promote our profession every moment, everyday, and everywhere.

 

Rather than us looking back and reflecting on the difficulties and struggles we have faced in past years, we'll  instead take this opportunity to look forward to our NP goals in 2013. Everyone makes New Years Resolutions and so will we for Florida NPs united!

 

A recent list from a neat organization, "Disruptive Women in Healthcare" shared their hopes for New Year’s Resolutions for health care and health policy. We have paraphrased and added some others special to NPs! We share their sentiments!

 

                                             2013 FNPN NEW YEAR's RESOLUTIONS:

1.  Demand our elected officals find a real solution to the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) – no more quick “doctored up fixes,” we need long-term solutions.

 

2.  Increase education and awareness around heart health and disease – the number one cause of death for all in this country. 

 

3.  Improve patient access to electronic health records. Embrace health IT and mHealth; But also ensure that the proper health IT and mHealth regulations and security are in place to maintain patient safety and care quality.

 

4. Encourage your patients to seek out and take advantage of preventive care – under the Affordable Care Act, 22 prevention-related health services for women must now be covered with no cost-sharing obligation. 

 

5. Add the skill of health coaching when you can in your practice-actively listen, appreciate, recommend-and encourage as you continue to monitor patient outcomes. 

 

6. Improve access to mental health care-ask those questions that are rarely asked in increasingly brief office visits.

 

7. Continue searching for ways to improve patient adherence to prevention plans and prescribed treatments to improve patient outcomes and cut reduce overall health spending

 

8. Find ways to engage patients to move towards wellness and improve health literacy.

 

9. Be cost conscious in your patient treatment plans but listen to the patient to find the best treatment plan. Outcomes improve when options are negotiated.

 

10. Promote your role as the NP-Your Partner in Health - with all patients and their families, every moment, everyday and everywhere!

 

These are just a few ideas, if you have some more to share, add your comments below. It is your ideas, problems, successes and thoughts that bring solutions in the health sphere that create change, for change comes from practice. For as many problems were solved and challenges overcome in 2012, many more still remain, and we are committed to continuing our work as the Network that exclusively serves NPs in the state of Florida.

 

YOUR FNPN BOARD OF DIRECTORS