A Quick Round Up of Nurses Responses to The Supreme Court's Ruling on Health Care Reform

With the Supreme Court ruling to uphold the entire Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (ACA), we thought it would be fitting to share with you some responses by nursing organizations across the country in response to this landmark ruling.

Ohio Nurses Association Questions Impact of Issue 3 with the Supreme Court's Decision to Uphold Health Care Reform

Last November, the citizens of Ohio voted in support of legislation (Issue 3) that said no law can force someone to have insurance, thus negating the individual mandate included in the ACA. The Ohio Nurses Association is now left wondering how will Ohio implement the provisions in the ACA and what effect will this have on the nursing workforce?

Nurse leaders happy with ruling on ACA

The ANA has touted the law’s potential to increase the profile of RNs in the healthcare system through new models such as accountable care organizations and medical homes. These models would rely on RNs’ expertise in care coordination, the ANA has said.

ANA Lauds Supreme Court Decision Upholding Health Care Reform Law

The American Nurses Association (ANA) lauds the U.S. Supreme Court's decision today to uphold the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including the "minimum coverage provision," hailing it as a victory for all patients and their families.

Nurses: 'Court Ruling Does Not End Healthcare Crisis Or the Need to Continue the Campaign for Reform'

The Supreme Court decision should not be seen as the end of the efforts by health care activists for a permanent fix of our broken healthcare system, said National Nurses United. The union pledged to step up a campaign for a reform that is not based on extending the grip of a failed private insurance system, but "on a universal program based on patient need, not on profits or ability to pay.

Pediatric Advance Care Discussions Difficult for Nurses and Physicians

Yesterday, Larry Hand, of medscape.com, detailed a newly published study in this month's Pediatrics that surveyed physicians and nurses at intensive care units (ICUs) and oncology wards at Children's Hospital Boston and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Massachusetts to identify barriers to advance care discussion and planning for children. The survey identified the top 3 barriers for ACD discussions regarding children: unrealistic parent expectations, differences between the way physicians and parents understand a prognosis, and lack of parent readiness to have the discussion.

Click here to read Mr. Hand's summary of the article.

Click here to read the study as it appears in Pediatrics.

America's Three Million Nurses are Changing Healthcare in Dramatic Ways

This past weekend, the UCLA School of Nursing published a press release emphasizing the growing importance of nurses who are the largest segment of the health care workforce. The press release highlights the influence nurses have in clinical settings, conducting research and promoting state and national health policy. Many of the topics discussed in this press release were also featured in the IOM's Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health report.

Click here to read the full article.

Click here to read other blogposts relating to the IOM's report.

Advice from Patient Advocates

This month, Women's Day magazine is featuring a piece, "Six Things Your Patient Advocate Wants You to Know" which everyone should tear out and tape on the refrigerator. This simple one-pager offers tips on how to best utilize a patient advocate, what assistance your pharmacist can provide and how to select a hospital. But, the item that caught our eyes was this one:

"If you have a chronic illness, choose a practice with a dedicated staff registered nurse (RN). Whether you choose to go to a traditional family practice physician or a larger group practice, make sure the staff includes an RN whose role specifically includes dealing with patients who have a chronic condition, say Farbstein. That way, if the doctor is unavailable, the nurse can help with any problems or answer questions. You also want a practice with an organized office staff since you'll be working with them to arrange prescriptions, appointments and treatments."

We think it's great advice - kudos to Women's Day for recognizing the important role of nurses!