NHS FPX 6004 Assessment 2
[Student Name]
Capella University
[Prof. Name]
August 2025
NHS FPX 6004 Assessment 2: Policy Proposal
Need for Policy Change
The patient readmission rate in Mercy Medical Center is relatively high even though it is among the best medical centers in the region. The 30-day readmission rate of this medical center is 26.5. It is relatively high when compared to the national average of 20% during the same period of time (Mayo Clinic, 2018). Moreover, the national average is 16.1 and the average in the Minnesota State is 15.22 (Minnesota Department of Health, 2021). These statistics imply that the facility must implement certain, relevant, and timely actions. The healthcare facility and the national healthcare system incur significant expenses in terms of hospital 30-day readmissions. Warchol et al. (2019) state that the US economy spends approximately 26 billion a year on preventable readmissions. The readmission rates at Mercy Medical Centre are high and this leads to increased Medicare hospital allocation in the facility through the readmission penalty. According to NHS FPX 6004 Assessment 2, every time a patient is re-hospitalized, s/he experiences a serious emotional blow. One of the studies aimed at learning how patients perceived their readmission stated that 85% of individuals who went through the experience believed that the readmission was avoidable and that the unprofessional healthcare services offered by the discharge facility and early discharge were the reasons (Warchol et al., 2019). In this policy proposal example, it is observed that such an adverse perception would also influence the nature of treatment and recovery time of the patients. Another adverse implication of readmission is that it predisposes patients to hospital-acquired infections (Warchol et al., 2019). Rehospitalization also leads to an increased length of stay in a healthcare institution
and, therefore, exposes a patient to additional diseases. NHS FPX 6004 Assessment 2 states that high readmission rate predisposes patients to emotional distress and hospital-acquired diseases in addition to being very expensive.
Unless the issue of high readmission rates is mitigated in time, a healthcare facility can suffer a number of consequences. In this policy proposal, the authors indicate that, although the results were inconsistent, some studies have found that poor quality care is associated with higher readmission rates. The initial question that is raised when patients revisit a hospital is why the personnel and the whole institution did not perform their tasks (Walker, 2017). Hospital readmission is therefore perceived by the government, individuals and healthcare organizations as indicators of low-quality healthcare services. According to NHS FPX 6004 Assessment 2, the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP) punishes hospitals that have avoidable readmissions. This fines shows that the program views readmission as an indicator of poor-quality care. Nonetheless, the empirical data is as yet not able to prove the abovementioned assumption (Benbassat and Taragin, 2020). The lack of data relating readmission to quality care does not, however, negate the effort to reduce hospital readmissions. In this policy proposal, it has been observed that the high readmission rates are often perceived as indications of poor care, and therefore; the hospital will keep facing penalties and damaging its reputation unless some changes are implemented.
Evidence-Based Practice Guidelines to Reduce Readmission Rates
In the recent decades, several leaders in the healthcare sector have ensured that the issue of reducing hospital readmissions has become a relevant objective. Most
hospital administrators are trying to reduce readmission rates so that they can enhance their financial competitiveness and meet the needs of the community. One of the strategies employed to minimize the rate of readmissions is data analytics (Warchol et al., 2019). In this strategy, NHS FPX 6004 Assessment 2 involves the development of analytical models that predict the likelihood of a patient to be readmitted. The data obtained through this model is then utilized in developing the discharge procedures which would be in a position to prevent or reduce avoidable readmissions. Other methods that are similar are electronic health records. Research shows that the introduction of electronic health records can assist medical personnel in attending to patients in the best way possible, eliminating chances of readmission (Warchol et al., 2019). Another initiative by medical professionals in this policy proposal template is the use of mobile technology that has also been reported by non-medical personnel as helpful to predict readmission rates. Some studies suggest that the concomitant use of technology and an underutilized workforce could help provide value-based care and reduced readmission of patients (Warchol et al., 2019). The other strategies employed to minimize the readmission rate in hospitals include increasing the number of nurses in the staff. The study conducted by Warchol et al. (2019) revealed that there was a negative relationship between readmission rates and number of nurses in the staff. As it is mentioned in NHS FPX 6004 Assessment 2, the less abundant staffing of nurses resulted in more punishments according to the HRRP and frequent readmission. One viable reason to explain this observation could be the fact that nurses are key figures in the frontline staff of a hospital and, therefore, can influence the overall operations of the other procedures within a healthcare facility.
But all the above-mentioned strategies are not independent. Most hospital executives have struggled with the difficulty of depending solely on either of the above tactics. In this policy proposal format, most practitioners use two or three strategies at a time depending on the particularities of the healthcare facility. Considering this, the present paper is hypothesized to suggest that mobile app technology and higher nurse staffing levels are the two key measures that could be deployed to reduce readmission rates at the Mercy Medical Center. The appropriate use of the mobile app technology makes effective and efficient communications and readmission possibility possible. The interviewee in NHS FPX 6004 Assessment 2 emphasized the necessity to employ additional people to ensure every patient will be provided with the care they need and sent home within the due time frame.
Policy Statement
High readmission rates raise medical expenses. To reduce patient readmission rates, Mercy Medical Center and other healthcare facilities should work to implement this strategy.
Scope
The policy applies to all Mercy Medical Center medical staff, including physicians, nurses, and healthcare administrators.
Practice Guidelines
Using mobile technologies to reduce readmissions to hospitals. The proper use of electronic health record systems and other technology is the first strategy put forward in this study to eradicate the 30-day readmission rate in MMC. One of the reasons for the facility’s high readmission rates is the absence of communication with patients
following their discharge. The majority of MMC’s practitioners think that their patients will follow all post-discharge guidelines. This is not the case, however. The majority of re-admitted patients acknowledge that they rarely follow discharge guidelines, frequently as a result of forgetfulness or ignorance, according to this policy proposal sample. According to Warchol et al. (2019), when discharged patients don’t follow their discharge plan, the likelihood of re-admissions is typically high. In light of this, this study proposes the development of a mobile health application that will be implemented to interact with every patient who is discharged from this hospital. All patients who are discharged are to get real-time follow-up messages via the app, according to NHS FPX 6004 Assessment 2. All of the post-treatment plans that the patient is required to adhere to will be included in the communication. The only requirement in this situation would be to notify patients about the importance of the app and ask them to download it to their phones each time they are admitted to the hospital. Since the app will enable two-way communication between the patient and the hospital, the rate of patient participation will increase after it is released. Adherence to post-discharge instructions would probably be improved by taking this action.
Increase the nursing staffing levels
Increasing post-discharge interactions with patients will boost the labor force. At the moment, MMC employs roughly 250 nurses. To properly implement the aforementioned regulation, at least 50 to 100 more nurses will be required. According to the research cited in this policy proposal template, the hospital should hire three to five nurses every month in order to bolster the nursing staff. To reduce re-admission rates,
these nurses will next receive training on how to utilize the suggested mHealth application.
Potential effects of the recommended practice
When put into reality, the aforementioned best practices could have a variety of outcomes, both good and bad. Overall, the healthcare facility will see a reduction in readmissions and an improvement in the quality of treatment provided to patients. The drawback of increasing nurse staffing is that it would result in higher labor costs for the hospital. Additionally, in order to use the mobile app technology, the organization will have to comply with national and state regulations pertaining to patient health information. When health data is not sufficiently secured, security breaches are also frequently associated with the use of the aforementioned technology (Jamshed et al., 2015). Medical practitioners are prohibited by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) from disclosing patient information to a third party (Jamshed et al., 2015). According to NHS FPX 6004 Assessment 2, patient data may end up in the wrong hands as a result of careless system operation or cyber crime. Treatment may be hampered in any of the aforementioned situations where patient autonomy is compromised. Consequently, even while electronic records are effective at promoting communication and reducing medical errors, the hospital may face legal repercussions if other parties obtain access to the records. Overall, there would be more positive than negative consequences if the policy proposal format changes were successfully implemented.
The importance of the involvement of different stakeholders in implementing the above change
When implementing the adjustment, the needs of the staff including nurses, middle managers, doctors, and general managers will be crucial. In addition to making sure about what is a policy proposal? The necessary resources should be available to support the change, general managers will be crucial in informing the other change participants about the impending policy change. To ensure that nothing goes wrong, the managers and middle managers will also oversee the transition process. Since the new policy change will immediately affect frontline nurses and doctors, they will need to be well-informed and educated about it in the meantime. According to NHS FPX 6004 Assessment 2, in order to lessen the likelihood of opposition and shorten implementation delays, practitioner representatives must be present at all board conversations regarding the policy change. The conclusion drawn from this policy proposal is that strong and effective policy implementation will be ensured by the participation of all stakeholders.
Conclusion
According to NHS FPX 6004 Assessment 2, the readmission rate in Mercy Medical Center is rather higher than typical. Besides increasing the costs of medical services, this poor performance impacts negatively on the reputation of the hospital due to the fact that the people associate poor performance in terms of readmission rates with poor treatment. The two primary methods of resolving the above issue at the hospital are high staffing of nurses and adopting technology in the form of mHealth mobile apps..
References
Benbassat, J., & Taragin, M. (2020). Hospital readmissions as a measure of the quality of health care. Archives of internal medicine, 160(8), 1074. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.160.8.1074
Jamshed, N., Ozair, F., Sharma, A., & Aggarwal, P. (2015). Ethical issues in electronic health records: A general overview. Perspectives in clinical research, 6(2), 73. https://doi.org/10.4103/2229-3485.153997
Mayo Clinic. (2018, August 16). About us – Readmission rates
https://www.mayoclinic.org/about-mayo-clinic/quality/quality-measures/readmission-rates
Minnesota Department of Health. (2021). Local Public HealthAct. https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/practice/lphact/statute/index.html
Walker, B. (2017). Are hospital readmissions a valid indicator of the quality of care? Patient Bond Blog. https://insights.patientbond.com/blog/are-hospital-readmissions-a-valid indicator-of-quality-of-care
Warchol, S. J., Monestime, J. P., Mayer, R. W., & Chien, W. W. (2019). Strategies to reduce hospital readmission rates in a non-Medicaid-expansion state. Perspectives in health information management. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6669363/
