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Bridging the Gap

Module 6

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Title

The Nurses Role in Core Measures

Overview

Core quality measures are evidence-based care guidelines for the treatment of high volume or high cost conditions. Core measures provide hospital teams with the most up-to-date research based care to ensure the best possible patient outcomes. The use of these evidence-based practices means integrating the research with clinical expertise to achieve optimal outcomes. Nurses must understand their role in the implementation of these quality measures in their everyday practice. As a student it is important for you to understand how your actions in clinical may impact the hospitals performance on core measures.

Objectives

By the end of this module the learner will be able to:

  • Explain how core measures are developed and why they are important.
  • Evaluate how meeting core measures impacts the quality of care and hospital reimbursement.
  • Describe the nurse’s role in meeting core measures metrics.
Content Outline
  1. What are core measures?
  2. Talk to the expert
  3. Why are core measures important?
    1. Measurement
    2. Improving accountability
    3. Documentation, data and reimbursement
  4. Nurse’s role in meeting core measures
Links to Differentiated Essential Competencies
  1. Member of the profession
    1. Assume responsibility and accountability for the quality of nursing care provided to patients families and communities
  2. Provider of Patient Centered Care
    1. Use clinical reasoning and knowledge based on the baccalaureate degree nursing program of study, evidence-based practice outcomes, and research studies as the basis for decision-making and comprehensive patient care.
    2. Provide safe, compassionate, comprehensive nursing care to patients, families, populations, and communities through a broad array of health care services.
    3. Evaluate and report patient, family, population, and community outcomes and responses to therapeutic interventions in comparison to benchmarks from evidence-based practice and research findings, and plan follow-up nursing care.
  3. Member of the Healthcare Team
    1. Coordinate, collaborate, and communicate with patients, families, populations, communities, and the interdisciplinary health care team to plan, deliver, and evaluate care.
    2. Communicate and manage information using technology to support decision making to improve patient care and delivery systems
Links to Texas Concept Based Curriculum

Concepts Professional

  • Communication
  • Professionalism
  • Teamwork and collaboration

Concepts Health Care System

  • Evidence-Based Practice
  • Healthcare Organizations
  • Health Policy
  • Health Information and Technology
  • Leadership and Management
  • Quality Improvement
Resources

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (2017). Core Measures. Retrieved from https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/QualityMeasures/Core-Measures.html

Discussion Questions

Why do you think there is a need for core measures?

What do you thing the barriers might be for a nurse in implementing new strategies to improve hospital peformance on core measures indicators?

As a student how might you find out what core measures are important on the unit where you do your clinical rotations?

Questions