Running head: POLICIES, FINANCE, AND REGULATIONS 1

Efolio Essential V: Health Policy, Finance, and Regulatory Environments

Lyubov Kirillov

Frostburg State University

POLICIES, FINANCE, AND REGULATIONS 2

Efolio Essential V: Health Policy, Finance, and Regulatory Environments

Nurses work in a variety of setting such as hospitals, urgent care clinics, doctors

private practices, and many more. Nurses who work at private practices sometimes are

responsible for patients case management including billing the insurance and applying

for reimbursement of services provided by a doctor. Some nurses in the hospital setting

choose to practice in research department to examine evidence-based practice for safe

patient care and develop health policies and regulatory environments. The Essential V:

Health Policy, Finance, and Regulatory Environments in the American Association of

Colleges of Nursing (AACN) (2008) state that Healthcare policies, including financial

and regulatory policies, directly and indirectly influence nursing practice as well as the

nature and functioning of the healthcare system (AACN, 2008, p. 20).

Exemplar

Any nurse can contact the local government members or write to a congressman,

but it is usually a community health nurses who work closely with policy makers.

Community health nurses provide community assessment presentations to local

government officials, or write to their congressmen to request a policy change or increase

financial expenditure for communitys benefits. Writing congressional letters to

government officials allows nurses to present issues and recommend solutions to promote

health and prevent disease progression. Nurses advocate for their patients and one of the

ways to demonstrate advocacy, nurses must actively participate in a political process and

involve government officials in creating or changing healthcare policies.

Reflection
POLICIES, FINANCE, AND REGULATIONS 3

. Healthcare policies are written and implemented alongside with financial and

regulatory policies. The time that takes to implement policies depends on the difficulty

level of the presented issues and the recommendations. In a congressional letter a nurse

will present the health issue, statistical data that the issue affects the population, the cost

of the issue, recommendations to improve or eliminate the cause, and a logical solution

constructed on evidence-based practice. AACN (2008) instructs that Healthcare policy

shapes the nature, quality, and safety of the practice environment and all professional

nurses have the responsibility to participate in the political process (AACN, 2008, p.

20). By actively participating in a political process nurses advocate for individuals,

families, communities, and populations. Writing a letter to a congressman regarding an

increasing health issue to change a healthcare policy may seem like a small step, but it

will encourage a congressman to have a meeting with a nurse to discuss the health issue,

recommendations, and create a plan for development of health, financial, and regulatory

environments policies.
POLICIES, FINANCE, AND REGULATIONS 4

References

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2008). The essentials of baccalaureate

education for professional nursing practice. Washington, DC: American Association of

Colleges of Nursing.