Introduction
Nurses’ performance quality is a topic under continuous discussion in healthcare research. Each procedure that nurses perform can affect patient health outcomes and determine the rate of successful diagnoses and treatments. As a result, the status of healthcare organizations, their economic prosperity, and their ability to serve the community are dependent on finding the most efficient ways of practice. This paper discusses the role of quality measures in this search, taking the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) as an example. Then, it reviews the performance measures that can be utilized to determine the level of nurses’ productivity. It is clear that incentive payment has some benefits in increasing nurses’ performance quality, and the model of team-based incentives seems to offer great perspectives for fostering collaboration and growth.
Quality Measures
First of all, it is vital to establish why quality measures are important. Nurses often have to find an individualized approach to their patients. However, most procedures can be systematically described and separated into groups according to their step of patient treatment, urgency, condition, and other aspects. Thus, these activities can be analyzed and compared – for example, which approach to a particular therapy has proven to be the most effective and why. Clinical performance measures, such as the AHRQ, contain a number of these measurements, showing hospitals and their staff their opportunities for improvement, weaknesses that drive people away or lower their status (Hamric, Hanson, Tracy, & O’Grady, 2014). By providing precise numbers and comparing them to the competitors and the national benchmarks, quality measures create a transparent foundation for professional growth.
Performance Measures
Nurse Practitioners (NPs) have a variety of duties that may be difficult to assess fully. Rhodes, Bechtle, and McNett (2015) focus on NP’s productivity and argue that nine main factors require monitoring. These include patient visits, new patients, MD referrals, diagnoses, cancellations and reasons for “no-shows,” the number of visits per diagnosis, and the time that patients have to wait (Rhodes et al., 2015). For instance, by seeing an increase in new patients, diagnoses, and referrals, the clinic can assume that its NPs are working quickly and attracting new clients. Investigating the average wait time may reveal slow workers or a problem with registration and technology. The rates of cancellations and “no-shows” are indicative of nurses’ lacking communicative skills and patient-centered thinking.
Incentive Payment
Many healthcare workers are guided by their intrinsic motivation in their profession. The nurses’ code demonstrates nurses’ commitment to providing patients with care and attention (Buppert, 2018). Nonetheless, harsh working conditions, stress, negative experience, and low pay may interfere with nurses’ desire to perform well (Hain & Fleck, 2014). Here, the need for external motivation may arise, and incentive payment is a system that can overcome the issues mentioned above. This approach not only offers nurses and the ability to earn more money but also receive recognition for their contribution and hard work. In a team-based incentive business model, this strategy also fosters collaboration and creates a supportive culture.
Conclusion
All in all, quality measures are a vital part of improving the nursing profession. They show weaknesses and strengths and offer solutions for problems that affect nurses and patients. NPs’ performance measures have the same purpose of revealing underlying issues and proposing reasons for low productivity. The use of an incentive payment system can be beneficial in a hospital setting, especially if harsh working conditions challenge the staff’s internal motivation.
References
Buppert, C. (2018). Nurse practitioner’s business practice and legal guide (6th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Bartlett & Jones Learning.
Hain, D., & Fleck, L. M. (2014). Barriers to NP practice that impact healthcare redesign. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 19(2).
Hamric, A. B., Hanson, C. M., Tracy, M. F., & O’Grady, E. T. (2014). Advanced practice nursing: An integrative approach (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Saunders.
Rhodes, C. A., Bechtle, M., & McNett, M. (2015). An incentive plan for advanced practice registered nurses: Impact on provider and organizational outcomes. Nursing Economics, 33(3), 125-131.