Population Healthcare Coordination (D517)

Correct Answer D. enhance patient and family learning and adherence to the plan of care, as well as increase patient satisfaction

Explanation

Family-centered care in the inpatient hospital environment focuses on involving families in the care process to improve patient outcomes. It aims to enhance learning, promote adherence to the treatment plan, and improve overall satisfaction by ensuring families are informed and engaged. The approach recognizes the importance of the family’s role in supporting the patient’s physical, emotional, and psychological well-being during hospitalization.

Why other options are wrong

A. alter the patient's and family's control over all aspects of healthcare delivery

Family-centered care does not seek to control the patient's and family's decisions but rather supports their involvement and collaboration in decision-making processes. The goal is empowerment, not control.

B. eliminate the stress experienced by patients and families

While family-centered care aims to reduce stress by offering support and information, it cannot completely eliminate stress, which is often an inevitable part of hospitalization. The focus is more on managing and mitigating stress through understanding and support.

C. eliminate incidents of medical errors

While family-centered care can improve communication and reduce errors by fostering a collaborative environment, it does not eliminate all medical errors. Reducing medical errors requires systemic improvements, protocols, and patient safety practices beyond just family involvement.

Correct Answer A. Patient centered medical home

Explanation

The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model emphasizes the patient's role in managing and organizing their own healthcare. This model promotes comprehensive, coordinated care, with the patient as an active participant in their treatment plan. It focuses on improving the patient experience, outcomes, and reducing costs through personalized and collaborative care.

Why other options are wrong

B. Accountable care organization

While Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) focus on improving the quality of care and reducing costs through coordination, they do not emphasize the same level of patient involvement in organizing their own care as the PCMH model does. ACOs focus more on the healthcare providers working together to improve care.

C. Assisted living

Assisted living facilities provide support for daily activities but do not focus on organizing the patient's healthcare. These facilities are more concerned with providing housing and daily care assistance, not the comprehensive care management seen in PCMH.

D. Home health agency

Home health agencies provide healthcare services in the home, such as nursing or physical therapy. While they assist with medical care at home, they do not emphasize the comprehensive, patient-centered approach to organizing care that is central to the PCMH model.

Correct Answer B. Emphasis on comprehensive care, patient-centered approaches, coordinated services, accessibility, and commitment to quality and safety

Explanation

The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model focuses on delivering comprehensive, coordinated care that is centered around the patient. It emphasizes accessibility, quality, and safety, with a team-based approach that ensures patients receive well-rounded care tailored to their needs. The model integrates preventive care and health promotion, supporting long-term patient health and well-being through continuous, coordinated care.

Why other options are wrong

A. Focus on specialized care and limited patient interaction

PCMH is not focused on specialized care alone, nor does it limit patient interaction. Instead, it seeks to provide a holistic and ongoing relationship with the patient, fostering continuous care that goes beyond specialized interventions.

C. Prioritization of emergency services over preventive care

PCMH emphasizes preventive care and continuous management of chronic conditions, not emergency services. It is designed to keep patients healthy and avoid the need for emergency care through proactive and comprehensive management.

D. Solely focused on reducing healthcare costs without regard for patient needs

While reducing healthcare costs is a benefit of the PCMH model, it is not the sole focus. The core of the PCMH is centered around meeting the needs of patients with a focus on quality, coordination, and patient-centered care, not just cost reduction.

Correct Answer B. To transmit medical data for assessment by a healthcare provider

Explanation

Store and forward telemedicine involves transmitting patient data such as images, test results, or medical records to a healthcare provider for later review and assessment. It is not a real-time consultation but a way to enable providers to remotely analyze patient data and make informed decisions without the patient needing to be physically present at the time of review.

Why other options are wrong

A. To provide real-time consultations between patients and providers

This is more representative of live video telemedicine, not store and forward telemedicine. Store and forward does not involve live interaction but rather asynchronous data transfer for future review.

C. To replace all in-person medical visits

Store and forward telemedicine does not replace all in-person visits. It is a complementary tool used for specific situations, particularly when real-time interaction is not necessary. Some cases still require face-to-face evaluations for a complete diagnosis or treatment plan.

D. To facilitate emergency medical interventions

While store and forward can be used in some urgent situations, it is generally not intended for emergencies. Emergency care typically requires immediate, real-time communication, which is not the primary function of store and forward telemedicine.

Correct Answer A. Fewer treatments, hospitalizations

Explanation

Patient-family centered healthcare aims to empower families and patients in the decision-making process, which often leads to improved care coordination and better overall health outcomes. This approach can result in fewer unnecessary treatments and hospitalizations, as patients and families are more involved in managing care and adhering to preventative measures.

Why other options are wrong

B. Bringing the family closer together

While family-centered care can improve communication and collaboration among family members, the primary goal is not to bring the family closer together but to improve healthcare outcomes through better involvement in the care process.

C. More family arguments

This option is incorrect because the goal of patient-family centered healthcare is to create a cooperative, supportive environment. It should not lead to more family arguments; rather, it encourages collaboration and understanding between family members and healthcare providers.

D. A care plan that only the family approves

A care plan should involve the patient, healthcare providers, and family members, not solely the family. Patient-family centered care focuses on collaboration, ensuring the patient’s needs and preferences are at the forefront, not just the family’s approval.

Correct Answer B. To coordinate care and manage the health outcomes of a defined population

Explanation

A primary function of an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) is to enhance the coordination of care and improve health outcomes for a specific group of patients. ACOs are designed to ensure patients, especially those with chronic conditions, receive the right care at the right time while avoiding unnecessary duplication of services. Their goal is to improve quality and efficiency by aligning provider incentives with patient outcomes. ACOs aim to manage costs without sacrificing quality, ensuring accountability for both financial and care quality outcomes.

Why other options are wrong

A. To provide specialized care for chronic diseases only

This is incorrect because ACOs are not limited to only providing specialized care for chronic conditions. While they do emphasize chronic disease management, their scope includes preventive care, acute care, and overall health management across a continuum of services for an entire patient population.

C. To serve as a direct employer for all healthcare providers

This is incorrect because ACOs do not function as employers for healthcare providers. Instead, they are networks of doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare providers who voluntarily come together to coordinate care. Providers retain their employment structures but collaborate to improve outcomes and share savings.

D. To focus solely on reducing healthcare costs without regard to quality

This is incorrect because ACOs are specifically designed to balance cost-efficiency with high-quality care. ACO performance is evaluated based on both cost savings and patient outcome metrics. Solely focusing on cost reduction without quality would go against the purpose of an ACO.

Correct Answer B. To assist registered nurses and physicians in patient care

Explanation

Practical Nurses (PNs), also known as Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), play a vital role in supporting registered nurses and physicians in delivering patient care. They perform tasks such as monitoring vital signs, providing basic nursing care, assisting with daily activities, and ensuring the comfort and safety of patients. While they are essential members of the healthcare team, PNs work under the supervision of RNs and physicians and do not have the advanced diagnostic or treatment authority of higher-level healthcare providers.

Why other options are wrong

A. To provide advanced medical diagnoses and treatment plans

This is not the role of Practical Nurses. Providing diagnoses and developing treatment plans falls within the scope of practice of physicians and advanced practice nurses, not PNs.

C. To conduct independent patient assessments and evaluations

While Practical Nurses assist with patient care and monitor patient conditions, they are not authorized to independently assess or evaluate patients in the same way that registered nurses or physicians do. PNs work under supervision and report their findings to higher-level healthcare providers.

D. To perform surgical procedures under anesthesia

This is outside the scope of practice for Practical Nurses. Surgical procedures, especially those involving anesthesia, are typically performed by surgeons, anesthesiologists, or other specialized medical professionals. PNs are not trained or authorized to perform such tasks.

Correct Answer A. Holistic

Explanation

The Holistic approach in patient care focuses on addressing the overall well-being of the patient, integrating physical, mental, and social health. This approach is central to models like the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) and Accountable Care Organizations (ACO), which aim to provide comprehensive care that supports the whole person rather than just addressing isolated health issues.

Why other options are wrong

B. Fragmented

Fragmented care typically refers to a disjointed approach, where different aspects of a patient’s health are managed separately. This is the opposite of the integrated, holistic approach emphasized in PCMH and ACO models.

C. Reactive

A reactive approach to care focuses on responding to health problems as they arise, rather than proactively managing a patient's overall well-being. Holistic care is proactive, focusing on prevention and well-rounded management of the patient’s health.

D. Specialized

Specialized care involves focusing on specific health issues or diseases, often with a narrow scope. This contrasts with the holistic approach, which emphasizes a broad and integrated perspective on the patient’s overall health, including mental and social factors.

Correct Answer B. It can lead to missed appointments and delayed treatment.

Explanation

Limited access to transportation creates significant barriers for patients needing timely and consistent healthcare services. It often results in missed appointments, which can delay diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care. This can negatively affect a patient's health outcomes, especially for individuals with chronic conditions or mobility challenges.

Why other options are wrong

A. It enhances the ability of patients to attend medical appointments.

This option is incorrect because limited transportation does not enhance access but rather restricts it. Patients with transportation issues often face difficulties reaching clinics or hospitals, which reduces their ability to get consistent care. The statement contradicts the reality of how lack of transportation acts as a barrier.

C. It has no effect on patient care.

This is incorrect because transportation plays a critical role in patient care. Without reliable transportation, patients may skip necessary treatments, delay preventive care, or be unable to pick up medications. These consequences directly impact the quality and effectiveness of patient care.

D. It improves communication between healthcare providers.

Limited transportation has no bearing on provider-to-provider communication. This option misinterprets the context, as transportation issues are more about patient access than interprofessional communication. Communication among providers is influenced by other factors such as electronic health records or care coordination tools.