NHS FP6004 Assessment2 1.docx NHS_FP6004 Policy Proposal Capella University NHS:6004 H

NHS FP6004 Assessment2 1.docx  NHS_FP6004  Policy Proposal  Capella University  NHS:6004 Health Care Law and Policy  Policy Proposal  Although Hudson Valley Hospital is consistently awarded for patient safety and clinical excellence, there are still opportunities to improve quality care. The quality measurement underperforming most is the number of unplanned hospital visits specifically, the readmission of heart failure and COPD patients. According to Medicare.gov, readmission is underperforming the national average with 22.3% for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients  versus the national rate of 19.6% and in heart failure patients at 26.1% versus the national rate of  21.9 %. Returning to the hospital for unplanned care not only costs more money for the hospital and patient but increases patients risk of harmful events like healthcare-associated infections, falls, and pressure ulcers. (CMS)The patient experience score is also not meeting national standards in communication about medications and discharge information at 3 stars. This proposal explains the need for a change in policy and practice guidelines of medication counseling and discharge procedures to meet the recommended benchmarks in unplanned hospital visits and improve patient experience scores. An interdepartmental collaboration with multiple stakeholders is required to construct new policy, guidelines, and staff training to accomplish this goal.  Need for Policy and Practice Guidelines  An increased focus has been placed on imp