Yingling Scholar Joanne Disch Presents Lecture on Health Care Reform
Joanne Disch, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Faculty ad Honorem at the University of Minnesota and the VCU School of Nursing Yingling Scholar, believes that Americans have different opinions about health care reform because “where you stand is what you see.” She returned to the VCU School of Nursing earlier this month to speak on “Knowing When to Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way With Health Care Reform.”
During her presentation in Younger Auditorium, Disch shared that most people would agree that the 2010 Affordable Care Act did not roll out in an effective way, but it was based on good ideas, such as reduced health care costs, patient engagement, coverage of mental health, data to make sound decisions, and preventive care services.
She cited the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Triple Aim Initiative, which describes an approach to optimizing the health care system by improving the experience of patient care, improving the health of populations, and reducing per capita costs of health care. The aims are very similar to the objectives of the Affordable Care Act, Disch said.
“The ideas behind it (Affordable Care Act) is what everybody would want,” she said. “How we are going to get to the end goals is a great source of conflict across the country.”
Disch also cited the Institute of Medicine’s Future of Nursing Report, noting that “it’s really not the future of nursing, it’s the future of health care.”
“I really see that this is the way it’s going to be achieved,” she said. “Nursing and others will be full partners, scope of practice barriers will be eliminated for all care providers and expert teams of health care professionals will be supported. Care will not just be patient centered, but person driven.”
Disch also believes that changes are already taking place in health settings and shifts in thought processes and practices will continue.
“We each have the choice to lead the health care movement in a positive direction, follow by supporting an initiative, or get out of the way and stop old procedures when new evidence suggests there are better practices,” she said.
