Nurse Care Managers in the Acute Care Setting: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.
Abstract
The escalation of U. S. Health Care costs and the increasing fragmentation of the health care delivery system have created a national mandate for managed care systems that both reduce costs and improve quality health care (Bach, Smeltzer, & Baler, 1996). In 1988, 550 billion dollars were spent on health care in the United States (NLN, 1989). That is 11.5% of the gross national product for that year. Since 1980 costs have risen about 10.5% annually. Advances in technology, restructuring of payment strategies for health care, reduced lengths of hospital stay, an aging population, increasing numbers of chronically ill clients, and alternative sites for care are some of the factors contributing to dramatic changes in the health care system (Bower, 1988). The record does not permit us to say that Americans are receiving better health care as a result of our exorbitant health care expenditures (Maraldo & Fagin, 1992).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA325838
Entities
People
- Colleen A. Carmody
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology