The recent health care regulating policies are aimed at addressing the most tentative medical issues prevailing in the USA and the compliance of day-to-day procedures with technological advancement. 21st Century Cures Act was passed and signed by President Barak Obama on December 13, 2016, to guide the nation-wide health care system toward clinical research, innovation, and technology used in medicine (“21st Century Cures Act,” 2016). Being developed and supported by both parties in Congress, this legislation is aimed at transforming “future cancer, neurologic, and precision medicine research as well as aid individuals with mental health illnesses and opioid dependence” (Gabay, 2017, p. 265). The Act provides legal background and encouragement for clinical research, electronic database advancement, and multiple specific innovations and initiatives to cure the most prevalent health conditions.
The legislation is expected to positively impact system implementation due to its articulation of guidelines for the integration of innovation into the system of health care. 21st Century Cures Act is aimed at facilitating innovative medication and medical technology development that would use the resources and meet the needs of the American medical system (Sarpatwari & Kesselheim, 2015). Moreover, the Act will contribute to the quality of clinical care due to the enhanced evidence-based practice focus, clinical research encouragement, and the utilization of technological innovation in practice. The relationship between providers and patients will be improved due to the rapid implementation of electronic health records to eliminate paperwork and bureaucracy (Hudson & Collins, 2017; Lye et al., 2018). Patients will be granted access to their medical records, which will improve the quality of health communication and the relationship between patients and institutions. Furthermore, with the integration of drug and device innovation in combination with nursing informatics advancement, facilities will be able to exchange health information more efficiently, thus improving workflow management.
For the health care facility to implement the provision of the 21st Century Cures Act, electronic databases will be developed, maintained, and used to record patients and procedures. The nursing staff will be trained as per the competent use of electronic health records. Also, clinical research and the implementation of evidence-based practice according to the provision of the Act will be initiated in the facility to improve the level of health care workers’ competency and their professional growth. Finally, promotional activities will be initiated to disseminate information on patient access to health records to facilitate the quality of services.
References
21st Century Cures Act, Publ. L. No. 114-255, 130 Stat. 1033 (2016). Web.
Gabay, M. (2017). 21st Century Cures Act. Hospital Pharmacy, 52(4), 264 – 265.
Hudson, K. L., & Collins, F. S. (2017). The 21st Century Cures Act—a view from the NIH. New England Journal of Medicine, 376(2), 111 – 113.
Lye, C. T., Forman, H. P., Daniel, J. G., & Krumholz, H. M. (2018). The 21st Century Cures Act and electronic health records one year later: Will patients see the benefits?. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 25(9), 1218 – 1220.
Sarpatwari, A., & Kesselheim, A. S. (2015). The 21st century curesactt: opportunities and challenges. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 98(6), 575 – 577.