[Solved] NR506NP Week 2: Organizational Change and Ethical-Legal Influences in Advanced Practice Nursing Case Study Tompkins

COURSE:

NR506NP – Healthcare Policy and Leadership

Preparing the Discussion

You are a family nurse practitioner employed in a busy primary care office. The providers in the group include one physician and three nurse practitioners. The back office staff includes eight medical assistants who assist with patient care as well as filing, answering calls from patients, processing laboratory results and taking prescription renewal requests from patients and pharmacies. Stephanie, a medical assistant, has worked in the practice for 10 years and is very proficient at her job. She knows almost every patient in the practice, and has an excellent rapport with all of the providers.

Mrs. Smith was seen today in the office for an annual physical. Her last appointment was a year ago for the same reason. During this visit, Mrs. Smith brought an empty bottle of amoxicillin with her and asked if she could have a refill. You noted the patient’s name on the label, and the date on the bottle was 1 week ago. You also noted your name printed on the label as the prescriber. The patient admitted that she called last week concerned about her cough and spoke to Stephanie. You do not recall having discussed this patient with Stephanie nor do the other providers in the practice.

Case Study Questions: 

  1. What are the potential ethical and legal implications for each of the following practice members?
    • Medical assistant
    • Nurse Practitioner
    • Medical Director
    • Practice
  2. What strategies would you implement to prevent further episodes of potentially illegal behavior?
  3. What leadership qualities would you apply to effect a positive change in the practice?  Be thinking about the culture of the practice.
  4. A scholarly resource must be used for EACH discussion question each week.

 

Solution

By refilling Mrs. Smith’s amoxicillin bottle using my credentials, Stephanie exposes herself, me as a nursing practitioner, the medical director, and the practice to ethical and legal penalties for illegal prescription methods. Buppert (2017) highlights the strict prescription procedures and the roles assigned to nursing practitioners, and the guidelines for delegating the functions. Correspondingly, Stephanie violates these laws, potentially attracting criminal investigations targeting all involved parties alongside the facility. Ethically, all the healthcare workers will lose credibility for the incident. Legally,………………………………..$5