HEDIS Nurses Work to Improve Patient Care Nationwide

HEDIS Nurses Work to Patient CareNurses influence their patients’ lives every day in a variety of ways, and the nursing profession attracts those who want to improve the health and well-being of people in medical settings. Nursing professionals also have the option to influence health plans and patient care at a higher level with HEDIS, a tool to gather and report on patient care data. HEDIS nurses collect data from medical facilities that will be used by health plans, employers, consumers, and medical professionals to make informed decisions on health care across the United States.

An Overview of HEDIS

HEDIS stands for Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set. HEDIS projects measure health care and follow up performance for American health plans. The process begins at the patient level; individual patient charts are reviewed for information across several domains of care. Data is collected regarding health issues such as pre-natal and post-natal care, well-child appointments and immunizations, breast cancer screenings, diabetes and blood pressure management, and antidepressant medication control. This data is analyzed and collected into reports that can be used by employers and consumers looking for health plans. Practitioners and medical professionals can use the information to improve their services by learning what methods are successful in patient care and what areas of care could use improvement.

How Nurses Contribute to HEDIS Projects

Since HEDIS projects begin at the patient level, professionals with practice in patient care are the best people to collect data from patient charts. Nurses have the knowledge and experience necessary to understand patient care information included in charts that will be relevant to HEDIS measurements. Nurses are assigned from hospitals and practitioners’ offices with specific types of data to retrieve regarding each patient’s purpose for visit, care, and any follow up that took place. Nursing professionals who possess excellent attention to details and skills for analyzing data to determine what should be included and excluded are the best fit for HEDIS project work.

How HEDIS Nurses Influence Patient Care Nationwide

Analyzing patient care from information extracted from patient charts allows nurses to influence the health care experiences of thousands of people. HEDIS measurements are used to rate health plans, driving improvement for the plans and for the medical professionals associated with the data. The information gleaned from HEDIS projects is studied by the medical community throughout the United States, inspiring higher levels of patient care. HEDIS findings have lead to improvement in behavioral health care, diabetes management, and pediatric treatment as well as many other areas.

Nurses looking for positions that will be challenging and rewarding should consider working on HEDIS projects. Networks are available to support skilled nurses looking for HEDIS projects, and nurses are encouraged to inquire with questions about positions as HEDIS nurses and how these positions can help improve patient care across the country.