Healthcare Regulatory Organizations in the U. S

Healthcare Regulatory Organizations in the U. S

Level of Regulatory authority

Scope of regulatory authority

Role within the US healthcare system

Relevance of the organization or the organization’s authority to the APRN/DNP graduate

Relevance to specialty area, area of practice, or setting of practice

CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Federal level

Scope is nationwide.

The CDC acts as the country’s main agency focusing on the development of processes and procedures that seek to prevent and control diseases, promote health education, and improve the healthcare of the public.
The CDC is the agency responsible for flagging health and safety threats through active surveillance of diseases all over the world.
Also, the CDC partners with other healthcare agencies in other countries to help enhance global preparedness, especially against the introduction and spread of deadly infectious diseases.

The relevance of the CDC to the APRN/DNP is often understated. As an agency in charge of ensuring that healthcare outcomes are enhanced all over the country, the CDC plays a crucial role in impacting the conduct and choices being made by APRNs and DNPs.
For example, the CDC provides crucial information that helps APRNs/DNPs make crucial decisions in their quest to provide healthcare services. Through its laboratory investigations, data collection activities, and analysis, the CDC offers APRN/DNPs the opportunity to enhance healthcare outcomes.

One area of practice that the CDC happens to offer great help is preventive healthcare.
Preventive healthcare is crucial in the reduction of morbidity and mortality rates (Fowler et al., 2020).
Therefore, the preventive healthcare nurses stand to benefit through the information made available by the CDC. This area of practice can help ensure that a significant percentage of the U.S. public maintains their great health by following the rules outlined by the CDC. For example, during the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is the work of the preventive healthcare nurses that helped ensure the country did not lose more people.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Federal level

Scope is nationwide.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is a federal agency tasked with ensuring that the quality of healthcare is maintained at a higher level through research.
Further, the agency ensures that the research it produces is translated or interpreted to ensure ease of use.

The main relevance of AHRQ to APRN/DNP is helping make informed decisions.
Kronick (2016) notes that the AHRQ is responsible for developing the “knowledge, tools, and data” necessary or crucial for the enhancement of healthcare outcomes.
Through its work, the AHRQ enhances the healthcare sector is updated in the ways it deals with healthcare issues. By positively impacting the decision-making process, the AHRQ ensures that APRN/DNPs and the entire healthcare system is able to produce a healthy nation.

Like the CDC, the AHRQ is a great resource to the preventive care unit.
Also, the AHRQ is crucial in the enhancement of patient safety. Through the knowledge, tools, and data that this agency develops, the preventive care unit is able to develop safer, effective, efficient, and patient-centered approaches that help enhance the healthcare system (Kronick, 2016). Collaboration with other agencies is also key if quality healthcare is to be achieved.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA)

Federal level

Scope is nationwide.

SAMHSA is a federal-level agency that is charged with enhancing behavioral healthcare in the country.
The agency seeks to increase awareness of the effects of substance abuse.
Further, it promotes awareness and intervention of mental illness in the country.

The main relevance of SAMHSA to APRN/DNP is to help provide ways to deal with behavioral healthcare issues in the country.