Quality of health care provided at a pediatric nurse-managed clinic.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to assimilate evidence regarding quality of care received at nurse-managed clinics (NMCs), particularly a pediatric NMC that provides health care for the underserved pediatric population. DATA SOURCES: A nonexperimental design was used in this study. Quality of care data were collected at Trinity Nursing Center for Child Health (TNCCH), a pediatric NMC. Evidence included whether a pediatric NMC met selected national benchmark pediatric Healthcare Effectiveness and Data Information Set (HEDIS) quality indicators as well as HEDIS targets set by the Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning (OMPP) in Indiana.
CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that TNCCH met or exceeded national HEDIS benchmark standards of care and targets set by OMPP. This study offers further evidence that NMCs provide a high quality of care. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Benefits of addressing the research question in this study include the preservation of the nurse-managed healthcare safety net, increased access to health care for the medically underserved population resulting in improved health outcomes, and evidence to suggest that NMCs can assist private practice physicians to support this population of patients. ©2011 The Author(s) Journal compilation ©2011 American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.