Of the following, which is the most effective strategy that a nurse manager could employ to reduce unnecessary costs in specific healthcare settings?
a. Training nurses on accurate documentation of supplies used for patient care
b. Reducing the number of overtime hours worked by staff
c. Reducing the number of staff on a unit
d. Making decisions for patients about which care is important to their health
ANS: A
Reducing overtime hours needs to be carefully assessed against the reasons for overtime (e.g., staff overload, recent illnesses, increased acuity) in terms of whether this reflects an ongoing or temporary situation and therefore whether it is a necessary variance or not. Reducing staff may or may not be effective, depending on the services being provided. Making decisions for the patient misses an important opportunity to invite the patient into discussion about patient priorities and needs and relative costs of options, which may lead to improved adherence with regimens and less waste of resources. An effective approach to cost containment is ensuring that supplies are accurately accounted for and charged in a timely manner.
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