Nursing, quality, and health policy: a partnership for change

In this article, Kathryn M. Mershon, MSN, RN, CNAA, senior vice president for nursing at Humana Inc. and a member of the Prospective Payment Assessment Commission (ProPAC), examines several ideas or initiatives that need to be explored to help advance nursing to where it should be in the future. These include among others getting rid of "sacred cows" that impede change, understanding nursing's influence on health policy reform, examining quality in the current health care environment, and implementing steps for future change.