Building the information infrastructure required for managed care

To describe the information used by health care purchasers, policymakers, and administrators when making the decisions required in a managed-care environment and what the profession must do to develop an information infrastructure to demonstrate its contribution to patient outcomes.

Managed care has created a competitive environment for all health care organizations in which they must offer the best value for their dollar. The purchasing processes germane to managed care rely heavily on information for the selection of cost-effective providers and the provision of efficient care. Information used in these processes is derived from transaction systems that largely describe physician and other health care worker's services, but not nursing care. Data analysis by computers requires that data be obtained using a standardized language. Currently, nursing lacks a unified approach to the use of a standardized nursing language.

Individual nurses, nurse managers, executives, and educators should strive to develop an information infrastructure that will overcome barriers. Nurses should both adopt a unified approach to a standardized language, and develop a nationwide information infrastructure that will demonstrate nursing's contribution to patient outcomes.