UNMC looks to improve patient care with $2.6 million grant

July 9, 2018, 3:48 a.m. ·

The University Of Nebraska Medical Center plans to use a 2.6 million dollar grant to improve health care by engaging more registered nurses in the management of patients.

UNMC College of Nursing professor Kate Fiandt said more nurses need to be prepared for changes in the health care system.

“Health care’s moving from paying providers by the number of people they see to the quality of the care,” Fiandt said in a press release. “Registered nurses have the expertise to manage the component of the practice that assures all the outcomes – High patient satisfaction, efficiency.”

The grant will focus on three areas: updating the UNMC undergraduate curriculum to include primary care education, creating a program for nurses interested in developing their primary care skills and creating an urban and rural nurse-managed care team for primary care students.

UNMC has also partnered with Healthcare Association Nebraska, a primary care organization that provides support to federally qualified health centers working with vulnerable populations. Nurse managed care teams will work with rural health clinics associated with Franklin County Memorial Hospital in Franklin, Nebraska and North Omaha Area Health, a nurse-led clinic in the North Omaha area.

UNMC College of Nursing dean Dr. Juliann Sebastian said the grant intersects with the college’s three missions: education, clinical practice and research.

“We are very excited to be part of this national initiative and to be able to provide our students with an innovative clinical primary care experience,” Sebastian said in a press release.