Student Name
Capella University
NURS-FPX4065 Patient-Centered Care Coordination
Prof. Name
Date
Ethical and Policy Factors in Care Coordination
Hello, my name is Elizabeth, and I am pleased to present on the ethical and policy factors that influence care coordination. Currently, I serve as a care coordinator at the Longevity Center, an organization dedicated to supporting individuals living with mental health conditions. The Center provides education, guidance, and access to essential mental health services.
Agenda
This presentation explores the ethical and policy issues impacting mental health care coordination at the Longevity Center. It emphasizes the significance of multidisciplinary collaboration, highlights key laws such as the Baker Act and HIPAA, and examines the role of the ANA Code of Ethics. Ethical concerns such as equity in care, cultural competence, and access challenges will be addressed. Additionally, the role of community collaboration in reducing disparities and supporting sustainable care systems will be discussed.
Significance of Care Coordination in Chronic Disease Management
Care coordination plays a vital role in mental health management at the Longevity Center. By ensuring that patients receive comprehensive and timely care across multiple providers, coordination minimizes fragmentation and prevents worsening symptoms.
Research shows that fragmented mental health care increases the risk of recurrent crises, poor adherence to treatment, and higher healthcare expenses (Bury et al., 2022). In Florida, approximately 2.8 million adults live with mental health conditions, and in 2021, nearly 41% reported symptoms of depression (National Alliance on Mental Illness [NAMI], n.d.). Care coordination ensures improved access, continuity of care, and support for recovery.
Governmental Policies’ Effect on Care Coordination
Care coordination at the Longevity Center is shaped by state and federal policies.
- The Baker Act (Florida Mental Health Act): Provides crisis intervention services and legal safeguards to protect patient rights during psychiatric interventions (Florida Department of Children and Families, 2024).
- HIPAA: Ensures secure sharing of patient information among providers, enabling collaborative mental health care while protecting privacy (Subbian et al., 2021).
Recent policy reforms in Florida encourage integrated behavioral health systems and value-based care models, which emphasize early intervention, prevention, and patient-centered approaches (Pincus & Fleet, 2022). These models are particularly helpful in addressing disparities in access.
Community organizations such as NAMI Florida further strengthen coordination by providing peer support, education, and navigation services. These resources complement clinical care and extend support to underserved populations.
Ethical Questions or Dilemmas for Care Coordination
Ethical dilemmas often emerge when policies intersect with patient needs. These dilemmas differ across national, state, and local levels of policy.
Table: Ethical Issues in Policy Provisions
| Policy Level | Provision | Ethical Challenges | Impact at Longevity Center |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Policy | Affordable Care Act (ACA) | Balances cost control with quality care. Ethical tension arises when cost-effective models limit patient autonomy (Pincus & Fleet, 2022). | Providers may prioritize standard protocols over individualized mental health treatments, limiting patient-centered care. |
| State Policy | Florida Medicaid Behavioral Health | Promotes access for low-income groups but faces delays, staff shortages, and limited specialist availability (Patel et al., 2025). | Vulnerable patients often face worsening symptoms due to barriers in timely care, raising issues of beneficence and justice. |
| Local Policy | Community Mental Health Programs | Offers screenings, peer support, and workshops (NAMI Florida, 2025). Ethical issue arises when limited resources restrict fair distribution. | Unequal allocation of services leads to disparities and reduced public trust in community programs. |
Impact of the Code of Ethics for Nurses
The ANA Code of Ethics provides essential guidance for nurses delivering mental health services at the Longevity Center.
- Provision 2: Nurses must prioritize patient needs, respect dignity, and advocate for patient-centered care.
- Provision 8: Nurses must collaborate to promote human rights, reduce disparities, and provide culturally sensitive care (ANA, 2025).
These provisions align with the ethical principles of beneficence, justice, non-maleficence, and autonomy (Braun et al., 2023). In practice, they ensure that patients at the Longevity Center receive fair, safe, and individualized treatment even when resources are limited.
Social Determinants of Health and Health Equity
The Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)—such as economic stability, health literacy, housing, and transportation—deeply affect mental health outcomes. At the Longevity Center, barriers such as food insecurity, lack of insurance, and poor access to transportation reduce patient adherence to care and compromise health equity.
The ANA Code of Ethics highlights the responsibility of nurses to address systemic inequities and provide care tailored to each patient’s social and cultural circumstances (ANA, 2025). By addressing SDOH, nurses enhance adherence, reduce disparities, and improve long-term outcomes.
Recommendations for Support and Collaboration
To strengthen ethical and policy-driven care coordination, the following recommendations are essential:
- Collaboration with community organizations: Partnerships with NAMI Florida and the Mental Health Association of Central Florida (MHACF) extend support through peer counseling, education, and housing resources (MHACF, 2025).
- Advocacy for equitable policies: Nurses must engage in policy discussions to eliminate systemic barriers and improve access.
- Culturally responsive practices: Incorporating cultural sensitivity enhances patient trust and treatment adherence.
By embracing these strategies, nurses uphold ethical obligations and ensure more equitable mental health care delivery at the Longevity Center.
Conclusion
Ethical and policy-driven care coordination is essential for improving mental health outcomes. Guided by the ANA Code of Ethics and supported by organizations such as NAMI Florida and MHACF, nurses play a central role in reducing disparities and promoting culturally sensitive practices. By addressing systemic barriers, advocating for reform, and ensuring fair access, care coordination can significantly enhance the well-being of adults living with mental health conditions.
References
ANA. (2025). Code of ethics for nurses. American Nurses Association. https://codeofethics.ana.org/home
Braun, E., Scholten, M., & Vollmann, J. (2023). Assisted suicide and the discrimination argument: Can people with mental illness fulfill beneficence‐ and autonomy‐based eligibility criteria? Bioethics, 38(1), 61–68. https://doi.org/10.1111/bioe.13243
NURS FPX 4065 Assessment 3 Ethical and Policy Factors in Care Coordination
Bury, D., Hendrick, D., Smith, T., Metcalf, J., & Drake, R. E. (2022). The psychiatric nurse care coordinator on a multi-disciplinary, community mental health treatment team. Community Mental Health Journal, 58(7), 1354–1360. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-022-00945-7
Florida Department of Children and Families. (2024). Baker Act | Florida DCF. https://www.myflfamilies.com/crisis-services/baker-act
MHACF. (2025). About us. Mental Health Association of Central Florida. https://mhacf.org/learn-more/
NAMI Florida. (2025). Mission. National Alliance on Mental Illness Florida. https://namiflorida.org/about-nami-florida/mission/
National Alliance on Mental Illness. (n.d.). Mental health in Florida. National Alliance on Mental Illness. https://www.nami.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/FloridaStateFactSheet.pdf
Patel, R., Baser, O., Waters, H. C., Huang, D., Morrissey, L., Rodchenko, K., & Samayoa, G. (2025). Open access to antipsychotics in state Medicaid programs: Effect on healthcare resource utilization and costs among patients with serious mental illness. Journal of Health Economics and Outcomes Research, 12(1), 222–229. https://doi.org/10.36469/001c.137909
NURS FPX 4065 Assessment 3 Ethical and Policy Factors in Care Coordination
Pincus, H. A., & Fleet, A. (2022). Value-based payment and behavioral health. JAMA Psychiatry, 80(1), 6–8. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.3538
Subbian, V., Galvin, H. K., Petersen, C., & Solomonides, A. (2021). Ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) in mental health informatics. Health Informatics, 479–503. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70558-9_18