Economic impact of the CNS: practitioner role.

Documentation of the economic benefit of the CNS to the institution and consumer will be vital to help justify the position of the CNS within the evolving health care system. Two tools were developed and piloted to document and evaluate one of the CNS subroles that impacts nursing productivity and patient care outcomes. The practitioner subrole was evaluated by utilizing financial analysis. The rationale for selection of variables addressed within the tools are presented, and strengths and weaknesses of the tools and the implementation process are addressed. Quantification of the outcomes reflecting the cost effectiveness of the practitioner subrole is discussed.