The businesslike nature of the health care organizations including NHS - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages The aim of the present study is to prove that NHS is a business organization which has implemented business principles in order to function effectively. The study begins with a discussion on how health care overall in a business and how NHS in UK is also functioning like a business organization. The business strategies being implemented in the organization to improve its performance and efficiency at a low cost are also explained. The trends in global health care are also explained and measures taken by NHS to keep up with the changes are also discussed. The conclusion of the study is presented in the end. Health care as a Business Health care is a USD 6 trillion dollar industry as is very much treated like a business in the global environment. Just like any other business, the health care industry provides provide returns on investments, creates jobs, provides insurance, and is often funded by the government (Ralston, 2007). Moreover, the services it provides are necessary for survival of a society, thus it must be maintained as a business to ensure the future and present smooth running of the industry. In order to maintain health care as a business, the health care triangle must be maintained, which includes the “access, cost, and quality” of the services being provided to the consumers (Gandhi, 2012). Since health care is treated like a business, the individuals to whom it provides services are treated not as patients but consumers whose needs must be satisfied. Keeping this view of health care as a business in mind, the concept of Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) was introduced by Dr. Elliot Fisher in 2006 (Fisher, 2010). According to this model, an ACO is a “local health care organization and a related set of providers (at a minimum, primary care physicians, specialists, and hospitals) that can be held accountable for the standards of care delivered to a defined population” (Devers and Berenson, 2009, p. 1). This modal has become a major part of the US health care system since its implementation under the Patient Protection and Affordability Care Act (Gandhi, 2012). The private health care firms operate more like business organizations than the public health care organizations as they provide quick quality care to the patients. Many patients whose treatments are delayed or denied often seek treatment from the private firms that charge their patients the desired price for their services. The private health care industries in the United Kingdom have been a victim of criticism in recently because of their inability to provide precise information of quality and price of their services (Ruddick, 2011).The business for the private health care firms is generated mainly through health care insurance and network agreements while some patients may also choose to pay themselves for the services (Ruddick, 2011). National Health Service as a Business The National Health Services (NHS) represents the three of the four health care systems in the United Kingdom which is publicly funded through general taxation instead of health insurance. NHS is subjected to a number of health care services that are provided free of cost at the time of use. The NHS provides jobs to over 1.2 million people and allows patients with serious conditions, as indicated by the General Physician, a direct access to specialist treatment (Popper, Sutton, Whitnall, and Windmeiier, ...Download file to see next pagesRead More