The US Healthcare Delivery System and Drivers for Change - Term Paper Example

? The U.S. Healthcare Delivery System and Drivers for Change Introduction: The healthcare system in the US is a matter of debatesince on one side views are in support of the fact that America has the best of the technologies and the best systems of healthcare available in the country, on the other hand, there are views against the US healthcare system considering it to be inefficient and fragmented, accompanied with lack of health insurance facilities, poor quality, and poor management of administration, while spending more in the health departments, more than any other country in the world (Chua, 2006). The present study focuses on a discussion of the healthcare system in the US and the key drivers that are affecting the system that may be altered for improvement. Key Drivers Affecting the US Healthcare System: In the early years, the healthcare systems in the US proved to be a charitable unit where patients required little or no money for their treatments. With the passage of time, this image of the US healthcare system has completely altered and the system has now become a business unit that needs to be fully matured with respect to strategic decision making, financial management, maintenance of operations, as well as functional expertise in order to maintain its practicability. With the increasing demand for skilled workers and quality services, there are certain challenges as well that have been affecting the US healthcare system as a whole (Chapter 1: Introduction to Healthcare Delivery Systems, n.d., pp.2-3). In the current study, three major factors that affect the US healthcare system are discussed. These include: Quality of Care: Questions have been raised in the recent times on the quality of care provided to the patients by the US healthcare systems. Some of the evaluative studies conducted by bodies like the State of Managed Care Quality, and the Journal of the American Medical Association have come to conclusions that there has been no significant progress in the quality of care provided to patients. Moreover several variations can also be observed in the plans concerned for clinical care, services to the customers, and the satisfaction of members. The high and low performing plans of the health organizations reflect severe gaps while same physicians might be involved in the planning and management. Generally patients or their families are dissatisfied if they are not allowed to approach to their choice of professionals. Moreover, they need to pay more for the service being provided (Feynberg, n.d., pp.32-34). Economic Effect: The economy of the country has significant effects on the healthcare systems. This is in the way the demands for healthcare get affected, affecting the financial status of not only the health organizations but in turn the practitioners and employees as well. Thus in cases of recessions, such effects are more significant and the country does not have the proper measures to stay unaffected. Employment, health coverage and costs, financial needs to the care and health results are largely dependent on the economy of the country thus having effects on the system (Impact of the Economy on Health Care, 2009, pp.1-4). Environmental and Social Factors: Environmental and social factors have been found to affect the supply of workers required in the healthcare systems. This primarily occurs due to natural disasters like earthquakes or severe storms like the hurricanes, and social causes such as war and terrorism. During these incidents, there occurs an increasing demand for healthcare and at the same time the US healthcare systems proves to be inefficient in providing the needed care and service. This reflects the country’s greater need for skilled expertise and healthcare professionals such that the US healthcare system might be able to encounter such situations without failures (Chapter 1: Introduction to Healthcare Delivery Systems, n.d., pp.9-10). Implications of These Factors in the US Healthcare System: Quality of care has been tried to be studied across other countries as well for a comparative understanding internationally. Studies have not found evidence that might prove that US is the best in providing quality service. Certain areas like the cancer treatments have been well established in the US. However, in regard to the other care facilities differences have been found across countries (Docteur & Berenson, 2009, pp.9-11). It can be clearly understood that if the quality of the care and service are not improved, the demand for healthcare services would naturally decline affecting the US health industry as a whole. With the current inefficient healthcare systems in the US, the economic budgets are significantly affected owing to the rising costs and inconsistencies in the system. The overall increases in the health costs have been found to lose its control affecting the workers and the businesses in the healthcare industry in the country. The premiums for health insurances have risen making it difficult for the workers to manage. Moreover, with the inflation in place, the earnings of the workers have also been affected. These factors are making the US healthcare system ineffective, disturbing the overall state of the country (Johnson, 2009). While there are environmental and social factors as well affecting the health care systems in the US, it can be understood that in such severe situations there are greater number of health affected individuals. Hence if more workers and effective and quality services cannot be provided to them, the demand for the services would decline affecting the industry as a whole. Moreover this would affect the image of the country as well in comparison to other countries whose conditions are better than the US. Reforms for the US HealthCare Systems: It has been obtained that the US has considered reforms for the prevailing problems related to the chronic diseases in the country (Bland, n.d.). However the major issues affecting the US healthcare systems have been found to be more crucial as discusses earlier. The country that has considered these concerns as well has also focused on the reforms that are necessary at this juncture. These include improving the overall quality of the care, improving people and communities, as well as making the care and services affordable to the patients (National Strategy for Quality Improvement in Health Care, 2011, p.1). along with these it is essential that the country remains prepared with skills and expertise to overcome environmental and social incidents as well as negative effects of the economy. These reforms would effectively address the problems associated with the quality of care, the economic effects as well as enable the country to overcome difficult times arisen by the environmental and social incidents. These would improve the state of the country’s healthcare system, thus satisfying the customers as well as the workers and the members of the health organizations. Conclusion: From the study it can be concluded that the US in the current state needs to consider a number of significant factors that are affecting the effective and successful health care system within the country. Although reforms have been planned and decided, effective implementation of these reforms is necessary to overcome the problems associated with poor quality of care, effect of the economy, and environmental and social factors, which in turn would also make the health care services affordable. References 1) Bland, J. (n.d.). Reforming the United States Health Care System: Implementing an Effective Approach to Chronic Disease, deerpathprimarycare, Retrieved on May 19, 2012 from: http://www.deerpathprimarycare.com/downloads/bland.pdf 2) Chapter 1: Introduction to Healthcare Delivery Systems (n.d.), jblearning, Retrieved on May 19, 2012 from: http://www.jblearning.com/samples/0763746878/46878_CH01_pass1.pdf 3) Chua, K-P. (2006). Overview of the US Healthcare System, AMSA, Retrieved on May 19, 2012 from: http://www.amsa.org/AMSA/Libraries/Committee_Docs/HealthCareSystemOverview.sflb.ashx 4) Docteur, E. & R.A. Berenson (2009). How Does the Quality of US Health Care Compare Internationally?, urban, Retrieved on May 19, 2012 from: http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/411947_ushealthcare_quality.pdf 5) Feynberg, Y.C. (n.d.). America’s Healthcare System, lifeadjustmentcenter, Retrieved on May 19, 2012 from: http://lifeadjustmentcenter.com/Americashealthcaresystem.pdf 6) Impact of the Economy on Health Care (2009), academyhealth, Retrieved on May 19, 2012 from: http://www.academyhealth.org/files/HCFO/findings0809.pdf 7) Johnson, L.A. (June 21, 2009). Q&A: Why health care’s economic impact matters?, USA Today, Retrieved on May 19, 2012 from: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-06-19-health-economy_N.htm 8) National Strategy for Quality Improvement in Health Care (2011), healthcare, Retrieved on May 19, 2012 from: http://www.healthcare.gov/law/resources/reports/nationalqualitystrategy032011.pdf Read More