The Issues of Access to Healthcare and Dental Care Services - Assignment Example

? M8 Discussions Rationing Discussion With limited resources, we will never be able to satisfy or meet the health needs for all people not only in our country but across the globe. This therefore calls for a move to ration health care. Apparently, the government through its national insurance policy shoulders the burden of paying for unessential health care services particularly provided to end-life or terminally-ill patients. Patients’ suffering from terminal diseases such as cancer as well as those in old age continue to exert pressure on the available health care resources inform of space or bed capacity and medication. According to Singer(2009), Britain has realized the importance of rationed health care in which the national insurance policy does not pay for certain expensive medications that do not reflect good money value such as medication for lengthening the life of a terminally-ill patient at the end-of life stages. United States can implement a similar approach in the provision of affordable care to all Americans in which a limit should be put on the extent at which the insurance should cover the health care needs of a patient. In this case, great emphasis should be put on the provision of services are essential to wellbeing of an individual. However, the act of rationing healthcare raises the ethical issue of discrimination in which patients should not be discriminated on the basis of financial considerations (Singer, 2009). If the rationing approach should be applied, the insurer in collaboration with the healthcare providers should be able to decide which healthcare services are essential for all. Healthcare and dental care are indeed social goods because they ought to be accessible to everyone because they occupy a central role in the ‘completeness’ of a person as a social being (Galarneau, 2002). Every social being should be allowed access to healthcare and dental care services even though this could prove impossible with the commodification of these services. Lack or Resources Discussion Considering the lack of resources available for dental care and the central values of dental practice, dental care should be treated like any other essential health care need that is funded by the national insurance policy such as Medicaid. In this case, the reimbursement of dental care should be combined with all other essential health care services to allow underserved and disadvantaged people to gain access to dental care services during examination and treatment of other health complications. However, the federal government and state governments need to amend the law to extend privileges provided to children and elderly people to all people who may require dental care at any given moment. There is need to increase the number of dentists or health care professionals who can deliver dental care with significant focus on increasing dental hygienists as cheaper alternative in the provision of dental care services to underserved populations (Bridges, 2008). By allowing subsidized reimbursement of dental hygienists and increase in the number of personnel offering such services, the cost of dental care can be significantly reduced. The only way to deal with the limited resources is to ensure quality dental care services are provided at the lowest cost possible and by increasing the number of health care professionals competing to offer the services. Preventive care should however be overemphasized as way of reducing the number of people in need of frequent dental care. Indeed, much of the program funds for dental care should be channeled towards promotion of preventive care across all age groups. Decision Making Discussion Decision making is the attempt to find a solution to a certain problem or finding the best approach to a given situation. Leaders or managers apply different decision making styles including the autocratic style, consultative and group style. In the case of autocratic decision making style, the decision or solution is achieved by an individual through analysis of the necessary, available and relevant information (Nagelkerk, 2005). The information may be from different sections of an organizations or stakeholders and the information forms the basis for the decision reached by the manager or leader. Conversely, consultative decision making style entails involvement of other key players or people affected by the decision in which the manager seeks the views and opinions of such people. However, this does not guarantee that the views and opinions are reflected in the final decision made by the leader or manager. Finally the group style involves a different style in which the manager shares the problem or issue requiring a decision with the project team or colleagues and after thorough deliberations they jointly adopt a single way forward as their decision without the influence of the team leader or manager (Nagelkerk, 2005). As a dental care manager, I would prefer a consultative approach in decision making because the style ensures that someone is responsible for the decision made unlike the group style where everyone is enjoined in the decision. As a manager, one should be able to review all the views sought from the team members and make a favorable decision that he or she can he held accountable and one which is acceptable to the majority. Evaluating Decisions Managers of dental public health programs and projects may adopt varied styles in their decision making process. In this case, it is important to evaluate such decisions to determine whether they reflect the core values of dentistry as well the objectives of establishing such programs or projects. Every dental public health program is accompanied by goals and objectives which the manager must accomplish through ensuring proper implementation and monitoring of the project activities. In this case, the success of such projects will greatly influenced by the decisions made by either the manager or the project implementation team under the leadership of the program manager (Bridges, 2008). For example, in a public dental program aimed at reducing tooth decay among school going children, the success of such a program greatly relies on the mode of engaging the children decided by the manager of the program either through the consultative or autocratic style as well as the group approach. It is important evaluate such decisions to ensure that the steps taken comply or uphold the core values of dentistry. The evaluation process can also be used to determine the competence of the managers and his or her ability to lead a successful program (Bridges, 2008). Evaluation of managers’ decisions can also help in identifying mistakes in failed projects for future reference and the vise verse. The manager determines the overall success of a project through the decisions made in the process of managing or overseeing the implementation of a particular project. Therefore, evaluation of program or project managers’ decision is crucial in determining the success or failure factors to inform future public dental programs for better outcome. References Bridges, G. (2008). Dental reception and practice management. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Galarneau, C. (2002). Health care as a community good: Many dimensions, many communities, many views of justice. The Hastings Center Report, 32(5), 33-40. Nagelkerk, J. (2005). Study guide for leadership and nursing care management. New York, NY: Elsevier Health Sciences. Singer, P. (2009). Why we must ration health care. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/magazine/19healthcare-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Read More