Medical Inefficiency and Care Delivery Systems - Essay Example

Patient delivery and care is an intricate process today, aggravated by a variety of complex factors that challenge the medical field. In the current setting of hospitals, care organizations, and other facilities, medical knowledge has advanced extremely, requiring a profound understanding of the domain in order to respond effectively, to enhance the wellbeing of patients. Conversely, various aspects contribute to the efficiency and inefficiency of medical care. The quality of medical services and delivery systems determine necessarily the patient output. Indeed, the US medical care system is a comprehensive, and yet exigent process which incorporates diverse external and internal aspects, policies, and practices so as to meet the essential standards of treatment (Author, year). The medical practitioner’s knowledge and experience, individual disposition, and the available technologies, determine the nature of patient delivery, care and health (Author, year). In reference to Raymond and Tanya’s cases, this paper presents the sources of inefficiency and reduced quality of care in the US medical setting, while discussing fervently the changes in the medical care delivery system which could have improved the patient’s outcome. In Raymond’s case, after being put on a gurney in the emergency room, he is left unattended for six hours, on a mundane claim that his problem is unclear since he is not able to communicate coherently. This medical inefficiency is caused by a lack of developed health information technology to be able to identify his medical history to help diagnose Raymond’s condition, despite his inability to speak out. Furthermore, even if Raymond was able to communicate coherently, at his age, he may not be able to provide helpful information regarding the condition. Undeveloped health information technology, may promote various medical practitioner inefficiencies, due to a subjective analysis of the person. Tracing the patient medical history is fundamental in diagnosis and treatment. There are effective health information technologies which are able to search for the medical history of Raymond across a range of hospitals in the US. Moreover, of much seriousness, Raymond was discharged to an in patient rehabilitation centre without his medical history information and even the current medications he was under. Such a medical inefficiency is caused by a lack of better organized care pathways necessary in choosing provider organizations, which are able to articulate to patient conditions for effective treatment. Congruently, Raymond needed a patient-centered medical home which is specialized in improving chronic illnesses, with a specialized personal physician. In Tanya’s case, a highly notable inefficiency is the conflicting medication and treatment recommended to her, while the respective practitioners are members of the same medical group (Author, year). The inefficiency is caused by lack of coordination between the pediatrician and the pediatric nurses who are in the same medical group. Furthermore, the pediatric ward nurses who make a decision about Tanya’s treatment are not professionals in administering such treatment. The confusion experienced among the medical practitioners in treating Tanya’s case is caused through a lack of medical professionalism. Moreover, these medical practitioners seem to lack essential technological facilities to diagnose Tanya effectively. Later, Tanya is found to have a collapsed lung. Such inefficiency is contributed by the level of medical knowledge amongst patient physicians. In addition, some medical practitioners lack fundamental IT equipments required in a quick and efficient way of connecting or collaborating with other hospitals, physicians, and organizational providers in order to address patient delivery efficiently (Author, year). The luck of this kind of coordination deteriorates the quality of patient care, and may lead to lose of lives like in the case of Tanya. The essence of communicating patient care transversely other medical practitioners, improves the sharing of medical knowledge, facilities, and patient transfers in the process of ensuring effective patient care. In identifying the necessary changes for improvement, the medical care delivery system requires the creation of accountability in care organizations (ACO), in order to provide a body that has local health care and related providers who are accountable for the offered quality of care and cost to a certain population (196). Changes in the medical care delivery system must endeavor to develop relationships between patients, practitioners, and provider bodies, as a way of enhancing communications. In an ACO, every practitioner will have individual responsibility to ensure that every patient admitted into the hospital receives fastest attendance possible as a form of primary care. Nevertheless, a lucid form of improving the care delivery systems is the establishment of bundled payments (Author, year). The concept of bundled payments is rooted in the promotion of individual’s contribution in episodes of care. For instance, care providers will be paid in form of incentives, in every care episode provided to a patient (Author, year). Bundled payments will offer practitioners and other medical care representatives a financial incentive which will promote the urge for efficient performance. Moreover, bundled payments will promote team work, through peer influence in medical organizations’ a care management that can be used in acute and chronic conditions. Another potential change required in the improvement of patient delivery is promoting the culture of team-based medical practice (Author, year). Team work across health care providers is necessary in creating a collaborative approach to patient care. In a team work setting, the primary objective is to provide elaborate patient delivery and care management. Working together will enhance helpful professional relationships which promotes sharing of medical knowledge and experience across the field. In addition, the medical field ought to design payment structures, which will help discourage medical trainees without adequate knowledge and experience from joining the primary care level. Moreover, medical payment plans are required to reimburse health care practitioners whenever they spent time in coordinating care, responding to patients’ inquires and consultations. In order to reduce inefficiencies and patient delivery problems, it is significant for the entire medical sphere to integrate lucid knowledge, experience, technology, ethics, and professionalism across every hospital, medical organizations, and facilities. References Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Location: Publisher. Read More