Hospital and Long-Term Care Facilities - Research Paper Example

 Hospitals and Long Term Care Facilities Healthcare system in any country happens to be one of the most complex social instruments that tend to impact varied aspects of social and political life. It means that the healthcare system in the United States of America has a sphere of influence that touches right from the small healthcare decisions made by individuals and families to the gargantuan decisions made by the federal, state and local authorities (Bodenheimer & Grumbach, 2008, p. 4). Hence, as expected, the healthcare system in the US comprises of varied components, where no single component works in isolation, but rather has linkages with the other existing components. Thereby, consumers rely on varied healthcare components for delivering care, while these components depend on varied other components for the necessary payment mechanisms and budgetary allocations (Bodenheimer & Grumbach, 2008, p. 2). Thus, most of the components of healthcare in the United States of America are intertwined and require cooperation and understanding from one another. In addition, each of these components also depends on multiple allied factors like finance and many related geographical and cultural factors (Bodenheimer & Grumbach, 2008, p. 5). Thereby, the delivery and effectiveness of the healthcare system in the US needs to be understood in a holistic context, while taking into consideration varied factors influencing the specific healthcare components. Nonprofit hospitals are an integral component of the American healthcare. The nonprofit hospitals essentially serve as nonprofit corporations. Nonprofit hospitals mostly tend to have charitable goals and are usually affiliated to some religious body or philanthropic organization (Bloche, 2003, p. 191). Nonprofit hospitals have since decades served as a traditional approach towards extending healthcare in the United States (Bloche, 2003, p. 191). In contrast, the for-profit hospitals are the hospitals mostly owned by the private healthcare corporations (Lindorff, 1992). For-profit hospitals usually do not have charitable goals and one of their primary objectives is to earn profits for their shareholders (Lindorff, 1992). There exist ample differences between the nonprofit and for-profit hospitals. The supporters of the for-profit hospital chains tend to vouch for their efficiency and their ability to extend quality healthcare at low costs (Cutler, 2000, p. 22). However, the detractors of the for-profit hospitals hold that these hospitals have been successful because they tend to extend only such healthcare services that are profitable and they prefer to cater to only well to do or insured patients, while staying away from the less profitable healthcare services (Cutler, 2000). In contrast, it is widely believed that nonprofit hospitals tend to serve the society in a more egalitarian way as they are mostly dependant for their funding on state grants, charitable trusts and philanthropists (Cutler, 2000, p. 78). Hence, nonprofit hospitals are not profit oriented. However, many believe that owing to the paucity of resources, nonprofit hospitals mostly have to compromise on quality and efficiency (Cutler, 2000). Besides, for-profit hospitals are also blamed for exposing their patients to unnecessary healthcare procedures and overcharging (Cutler, 2000). Irrespective of aspersions cast on the for-profit hospitals, it is a fact that for-profit healthcare institutions have emerged because the traditional model of healthcare in the United States of America, dependant mostly on nonprofit hospitals has come under immense severe stress and strain. Besides, it is widely believed that for-profit hospitals excel in the quality of healthcare owing to their being managed much astutely and in a professional manner (Cutler, 2000). The debate over the efficacy of nonprofit hospitals versus for-profit hospitals is still largely undecided, as both the sides have their supporters and detractors. In the recent times many new trends have emerged in the sphere of healthcare. Going by the fact that a significant proportion of healthcare in the United States is provided by private institutions, the consumers are fast shifting from fee-for-service health programs towards managed healthcare that are HMO’s and PPO’s, which are mostly paid for by the employers (Cutler, 2000, p. 230). Also, taking into consideration, multiple healthcare related breakthroughs furnished by scientific research, the healthcare institutions and procedures are getting more sophisticated and technology driven (Cutler, 2000, p. 114). This trend has favorably impacted varied aspects of healthcare, right from diagnosis to the selection and nature of medical treatments available to the patients. The other big factor that has given way to new trends in healthcare is the rising proportion of the aged in the pool of patients being treated by the healthcare system (Cutler, 2000, p. 265). When it comes to long term care, their also exist great differences between hospitals and nursing homes. So far as the functional outcomes of the treatment extended to the long term care patients are concerned, hospitals tend to score over nursing homes. Hospitals provide better long term care for the patients who enjoy a possibility of rehabilitation (Shaughnessy, Schlenker &Kramer, 1990). In contrast, nursing homes are more suitable for chronic care patients with negligible possibility of rehabilitation (Shaughnessy, Schlenker & Kramer, 1990). Besides, the healthcare corporations in the recent times have shifted to long care because it is profitable to do so. Though long term care hospitals share many features with nursing homes, they tend to accrue more profits by exploiting the Medicare reimbursement rules that extend higher rates for the treatment of chronically ill patients (Shaughnessy, Schlenker & Kramer, 1990). One other difference between long term care extended at nursing homes and hospitals is that nursing homes extend a more personalized care to the patients (Shaughnessy, Schlenker & Kramer, 1990). Long term care is an issue of immense importance in the context of healthcare. This is because right now the US is the home to a considerable pool of aged patients who have long term care needs. This pressure is further augmented by the fact that the aged in the United States today live longer as compared to their ancestors. In that context, varied issues are being faced by the policy makers. Going by the high cost of long term care, it is important for the policy makers to decide as to how to extend long term care in an efficient and cost effective manner (Cutler, 2000). Hence, the financing of long term care is a big issue. In the context of long term care, policy makers are yet unsure about the role and contribution that could be ascribed to federal and state agencies and the private sector (Cutler, 2000). In conclusion, it is difficult to ascertain as to which component of healthcare is more effective and efficient in its approach towards healthcare. If the public institutions excel in the realm of societal goals, private institutions tend to offer greater efficiency and cost effectiveness. Eventually, it would be right to say that all the components of healthcare need to function in a synergistic way so as to extend quality healthcare to the citizens belonging to varied strata of the society. References Bodenheimer, Thomas &Grumbach, Kevin. (2008). Understanding Health Policy. New York: McGraw-Hill. Bloche, Gregg (Ed.). (2003). The Privatization of Healthcare Reform. New York: Oxford University Press. Cutler, David M. (2000). The Changing Hospital Industry. New York: University of Chicago Press. Lindorff, Dave. (1992). Market Place Medicine: The Rise of the For-Profit Hospital Chains. New York: Bantam. Shaughnessy, PW, Schlenker, RE & Kramer, AM. (1990). Quality of Nursing Care in Nursing Homes and Swing Bed Hospitals. Health Services Research, 25(1), 65-96. Read More