Healthcare Changes over the Past Decade - Essay Example

Essay: Health Care Industry Healthcare changes over the past decade Over the past one decade, there have been several technical medical advances as far as healthcare is concerned. Thus there have been dramatic transformations in healthcare over the past 10 years, basically because of emerging technologies as well as digitizing of the patient experience. These changes have greatly enhanced quality of life and healthcare. Hospital experience in the past years, comprised of lack of patient respect, strict blind spots and lengthy hospital stays. Thus access to technological innovation has grown increasingly playing a critical role in roughly all processes, ranging from registration of patient, lab tests, data monitoring to self-care tools (Marcinko & Hetico, 2011). Emergence of devices such as tablets and smartphones started replacing conventional recording and monitoring systems; hence giving patients the opportunity of undergoing a complete consultation in the privacy of their residences. In addition, advances in technology in healthcare have led to taking out of services from the confines of hospital walls to integrating them with accessible devices that are user-friendly (Marcinko & Hetico, 2011).Some of the technological changes that have taken place in healthcare over the past decade include; Emergence of electronic records-the electronic health record has revolutionized healthcare making it easy for physicians to distribute patient information to each other in addition to reducing the number of records lost. Rather than individual physicians and specialists keeping one piece of a big puzzle, it has now become simple to disseminate information seamlessly, resulting in much improved patient care. For instance its only 16% of hospitals in US that were using EHR in 2009.However by 2013, around 80% of hospitals had integrated EHR in their organizations. The EHR has created huge strides in the efficiency and centralization of patient information. It can also be utilized as population and data health tool in future (Jayanthi, 2014). The second change in healthcare is introduction of mHealth which basically has freed healthcare devices of cords and wires enabling patients and physicians to check on healthcare procedures instantly and while on-the-go. A report by R&R Market Research puts global mHealth estimates at $20.7 billion by 2019, demonstrating that it is only enlarging and becoming more widespread. Tablets and smartphones permit providers of healthcare to more than ever before to freely access as well as send information. Service providers and physicians can utilize mHealth tools for documentation, orders and basically get more information while with patients. Nevertheless, mHealth does not only pertain to wireless connectivity but also a tool that permits patients to be active participants in their treatment process through linking communication with biometrics (Jayanthi, 2014). The third key change has been telemedicine/telehealth with research consistently showing the numerous benefits of telehealth, particularly in rural surroundings having no access to similar resources like metropolitan regions. There are numerous cost benefits associated with telehealth such as reduction in fees used in traditional office expenses (Jayanthi, 2014). Portal technology is another technological change tool that is helping patients to become active participants in their own health. Portal technology permits patients and doctors to interact online as well as access medical records. By so doing, patients become more directly involved as well as better informed regarding their care (Jayanthi, 2014). The other technological medical advance has been in the development of wireless communication which has made a big difference especially in hospital infrastructure, comprising of patient monitoring with their being moved from pre to post-op. Thus hospital staffs together with other healthcare professionals no longer have to be worried about the imprisoning mess of Ethernet cords in addition to the risk of unplugging monitoring devices of the patient. Wireless communication permits proper and effective functioning of hospitals, in the process offering enhanced all-round patient care (Jayanthi, 2014). Over the next decade, healthcare system will go on evolving and could even undergo considerable transformation in structure. The most likely changes that will take place include; increase in the number of patients. Thus more individuals will become aged and the number of people approaching 65 will dramatically increase. Thus patients will live longer since the capacity to offer treatment to chronically ill patients will increase hence lengthening their life spans. Secondly there will be increased use of technology. Technology will enable genetic fingerprinting which will largely enhance risk assessment. Consequently knowing the risks will raise the capacity of other technologies to lengthen life. Such techniques may necessitate us in facing as well as attempting to resolve a sequence of hitherto unknown ethical queries (Jayanthi, 2014). Additionally electronic technology will greatly enhance efficiency and for instance electronic medical card will be directly linked to billing making it possible for a doctor to directly state into the record what ought to be done. Finally the requirement for complicated compliance programs will be noticeably minimized since billing will be straightforwardly linked to the contents of the medical record (Enders & Brown, 2013). The other key change that will take place in healthcare is rise of mega health systems. Predictions from experts claim that 20% of the country’s hospitals may seek mergers in the next decade; pushed by rising pressure to minimise costs, enhance quality and increase efficiency. Hospitals claim that mergers will enable them to allocate more resources on technology, patient services and care in addition to leading to decreased competition as well as higher prices. Other key changes behind rising mega health system are; healthcare consolidation-thus acquisitions and mergers within and across stakeholder groups-comprising of hospitals together with health systems, pharmaceutical suppliers as well as other healthcare entities will form mega-healthcare entities that are managed or controlled by mega-sized organizations. The rise of mega-systems in market-power will see stand-alone hospital and independent practitioners come to an abrupt end. There will be increased maximising of information technology leading to the abandonment of papers as healthcare providers will endeavor to fulfill federal standards. Providers will also struggle to accomplish their full value together with protecting themselves from the perils of poor implementation (Institute for the Future, 2010). As a doctor, I know that my contribution to healthcare will be vital to patient care. Thus, in order to effectively ensure that my patients are well attended to, I must continue learning on a day to day basis to keep myself abreast with the latest technological developments in healthcare. Because medicine as a practice that is distinguished by being able to offer sound judgment in the face of uncertainty ,as a doctor I will have to assume full responsibility for such judgments; including their consequences. As a doctor, therefore, my up-to-date skill and knowledge will offer the precise scientific and regularly implicit empirical information for such kind of judgments. Thus I must win my patients’ trust by being clear on what I do especially as it pertains to my core values, relationships with colleagues and patients as well as my overall behaviour. As a doctor I will also engage in humanitarian work in the society via advocating for health issues like cancer and hypertension in addition to working as a volunteer on various missions ranging from training medical practitioners especially in the developing world to offering care to victims of disaster. Being in a rapidly changing environment I would adapt my skills to evolve along with the needs of the industry through investing as much as I can in myself as well as the latest technology. Thus I would ensure that I attend various seminars touching on the challenges of a physician in the 21st century in addition to offering support services when needed. This can be achieved through undertaking a suitable workload, working on a preferred schedule and assuming roles that best fits both my long term and short term objectives. Finally I would ensure an environment that ensures team building is upheld and seen as important for success. I would implement this through functioning in tandem with my colleagues as well as building something greater than just my individual contribution. Yes my perception regarding healthcare has changed over the course of my program. For instance I have been able to open my mind to numerous opportunities available in the healthcare sector. Initially I was content with just being a general physician, but because of this program, I have been able to train my mind on other opportunities available in healthcare. This, I can say has significantly impacted my life. The coming decade will be a turning point for the healthcare industry as far as technology is concerned. Thus, as the economy and healthcare reform continue presenting challenges, innovative developments in healthcare information technology(IT) will offer the solution not only in ensuring conformity with new legal obligations but also improving patient care and reducing costs. Healthcare facilities in US are, for instance, in a race to fulfill the rising security obligations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).Thus data storage management systems will play a crucial role in maintenance of patient records in a secure, timely as well as simply accessible manner (Jayanthi, 2014). Developments in electronic medical records, picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) together with computerized physician order entry (CPOE) solutions are all being embraced at a fast speed. The use of mobile computing by doctors will also increase significantly, offering healthcare providers the opportunity to instantly share electronic records of their patients and other information. In future therefore, approximately all clinicians will be making use of software knowledge-based applications and online reference tools daily for their various processes. In addition, all hospitals will be utilizing mobile devices that are hand held to get access to reference manuals, patient records and drug reference databases. Such advance in healthcare information systems and e-prescribing will reduce medical errors in addition to enhancing patient health outcomes. In future, therefore, as modern medicine continues to grow in complexity; moving beyond human capacity retention there will be numerous drugs, diagnoses, medical and surgical operations available daily-technologies that will offer the needed tools for advancing patient service and care to the next level (Enders & Brown, 2013). Some of the financial and economic issues that will affect the health care industry in the next 10 years include increased spending in healthcare meaning that there will be increase in the share of GDP dedicated to healthcare and eventual inflation of the economy. The chief concern is that the fast rise in the spending of health care will affect main economic indicators such as the per capita GDP, inflation and employment. These effects are likely to be experienced in all sectors of the economy –ranging from households, businesses and governments. This is because the above sectors are interrelated and play a significant role in the financing, provision as well as consumption of healthcare in America. Thus, for instance local, state and federal governments all collect taxes from households and businesses to fund public health insurance programs in addition to directly providing health care to households (Marcinko & Hetico, 2013). Thus rising health costs may trigger governments to increase borrowing, reduce investments and raise taxes in other crucial sectors like infrastructure and education, restraining economic growth in addition to affecting both households and businesses. Likewise, US corporations faced with rising health care costs may reduce investments and employment in the US economy. In addition such increased costs may trigger inflation in US hence making US services and goods less competitive internationally over time, since rising health care costs may ultimately be reflected in increased product prices. In conclusion, high healthcare costs may reduce health care access; reduce retirement savings and bankrupt consumers (Cimasi, 2013). References Read More