The Importance of Health Care System in America - Research Paper Example

Topic:  Ethical Issues in Healthcare Introduction In America, the health care industry is a vast sector and being a powerful nation, the country opts for a health care service which is of qualitative nature. The health care sector is directly related to the quality of life of the public; hence, the American government has complete obligation to assess and evaluate the service provided by the health care professional to the public appearing at the health care centers. When health care professionals deal with the patients at hospital, they are bound by an array of ethical and legal implications. As per Thibodeaux (2012), “Those who work in health care deal with ethical issues specific to the industry. These issues, which are influenced largely by society, impact everything from medical procedure to legislation and licensure.” Without ethical or moral value, a health care professional or health care center hardly can function. As such, there are various legal and ethical considerations which come on the scene while looking up to the quality of health care services provided by the American health care centers. The reason for maintaining a particular ethical and legislative code for every medical centre is to consider the ethical and medical situations faced by the health care professionals in their due course of treating patients. Here, the legal implications can be verified as the risk management, quality improvement and compliances policies. These factors form the basis of structuring the ethical and legal framework of the working pattern of any health center in America. The Importance of Health Care System in America When one considers a health care concept, one of the most important obligations of the American government is to protect its public against any contingencies affecting their health status. Every citizen in America has the right to acquire comprehensive health care, which can lead to the upgrading of their mental and physical wellbeing. As per UDHS (2012), “Access to health services means the timely use of personal health services to achieve the best health outcomes.” Only if there is excellent health among the citizen of a country, then they will be able to build up a strong economy and stable national infrastructure on a long-term basis. Unlike other industrial sectors, the health care sector deals with people from all ages and cultural dimensions. The importance of the health care sector has only increased since its establishment as people are getting more deteriorated, physically and mentally, due to their poor quality of thinking and living style. However, the American citizens who are looking up to quality health care services, approach private health care centers, which demand a high cost medical insurance from their prospective patients. As per Hacker (2007), “As health care costs have skyrocketed and the proportion of Americans with stable benefits has eroded, health insecurity has become a shared American experience, felt by those who thought they had it made as well as those just struggling to get by.” This is the main reason for the importance of health care centers and for the ethical and legal value of health care professionals in America. The Ethical and Legal Implication of Health Care Professionals The health care industry is a profession where the health care professional has to surrender to multiple ethical laws and norms in order to secure the health and life of their patients. However, it is not a mandatory principle which is followed only in the health care sector of a country. Every business organization or transaction occurring in this world has ethical and legal implications. Among ethical and legal implications, ethics has more value as it is connected directly with the law of nature. As per Rabinowitz (2012), “Ethics is a code of thinking and behavior governed by a combination of personal, moral, legal, and social standards of what is right.” If ethics are rightly followed by the health care professionals, the application of legal procedures and laws can be more effective and beneficial. The main aim for the establishment of ethical and legal standards in the health care sector is to safeguard the human legal and civil rights. Without this, it is impossible for the health care professionals to understand the real emotional and physiological need of the patients. It is not necessarily practical that every health care professional should know the unique demands of the patients attending the health care centers. For instance, cases where patients need to be subjected to euthanasia are a situation which demands high alert from the ethical and legal perspective of a health centre. Some of the main aspects which need to be considered for the application of ethical and legal principles are risk management, quality improvement and compliances of policies. Risk Management Among Health Care Professionals It is a general fact that any industry in this world is comprised of risk and contingencies and when it comes to the health care industry, the risk is high as the health care professionals are dealing with the life of the public. So risk management is the main issue which needs to be acknowledged and contemplated by health care centers and health care professionals. As there is numerous illnesses which require various types of treatment and consultation in America, the health care professionals need to be specialized in handling risk and dangers connected with treating diseased patients. On its website, NHS (2007) writes that “Risk management includes slips, trips and falls involving staff, patients and the public, administrative errors that impact on patient care and clinical incidents that have a direct effect on the outcome of patient care.” The risk management in a health care center revolves around four factors as below: a) Risk Identification: Identifying the risk factor in a health care sector is of utmost importance in order to evaluate the health risk in health service centers of America. b) Risk Analysis: Analyzing risk allows the health care service professional to deal with patients in the best possible manner. According to Wold and Shriver (1997), “A risk analysis involves identifying the most probable threats to an organization and analyzing the related vulnerabilities of the organization to these threats.” c) Risk treatment: This is to be done by utilizing risk identification and risk analysis in an appropriate manner along with risk control and risk financing. d) Evaluation of risk treatment strategies: Any risk treatment strategies need to be evaluated well in order to deliver maximum result. In total, risk management monitors the financial loss, liability or injury, or regulatory non-compliance within a healthcare centre. Quality Improvement Among Health Care Professionals The health care industry is a sector where health care professionals have to comply with the morality, ethics, and legal implications of the service they offer to the patient on a daily basis. In a hospital environment, there can originate various medical errors and health contingencies, wherein the health care professionals become responsible to the patient on a short-term or long-term basis. The hospital industry is not like other industrys, where errors can be rewound with a negligent amount of evaluation and assessment. Here, the life of the American public is in the hands of health care practitioners, and if any error or defect happens in the health or life of a patient, then the hospital authorities and government encounter a greater risk. According to Batalden (2007), “Many in healthcare today are interested in defining ‘quality improvement.’ We propose defining it as the combined and unceasing efforts of everyone, i.e., healthcare professionals, patients and their families, researchers, payers, planners and educators in total.” In every health care industry throughout the world, the health caring techniques and skills utilized by health care professionals should be based on the change factor. If there is no change introduced in the medical care provided by the health care authorities, the quality of care slips into a stagnation and saturation mode. Currently, the medical world is booming with the latest medical technologies and inventions and only a change in the performing ability of the health care officials can bring about qualitative improvement in the health of American society. The Compliances of Policies Among Health Care Professionals In the health care sector, there are lot of ethical and legal policies framed, which need to be followed by the health care professionals in order to eliminate health related errors and defects among the patients visiting the health care centre. This compliance of policies allows the health care professional to organize and plan the health care provision in an organized and structured manner. Here, the ethical policies are framed by the federal government, and each health care center in any locality needs to connect with the state government in order to comply with the policies put forward by the former. However, the American public needs to realize the cultural value of America in order to subject to the innovative policies proposed and implemented by the federal government in the health care sector. In his book Marcus (1997) argues, “If Americans truly seek different health or health care policy, then they need to understand, evaluate, and confront contemporary cultural values.” If the health care sector complies with health care policies accurately, then the American public has minimal loss on health insurance cost and also they can secure their health on a long-term basis. Here the federal government set high ethical standards and legal rules and regulations in order to provide the American public with the highest possible quality of health care service. Moreover, the health care professionals have the obligation to first comply with policies as their aim is the welfare of the American public. Conclusion The health care industry is a sector where the medical law and ethics play a highly significant role. All these ethical and legal policies are structured and maintained for the caring and welfare of the American public. Since the health care professionals are dealing with the life and health of the public, they need to assure the public and government that the ethical and moral standard they believe in are accurate and in line with the contemporary society. Any fail in the health care service of American patients may sue the medical practitioners and health care professionals in order to compensate for the loss suffered by the family members of the diseased. As per ACEP (2012), “For at least the past century, the United States has been a, if not the, world leader in expanding the frontiers of medicine and improving the quality of health care.” For instance, some issues such as euthanasia and abortion demand a high ethical and legal obligation from the health care sector. In his book Pozgar (2013) asserts, “The scope of health care ethics is not limited to philosophical issue but embraces, economic, medical, political, social and legal dilemmas.” It is a fact that the health care industry is comprised of risk, ambiguity, vague health situations and complicating medical issues. For the same reason, the health care professionals are bound by risk management, quality assurance and submission to ethical and legal policies formulated by the federal government. Moreover, the medical field needs to maintain medical records, meet the needs and queries of the patients and provide them with accurate medical information in order to nurture confidence and trust in them on a long-term basis. References ACEP. (2012). The ethics of health care reform: Issues in emergency – medicine – an information paper. acep.org. Retrieved September 18, 2012, from http://www.acep.org/Cont ent.aspx?id=80871. Batalden, P. B. (2007). What is “quality improvement” and how can it transform healthcare? BMJ, 16(1), 2–3. Hacker, J. S. (2007, January 11). Health care for America. sharedprosperity.org. Retrieved September 19, 2012, from http://www.sharedprosperity.org/bp180.html. Marcus, A. I. (1997). Health care policy in contemporary America (p. 22). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania University Press. NHS. (2007). How is risk managed in the NHS? clinicalgovernance.scot.nhs.uk. Retrieved September 19, 2012, from http://www.clinicalgove rnance.scot.nhs.uk/se ction3/riskm anaged.asp. Pozgar, G. D. (2013). Legal and ethical issues for health professionals (p. 3). Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Rabinowitz, P. (2012). Ethical issues in community interventions. ctb.ku.edu. Retrieved September 19, 2012, from http://ctb.ku.edu/en/tablecontents/sub_section_main_1165.aspx. Thibodeaux, W. (2012). Ethical issues for health care professionals. ehow.com. Retrieved September 19, 2012, from http://www.ehow.com/about_6130917_ethical-issues-health-care-professionals.html. UDHS. (2012, September 6). Access to health services. healthypeople.gov. Retrieved September 19, 2012, from http://www.healthypeople.gov /2020/topicsobjectives2020/ov erview.aspx?topicid=1. Wold &Shriver (1997). The risk analysis process provides the foundation for the entire recovery planning effort. In drj.com . Retrieved September 19, 2012, from http://www.drj.com /new2dr/w3_030.htm>. Read More