How to Improve the Americans' Health - Essay Example

How to improve the Americans health Improving the health of Americans is all about ensuring a safer healthcarereform, timely and patient centered services. In the history of American healthcare systems, enough focus has never been put to improve the quality of health services despite the fact that the government has spent much money in the healthcare systems than any other sector. Most scholars have pointed out that the Americans cannot easily access affordable and quality healthcare services because the costs escalate every year. As such, the experts are warning that the increase in the number is posing a serious threat to the national labor force and future strain to the healthcare industry. It is, therefore, recommended that America should relay much focus on improving the quality of healthcare services on the contrary to only diagnosing and treating a patient once they become ill. Therefore, this paper attempts to find out if the quality is the most useful thing that could be made to improve Americans’ health. American people should join hands and provide effort to help in the realization of better and quality healthcare reforms. Even though some people are already aware of the need for quality healthcare reforms, very little has been done commitment to improving quality and affordable healthcare services. Besides, there is escalating cost of medications and wages making it too expensive to hire practitioners. The high costs have compromised provisions to quality healthcare services. Much of this contribution has been brought by the fact that, for every little amount that is spend in providing treatment solution, just a mere fraction could have been spent in providing quality preventive healthcare reforms. Moreover, healthcare services in the United States have proven to be very scanty, medical supports have become more profit oriented on the contrary to the provision of quality affordable healthcare services to the citizens (Yoo, Grace and Nhung Le 361). The need for quality improvement According to the American medical research foundation (AMRF), a lot is still required to improve on the quality of health care services. Besides, the foundation has given evidences on how applying simple quality strategies in providing healthcare services is significant to the reduction of cost of healthcare thus appropriately affects the health of Americans. However, much concern should not only be linked purposely to reduce the cost of medication, but to ensure safe healthcare services. Healthcare statistics has pointed out that at least two out of 10 patients that have been admitted in a hospital, in the United States, often claim for issues of quality service during their stay. Due to such a situation, there is appropriate evidence that bigger and most respected hospitals must consider improving their quality because this would further reflect on how late a patient recovers (Yoo, Grace and -Nhung Le 361). Due to the current increase in the cost of medical care, insurance companies are reversing their charges upwards while reducing chances of compensation. The act of insurance companies to increase their cost of the premium may be right because it is their nature to make a profit, but such companies should diversify means of ensuring that their profit margin correlates to improving quality in the healthcare sector. For instance, insurance should consider short-term policies as a means to mitigate the spread of simple diseases because this will ensure they are taken care of in time thus preventing the expenses that could have been incurred in future treatment. Such strategies are essential in ensuring healthy and productive citizens of the United States (McLaughlin and Kaluzny 78). Despite the fact that most bills concerning the quality of healthcare services do exists, less effort has been taken to implement such bills into law. The assumption is that, having an expansive insurance scheme is sustainable enough to service delivery in hospitals. However, in some cases it is considered as a contradiction because medical cost provision does not relate to quality service delivery. As such, it is advisable that the lobby group should take adequate measures in pushing the legislatures to increase the rate of policy implementation thus resulting into quality service delivery (McLaughlin and Kaluzny 78). Steps in ensuring quality in healthcare industry In an effort to reduce the increasing cost of medicine while improving the quality of medical services, the following approaches can be encouraged other than providing very expensive laboratory tests to cure an already existing disease. Understanding the quality process This procedure constitutes having a clear understanding of the problem before deciding on a possible solution. Even though the method may not give the exact information about the existence of a problem, it helps in identifying important ways to initiate quality management solution in the end. The approach is necessary since it provides a clear understanding of the patient lifecycle towards the recovery process. Besides, it is very necessary for giving descriptions about the recovery process of a patient (Jimmerson13). Reliability It is also good to recommend quality improvement as a substantial effort to the delivery of reliable clinical service. As such, it avoids unnecessary wastes thus reducing chances of errors and harm that may cost the life of a patient. The incorporation reliability concept in healthy delivery plan gives leeway to the provision of quality healthcare service in terms of consistency while efficiently utilizing the available resources (Institute of Medicine 47). Population of patients and the admission trend The capacity of the hospital should be relevant to the number of caregivers. Therefore, in a situation where the number of patients has outnumbered the ability of doctors will lead to poor quality service provision. For the realization of quality healthcare service, the staff population should match the number of patients in a healthcare facility because in every healthcare setting the ratio of doctors to the number of patients is substantial to the quality of service given to them (Institute of Medicine 47). Involving members of the team From the incidences taking place in healthcare facilities and the occurrences in medical organizations, it is possible to point out that the need for quality healthcare service is a joint effort of all the stakeholders. Therefore, success in quality service delivery is not only based on the process, but it also constitutes the people involved in the process and how the process is being moderated. The potentials to institute quality healthcare service in American medical facilities would require engaging clinical staff and the frontline personnel, as this is necessary to improve quality reinforcement process towards helping the citizens who urgently need of healthcare services. Moreover, engaging staff members does not only expose them to the need for quality healthcare management, but it also shows a sense of unity necessary towards ensuring quality healthcare among all Americans (Institute of Medicine 47). Healthy eating habits Besides the concentration in improving the quality of healthcare, consideration should also be laid on the Americans eating habits. Although the United States spends a significant amount of money in its healthcare institutions, not much development is reflected in its level of life expectancy. Therefore, prevention, methods such as healthy eating habits can also be applied as one of the best alternatives would ensure that life expectancy remains attainable. Poor health conditions of the American citizens is attributed to poor eating habits such as excessive consumption of fast foods rich in cholesterol and too much proteins (Nix 43). Based on history and culture of the American society, food is an essential factor to the achievement of better health and nutrient needed to sustain the body. Therefore, families play an important role in determining the food a person takes in. However, the lifestyle of the United States citizens has since been characterized by poor diets of excessive proteins and calories. As such, the following strategies could otherwise be more important in ensuring good health to the American society (Nix 43). In contrast to taking the usual kinds of food that poses serious threats to members of the society, people should be sensitized to consume foods that help in the provision of vital nutrients to the body because, there are certain nutrients essential to the body and can only be acquired as food supplements. Moreover, it has been facilitated because different food components contain multi-nutrients that are important in sustaining the health of an individual (Nix 43). To avoid unnecessary risks of chronic diseases such as hypertension or obesity among the Americans then children should be given relevant information at an early age about the need of healthy eating habit as this would continue attainable throughout their life. Unhealthy eating habits are susceptible to tremendous weight gain in children that can easily be carried through their adulthood life. Healthy eating habit is related to the overall reduction to prevalent risks in chronic diseases. Besides, a person would always remain fit and healthy. According to US department of health, there has been consistent reduction of the rate at which Americans are taking fruits, with Sharp reduction recorded as from the year 2010. The reduction has increased the rate of affection for those suffering from osteoporosis. As such, the US department of health should put in place necessity measure through public campaign to sensitize the society on the importance of fruits in the body (Nix 43). Works cited: Yoo, Grace and -Nhung Le, Mai. Handbook of Asian American health. New York: Springer, 2013. Print McLaughlin, Curtis and Kaluzny, Arnold. Continuous quality improvement in health care. Sudbury, Mass.; Toronto: Jones and Bartlett, 2006. Print. Jimmerson, Cindy. Value Stream mapping for healthcare .Business & Economics. CRC Press, 2010. Print. Institute of Medicine. Keeping patients safe: transforming the work environment of nurses. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2004. Print Nix, Staci. Williams. Basic nutrition and diet therapy. St. Louis, Mo.: Elsevier, 2013.Print. Read More