The future of healthcare is concerning.

The future of healthcare is concerning. With the recent election and the talk of repealing part of Obamacare, I feel we are going backwards rather than forward. I do believe with some positive thinking and proper analysis and implementation, the United States healthcare system can be turned around for the better. The future of the United States healthcare is going to be focused on telemedicine and a value-based payment system. The introduction of telemedicine is a fairly new concept for individuals, but it provides clinical healthcare from a distance. This will eliminate distance barriers and improve the access to medical care. In most scenarios, telemedicine is cheaper usually consisting of a flat copay for services. In addition, the value-based payment system focuses on the quality of care and achieving the best outcome at the lowest cost. Physicians will no longer be reimbursed based on the volume of services provided, rather they will be reimbursed on While there is hesitancy because of the unknown, it will be beneficial to implement these two concepts to lower healthcare spending.

In Omaha, NE we have a fairly new innovative idea of healthcare, Think Whole Person Healthcare. This healthcare system utilizes telemedicine and value-based payment by offers individuals the opportunity for coordinated quality care with specialized physicians in every area. They use electronic health records that all physicians access to the patient’s care at any time, which allows them the opportunity to provide the coordinated care and avoid healthcare waste.

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I definitely think healthcare systems and providers can realistically be accountable for the health of some members, but not all. Not all members or patients are going to be accepting of the care that physicians offer or the path to get there. In today’s society we are so indulged in the instantaneous fix, in most instances we choose to try the most expensive non-logical treatment or procedure.

DB 12.1

COLLAPSE

For our final discussion of the class, I would like for you to predict the future of healthcare delivery in the U.S.

While the ACA has brought a tremendous amount of opportunities to American people in search of affordable insurance rates and healthcare initially, US healthcare is still falling far behind other countries when comparing costs, regulations, and coverage. Healthcare spending in the US far exceeds that of other high-income countries, though spending growth has slowed in the US and in most other countries in recent years (Commonwealth Fund, n.d.). The US is the only country without a publicly financed universal health system and still spends more public dollars on health care than all but two of the other countries.

This will be one of the major issues the Trump Administration must address in the years to come, and in my opinion will eventually lead to Universal healthcare for the US. I doubt it will happen in the next four years, but I feel the transition will soon begin to do so. While much about the future of health policy and the Affordable Care Act remains uncertain, one thing hasn’t changed as a result of the election: The health care industry is entering the next era of health care reform (Advisory Board, 2016).

Do you think healthcare systems and providers can realistically be accountable for the health of their members or patients? Why?

I do not feel like heathcare systems and providers can realistically be accountable for the health of their members or patients. We are a country with the freedom of choice when it comes to our healthcare and lifestyle decisions. While healthcare systems can promote positively healthy lifestyles and offer awareness and screenings for the chronic diseases that the American people face, it is ultimately up to the person to choose to act upon the information that is provided.

Kaufman week 12
COLLAPSE

Week 12

For our final discussion of the class, I would like for you to predict the future of healthcare delivery in the U.S. Review the resources for this week and critique how well you think they’ll work.

After reviewing the information by Institute for Healthcare Improvement or IHI, they believe that three areas must be further developed. The IHI calls this the “Triple Aim.” The Triple Aim includes; Improving the patient experience of care (including quality and satisfaction); Improving the health of populations; and Reducing the per capita cost of health care (IHI, 2016).

The IHI believes that the majority health care providers fail to meet all these areas. The IHI states that for this program to be successful, individuals and families must be empowered, the scope of the PCP is significantly expanded (IHI, 2016). The IHI also mentions that reform can be furthered and strengthened by Triple Aim thinking, “including: accountable care organizations (ACOs), bundled payments, and other innovative financing approaches; new models of primary care, such as patient-centered medical homes; sanctions for avoidable events, such as hospital readmissions or infections; and the integration of information technology” (IHI, 2016).

The IHI states that communities that adopt the Triple Aim will experience healthier populations, based on the design, it will allow for problems and solutions will be easier to identify. Therefore, illness will decrease to due to care will be better coordinated and health issues will be less complex (IHI, 2016). IHI also believes these approaches will reduce cost of health care and remove some of financial strain from publicly funded health care systems (IHI, 2016).

I believe this system have the potential to be successful. However, it does require a group effort. This system also only works if the patients take an active role in their healthcare.

Do you think healthcare systems and providers can realistically be accountable for the health of their members or patients?

I believe it is possible for healthcare systems and providers to be accountable for it members. However, this concept presents several challenges. Personally, I believe, for this to occur it needs to be well coordinated and the individual must buy into the healthcare plan.

So, to respond to the initial question about predicting the future of healthcare, one thing is evident, there will be changes. I personally believe healthcare will continue to shift towards the pay for performance or value based models, where services are streamlined and providers get paid for keeping people healthy, rather than the amount of services provided (Kovner & Knickman, 2015). However, with the new presidential elect and his lack of fondness towards ACA that maybe the first radical change our health care system experiences.

Unverrich 12.1
COLLAPSE

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) provides three dimensions, which are called the “Triple Aim,” to optimize the US healthcare system. These three dimensions are: improving the patient experience of care, improving the health of populations, and reducing the per capita cost of health care (“Initiatives,” n.d.). I think these are good dimensions to focus on and they will benefit the healthcare system; however, how we will reach these end goals in the future is hard to predict. Currently, insurance companies are pulling out of health exchanges on the ACA websites. Insurance companies are saying they cannot afford to provide health insurance on the exchanges. This is concerning for the future because the ACA includes provisions to reduce costs, increase access, and improve health. If the ACA does not last, how will healthcare move forward after the ACA is gone. ACA has created many good policies like no lifetime dollar limits for coverage, patients cannot be denied for pre-existing conditions, and free preventative care, just to name a few (“Health,” n.d.). If the ACA goes away, will insurance company’s go back to denying care, dropping covered individuals when they get sick, and preventing cancer patients from receiving needed care because they have reached a lifetime dollar limit? I hope the healthcare industry can learn from current changes because many of the changes are beneficial to patients and will improve the health of the population as a whole.

Zweifler, Prado, and Metchnikoff (2011) suggest that “an effective and efficient publicly sponsored health care delivery system can increase access to care, improve health care outcomes, and reduce spending.” They suggest that integrating public sponsored health care delivery systems with services that are already federally subsidized, like community health centers, safety-net hospitals, and residency training programs will benefit the health care industry as a whole (Zweifler et al., 2011). We all pay taxes so integrating public health care services with federal health care services is a cost effective way for the health industry to reduce costs. The money is already being spent so why not use it to its full potential.

I think there is no single organization, company, or group of individuals that can be health accountable for the health of their patients. Our country is based on freedom of choice and there will always be individuals that go against medical advice and health recommendations. The medical community cannot be held accountable for others actions.