U.S Healthcare System on Global Epidemic Assignment | Custom Assignment Help

How can the U.S healthcare system adapt and deal with a global epidemic and or health crisis such as the impacts of global climate change?Entire Topic Question: How can the U.S healthcare system adapt and deal with a global epidemic and or health crisis such as the impacts of global climate change? Is it set up to be able to adapt, treat and protect or does it have to change? If so explain why and how and who will have to make the changes and how will it get reimbursed? Each paper must answer the question completely and address the role of financing, insurance, delivery, payment and access in relationship to the question chosen. must use 8 peer-reviewed sources

Diana Arango Ruiz Health Care N502 Module 3

Aspen University

For many Americans over the age of 65, the cost of health care rises. Many elderly Americans are suffering from chronic medical conditions that can be physically deteriorating. Individuals can not longer perform daily living activities such as going for a walk, prepare meals, bathe themselves, or self-administrate medication. As a result, in those situations, individuals will seek for long term care facilities to receive care. With the elderly population quickly becoming health care consumers, the possibility to receive health care for their chronic conditions increases; which could mean that individuals will seek long term care facilities, assisted living facilities, or even hire friends/family members to provide care at home (Doty P, Nadash P, Racco N, Pag 360).

As many Americans reach their retirement age, they are covered by the “Social Security Act”, in which individuals utilize their savings and money their employers contributed to fund, that would be use with retirement income (Young K & Kroth P, Page 248).

As the economy is constantly changing, many American families have become caregivers of an elderly family member, that requires extra care, who has a chronic medical condition. According to Young K & Kroth P, “family caregivers frequently are required to make major compromises in their finances, lifestyles, and personal freedom to care for family members” (Page 256). Elderly individuals will seek help from a family member first. They will make personal arrangements to have a family member provide care to avoid utilizing healthcare dollars in long-term facilities that could take their emotional freedom.

At the same time this implication of caregivers could increase negative outcomes such as “caregiver to suffer physical and emotional burnt-out and the growing inability of family caregivers to fully manage care without outside assistance…” (Young K & Kroth P, Page 256).

Adding to the fact, elderly and disable individuals will experience the feeling of being “a burden” to their families, and at times choosing to live in long-term facilities. It is important to make American families aware of the measures that could benefit elderly and disable populations. There is an increase for visiting healthcare professionals at home. Giving patients and families that sense of comfort and participation on the care while in their own environment.

Other programs that elderly should consider, especially those with chronic conditions, are palliative and hospice care. According to Young K & Kroth P, “palliative care is treatment given to relieve the symptoms of a disease rather than attending to cure the disease” (Page 258). Hospice is the care of a disease without cure or terminal disease. Families and individuals need to be educated regarding palliative and hospice care. Chronic conditions can eventually bring outcomes that families will not be able to understand. regarding persuading treatments that instead of benefit the well-being of individuals it can harm their love ones and increase health care cost.

Another program for older adults to consider is adult day care. It is a fun approach for elderly individuals to continue socializing, enjoy group settings, share experiences with individuals around the same age, and monitor health problems as necessary. Individuals will continue to have their autonomy by utilizing these programs. Many of this adult day care centers are run by healthcare workers who will provide basic and quality of care, meals, emotional support, and medical care if necessary ( Young K & Kroth P, page 263).

The major factors that have resulted in the shift in utilization from inpatient hospitalization to ambulatory care services are “the effort to measure quality relative to cost”, the implementation on Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Also, by paying close attention to population health and new health modules such as “Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMHS) and Accountable Care Organizations (Young and K, Pag 111).

The implications of utilizing ambulatory care centers to decrease inpatient hospitalization will reduce the load of non-emergent cases to be evaluate in outpatient settings and to monitor close the condition of this individual. According to Moschetti et al, “ED overcrowding may put pressure on medical staff and budgetary resources, increasing waiting times and negatively affecting quality of care and patient outcomes”. By utilizing ambulatory care centers, the community could decrease unnecessary visits to Emergency Department, and healthcare cost could be shifted to the correct healthcare areas. Quality of care could also improve to individuals who utilized emergency centers compare with ambulatory care center in which a constant monitoring would be more adequate than an ED visit.

Another implication is of utilization of ambulatory care centers is that individuals could use services from emergency departments to follow up and treat exacerbation of chronic conditions. As medical students and residents become involved without patient clinics, patients are “benefited from improved coordination of their care and the opportunity to develop relationships with attending physicians” (Young & Kroth). With outpatient clinics available patients feel that sense of security by participating with their care and learning about management of their current medical conditions. By having a familiar face and environment, patients could develop a trusting relationship and start following the care plan in the ambulatory setting.

Mental health is one of the issues that the United States is facing with individuals left untreated. Mental health care services need to be reinforced and presented to underserve population. The factors that impede access to mental illness treatment are, according to Young and K, that patients are unable to reach provider follow ups, financial issues, unable to obtain health insurance, are embarrass of mental conditions, lack of education regarding own health medical problems, and personal beliefs and vias (page 285). Mental health has a stigma around it. Patients are afraid to seek resources that could benefit their well-being because providers or other community members would judge their lifestyles.

Poor education is another factor among this underserve population because they misunderstand their care, or they stop following up with their treatments. By doing this they will be labeled as noncompliance with current conditions. According to Luter et at, a patient’s experience is also important when it comes to mental health approaches. Patients would be obtaining quality care and will feel involved in his/her care. By letting patients participate and engage with activities in their care, they will experience a sense of care. “…patient-centered care that revolves around the needs and values of clients, engaging clients in quality measurement is vital in order to deliver responsive care that is predictive of client outcomes” (Luther et al, Page 3).

Adding, a factor that impedes access to mental illness is elderly population as they reach 65 years of age and older, this population has trouble with mental health especially because of their chronic conditions. The mental health conditions that accompanied the elder population are depression, anxiety, alcohol abuse, and prescription abuse. As the population ages, medical care and mental health conditions develop. It becomes complex to treat elderly patients with medical condition that could simulate psychiatric disorders at the same time (Young and K, Page 287).

As our elderly population seek for medical care outside of the home, secondary to increasing complexities of their chronic conditions, elderly individuals will want to receive quality care. The usage of ambulatory care centers will continue to decrease the usage of Emergency Department as a primary care office. There is more work to do regarding our underserved and monitories. Utilizing ED for life treating situations and utilizing ambulatory centers as a preventative setting. Promoting services for mental health will remove the stigma and fear to seek for help that is available.

References

Doty, P., Nadash, P., & Racco, N. (2015). Long-term care financing: lessons from France. The Milbank quarterly, 93(2), 359–391. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0009.12125

Luther, L., Fukui, S., Garabrant, J. M., Rollins, A. L., Morse, G., Henry, N., Shimp, D., Gearhart,T., & Salyers, M. P. (2019). Measuring Quality of Care in Community Mental Health: Validation of Concordant Clinician and Client Quality-of-Care Scales. The journal of behavioral health services & research, 46(1), 64–79. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-018-9601-3

Moschetti, K., Iglesias, K., Baggio, S., Velonaki, V., Hugli, O., Burnand, B., Daeppen, J. B., Wasserfallen, J. B., & Bodenmann, P. (2018). Health care costs of case management for frequent users of the emergency department: Hospital and insurance perspectives. PloS one, 13(9), e0199691. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0199691

Young K.M. & Kroth. P.J. (2018) Health Care USA: Understanding its organization. (9^th ed). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett learning.