The United States' Health-Care System
The United States' health-care system is widely regarded as the most expensive on a worldwide scale, accounting for more than 18% of the country's GDP (Pearl, 1). However, in terms of quality, from people's life expectancy to child mortality rates, their systems are regarded as being in the bottom half of their industrialized equivalents on a global scale. In sum, about $300 billion is spent on health care each year, accounting for one-third of the country's total budget. This in addition to a high level of spending on medicine, a higher need for medical services, reduced revenue margins and recession within the economy; led to higher expenses for the health care system. Below are various suggestions that will guide in improving the health care system in America.
Technological Advancements
One of the greatest drivers that delivers efficiency both in terms of cost reduction and increasing value is the provision of technological advancements. There are three available opportunities that can personalize and improve the quality of the health care system. Primarily, the creation of a health record system that is electronic such that physicians are connected to hospitals around America. This integrated system would ease access to access patient records without having to see them physically as is most of the times. When a doctor is able to know the conditions of a patient, the medications that they take, the preventive forms of screenings that a patient needs and other tests that other doctors have prescribed, this will make it easier to provide optimal treatment. In addition to this, it will lead to significant cost reductions and reduce inefficiencies.
Effective in Emergency Situations
This would be effective in emergency situations where a doctor will access a patient's previous records to determine the seriousness of their condition and provide appropriate medical care. By keeping these patient records in an office, it makes it difficult for such vital information to be used during an emergency.
Patient-Based Healthcare System
Secondly, technology can be used to provide a patient-based healthcare system. It has been evidenced that approximately 70% of skin conditions can be diagnosed in an accurate manner if the patient sent a digital image to their physician to examine (Pearl, 1). A patient can also send a family doctor or their trusted doctor of choice a secure video that acts as a visit to the doctor. This form of system would be effective as it would reduce the time taken by patients to see their doctors for conditions that would not necessarily need a physical examination. However, it is difficult to implement the above as doctors receive a significant portion of their revenue from physical examinations.
Predictive Patterns
Technology can also be used to give predictive patterns that will guide doctors to decide whether particular patients' conditions would worsen and need more care. In this way, the doctors will be able to administer treatment in an aggressive manner if a person's condition is deteriorating. This data can also be used for comparative analyses with data obtained from similar patients to determine the probability of future adverse conditions including heart attacks or a stroke.
Focus on Patient Needs
The use of technology should focus on providing patients with services that focus on the needs of the patients as opposed to what doctors do and how they should be compensated. This will create a comprehensive service provision that is focused on taking care of patients with diverse medical conditions. Doctors will be able to position themselves based on how severe a medical condition is as opposed to their personal ambitions.
Fragmentation Within the Industry
One of the other reasons as to why the American health care system is considered to be of poor quality is the heavy amount of fragmentation within this industry. It has been noted that patients in hospitals that are considered to be the worst performers are more likely to die with significantly higher chances of getting complications in comparison to those who are admitted in hospitals considered to be top performers. Patients in low performers in terms of hospitals were at a high risk, of more than ten times, of obtaining an IV-line infection and three times highly likely to get a sepsis infection after surgery than from a high performing hospital (Kocher,1).
Consolidation of Services
It is therefore necessary to consolidate the services that are provided in hospitals such that patients from different hospitals are able to obtain standardized service for any diseases. For low-performing hospitals, it is imperative to ensure that staff members are kept busy so that they are regularly practicing their craft and always in contact with patients. Information should be easily accessible across all hospitals for all physicians which goes a long way in improving the quality as well as the effectiveness of medical care at different hospitals.
Payment System Reform
The current payment system that focuses on pay based on the number of patients that one has been able to provide services to should be eliminated. Instead, pay for physicians should be based on the appropriateness of the medical services offered, the quality of the service, and the positive response from the patient particularly in relation to positive improvement in terms of health.
Remuneration Based on Value
This is why if the number of doctors in a particular area increase, the amount of service they are able to provide to patients also increase and adversely the costs either increase or remain the same. This should not be the case as an increase in supply should lead to a decrease in the cost of a particular service.
Doctors should be remunerated based on the value that they offer to their patients. This will lead to significant improvement in how doctors treat their patients as opposed to the case now where doctors are highly empowered such that they are not entirely motivated by pay to provide quality services.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the main areas that should be focused on in attempting to improve the health care system in America are the cost of the services offered and the quality of the services offered. I believe embracing technology with the aim of making medical care more patient-based is an effective measure that would lead to significant cost reductions in the United States. This will reduce the time taken by patients to make appointments to meet doctors for consultation services relating to conditions, some of which could be solved using a digital message including a video. Additionally, the use of technology will lead to an integrated system where doctors can access patients' records to determine the appropriate treatment needed for a particular patient and if their condition will likely worsen.
Works Cited
Kocher, Robert. “How to Make Our Crazy, Expensive, Amazing, and Uneven Health Care System Better Faster.” NEJM Catalyst, NEJM , 24 Oct. 2016, catalyst.nejm.org/make-crazy-expensive-amazing-uneven-health-care-system-better-faster/.
Pearl, Robert M. “Three Ways to Transform American Health Care.” Stanford Business, Stanford Graduate School of Business, 1 June 2015, www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/three-ways-transform-american-healthcare.
