The following is a synopsis of information provided on www.healthypeople.gov. Healthy People 2020 envisions a society in which all people live long, healthy lives. The mission of the 2020 initiative is to continue a plan of national objectives to encourage collaborations across communities, empower individuals toward making informed health decisions, and to measure the impact of prevention activities. We shall examine AHS-5.1, which seeks to increase the proportion of persons who have a specific source of ongoing care. Baseline data from 2008 shows that 86.4 percent of persons had a source of ongoing care. The 2020 target is a 10 percent improvement to 95 percent. The opinion of this student is that AHS-5.1 is a reasonable goal in light of present circumstances of Americans. Although a multitude of initiatives are necessary to meet AHS-5.1’s goal, this student identifies three of significance: preventative services, healthy kids insurance, and collaboration of hospital case managers upon transitioning patients. Preventative Services
With a goal set to promote the population having a source of care, ensuring the availability of preventative services is a paramount initiative. A recent trend in modern medicine is the patient-centered medical home concept: first-contact access via availability of appointments or advice by telephone for individuals who have a relationship with a primary care physician (Pandhi, Schumacher, and Bartels, 2011).
The Essay on Understanding Continuum of Care Services
All in all, for a patient it allows him/her to have care managed efficiently from basic care, for example prescriptions, to more advanced care, for example, in-hospital or critical care. The greatest challenge facing long-term care in health care is caring for the large number of elderly as the Baby Boomer generation ages. The economic burden placed on those in need of long-term care will be ...
By offering these services, first-contact accessibility adds benefit to improve primary care services by offering enhanced availability prior to making the decision to visit the physician. Such availability would also help to decongest busy appointment schedules within primary care. Pandhi, et al (2011) completed a study that showed eighteen percent of a group of 5507 insured adults received care via first-contact access instead of an actual visit; there was no immediate appointment necessary after utilization. Because primary care continues to be a limited and finite resource, the patient-centered medical home concept will continue to be studied and examined.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (also known as Obama care) is a United States Federal Statute signed into law March 23, 2010. Aimed at decreasing the amount of uninsured Americans and decreasing healthcare costs, it provides for several methods for employers and persons to boost coverage rates. The program requires all insurers to insure people at the same rate regardless of pre-existing conditions. This alone will make insurance more available to people with severe chronic illnesses. Another provision, the individual mandate or shared responsibility requirement, requires all Americans, if not covered by their employer, Medi-care or other public insurance, to purchase private insurance or pay a penalty. Only those not financially able will be exempt from this provision. As it stands at the moment, most individuals and families unable to afford private insurance are on medical care through their state of residence.
Health insurance exchanges; i.e.: a place where businesses and individuals can compare insurance policies and prices will be set up in each state. Low income Americans, including those with an income of up to 400% of the poverty level, will receive Federal subsidies on a sliding scale, according to income level. Available insurances can be purchased through these exchanges, making affordable insurance easier to obtain. Businesses employing 50 or more employees will be required to provide health care for their employees or face penalties and fines. Co-payments, co-insurance or deductibles are waived for certain healthcare benefits packages labeled part of an “essential benefits package” (Healthcare.gov, 2010).
The Essay on Health Care Insurance Healthcare
Should the United States adopt a Universal Health coverage system Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, and in the United States Hawaii, all use a system of health care that is universal, comprehensive, and private. In, 1993, President Clinton proposed a plan for universal health insurance. Since then opponents have managed to oppress the plan while assuring the public that while they supported the ...
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will provide for more afforable and more accessible healthcare to Americans uninsured at this time, ensuring better coverage for all individuals and providing for higher quality healthcare. This will ensure a higher percentage of primary care for all, accomplishing the goal of ensuring the availability of preventative services for many more Americans. Healthy Kids Insurance
Healthy kids insurance is a recent initiative that involves locally funded insurance products for low-income children ineligible for other public insurances. Such a portion of the pediatric population has historically fallen in between available resources, and the healthy kids’ insurance initiative attends to the direct need for these children. A study by Stevens (2011) showed that in a survey of 4011 parents of children enrolled in healthy kids versus those without it, established enrollees were more likely to have a regular source of care. Truly these results are not surprising, and non-enrollees may not have had an avenue for care at all. Importantly, Stevens (2011) notes that these children are mostly left out of healthcare reform models and the healthy kids programs may be a good model for counties and states to help connect children to primary care. Case Management and home care Liaisons Collaborating
Access to hospitals has greatly improved in the modern healthcare age. However, the care of patients upon discharge can often be left to question or omitted based on the patient’s resources and ability to plan aftercare. Kelly and Penney (2011) note that hospital case managers and home care liaisons form a collaborative relationship whose primary role centers on care coordination and patient teaching. Serious lapses can occur in transitioning care from the hospital to home if proper guidance is not given. The study by Kelly and Penney (2011) discovered that the following were must have collaborative qualities: familiarizing with practices, ensuring clear discussion of roles, providing time for follow up, and assuming accountability. Implementation
The Coursework on LFE Report On Health And Medical Services
1.0 Introduction The terms Health and Medical services are interrelated to each other and increasingly central to our lives. Bangladesh is a land of hard working souls and the major population of this nation dwells in the rural areas. LFE has been designed to provide a brief knowledge over the living structure and social and economic and also the health condition of the rural areas of Bangladesh. ...
Barriers play an important role in contributing to individuals experiencing a lack of primary and preventative health care. Concerns such as the inability to afford health insurance or the cost of health care services, including deductibles and co-pays, are primary reasons for individuals not accessing needed health care services. Increasing medical costs have exacerbated these concerns, as well as transportation issues experienced by some individuals. Lack of access for preventative care services is influenced by these barriers in addition to cultural, or lack of knowledge based barriers which hinder individuals from realizing the long term benefits of having a primary care provider and obtaining routine primary health care services for themselves and their family.
Individuals require access to health care services for both preventative care and for prompt treatment of disease and injury. Having a usual source of health care and having recent contact with a primary care provider aid in receiving effective health care services. A critical component to any successful public health programming, a community health education and social marketing endeavor to promote routine preventative and primary health care, needs to be developed. This program will be comprehensive in nature will be offered by area public health system agencies as part of existing health education and screening activities via on-site and outreach clinics, health fairs, worksites, as well as other venues. Education will include the importance of routine and preventative health care, proper use of a primary care provider, early screening for chronic diseases and other health indicators, what screening results mean, the management of disease through healthy lifestyle choices and changes in behaviors, and how individuals can take control of their overall health and well-being.
Another component of this would be a social marketing campaign which focuses on reducing public apathy concerning the importance of routine and preventative health care, and encourage proper use of a primary health care provider. Promotion efforts may also include prevention and early screening for chronic disease and other health indicators, what screening results mean, the positive effects of a proper course of treatment, and chronic disease management with healthy lifestyle changes, diet and exercise.
The Term Paper on Health Care 2
... process, service quality, and outcome of health care * Measures of health status, quality of life and health care * Population health outcome ... many things including lack of forethought in preventative planning, faulty work practices and unprotected ... a clinical path will not be the primary tool used to control costs and ... prevent or inhibit the person from having access to the support they need to ...
Finally, utilizing the internet may prove to be the most accessible and practical method for most americans in researching preventative care and managing current medical issues with a primery care physician. Two of this students favorite sites are ‘heathypeople’ and ‘healthfinder’ which are supported by the US Dept of Health and Human Services. There are many helpful tools on these websites. For example, a person could log onto a webinar and participate in a live conference pertaining to current health information and discussions. Another helpful tool accessible on the web is a monthly e-newsletter which generally tend to be free and are updated regularly with current health information. Also archived on these internet sites are the many events and recorded presentations of past years. The sucess of healthypeople 2010 and the goals it did and did not achieve can be accessed at any time as well. The internet provides most americans with an easy and familiar avenue at the tips of their fingers to be proactive in their health management and health education.
For one to aim to improve access to health care is a very honorable goal. This student does acknowledge the breadth of healthy people 2020 and even just AHS-5.1 in itself; much of providing access has to correlate with availability for funding. This is true especially in light of examining the healthy kids and preventative services initiatives. However, improving access at times can be simply underscoring what resources are already available and enhancing the networking and collaboration among health care divisions; this is highlighted by Kelly and Penney’s 2011 study on case management and liaison collaboration for aftercare. The upcoming years are exciting times to be coming into the healthcare field.
References
Healthcare.gov. (2010, September 23).
Retrieved November 22, 2012 from Healthcare.gov: http://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/e/essential.html
Pandhi, N., DeVoe, J., & Bartels, C. (2011).
The Essay on Healthcare Management Of The Elderly
Healthcare Management of the Elderly Nowadays problem of healthcare management of the elderly becomes very important. With the rapid urbanization and constantly increasing speed of life the family values become useless. People forgot that their duty is to take care of their elder relatives. That is why society is facing the problem of taking care of the senior people. There are a lot of questions ...
Preventative service gains from first contact access in the primary care home. Journal of American family medicine 24(4), 351-9.
Penney, E., & Kelly, M. (2011).
Collaboration of hospital case managers and home care liaisons when transitioning patients. Professional case management. 16(3), 128-36.
Stevens, G. (2011).
Healthy kids insurance and experiences of medical home quality for vulnerable children. Medical care. 49(9), 828-33.