Health insurance exchanges have come a long way in the United States. Notably, the adoption of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) shifted healthcare from a quantity to a quality reimbursement model. The evolution of the health insurance exchanges has dramatically changed the way providers receive payment for the services given. One of the areas that have particularly received influence is in the outpatient market. The area has received significant adjustments in the volume of services due to the increased demand. The ACA has primarily emphasized a move towards outpatient construction (Charpentier, 2016). The health system in the US continues to emphasize the importance of population health management.
More so, efforts have also been placed on the better management of care across the continuum. Research by the Health Facilities Management's 2016 Hospital Construction Survey showed an increased strengthening of the outpatient department in America (Charpentier, 2016). For instance, between 2015 and 2016, the ambulatory surgery center services increased from 22% to 48%. The freestanding image has risen from 13% to 23% within the same period. Another increase has been recorded in immediate care facilities, from 17% to 49% (Charpentier, 2016). The same trend has also been documented in other areas, including medical office buildings and telehealth. Therefore, the health insurance exchanges expanded the outpatient care market by almost twice within the year 2015-2016.
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Most hospitals have also been adjusting to the new trend. A large chunk of revenues that were collected from the inpatient services is now channeled to outpatient care. Hospitals have also invested heavily in outpatient services by strengthening areas such as urgent care centers and emergency departments (Zaino, 2014). Consumers are more inclined to outpatient services because they are inclined towards the receipt of care from the lowest price point. Therefore, the new model of health insurance negates the need for inpatient services that are costly and inconvenient.
References
Charpentier, R. (2016). The ACA & Healthcare Outpatient Services Impact Perspective. https://www.360factors.com/blog/the-aca-healthcare-outpatient-services-impact-perspective/
Zaino, J. (2014). Changing priorities shift hospital focus to outpatient strategies. Healthcare Finance https://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/changing-priorities-shift-hospital-focus-outpatient-strategies
