Medical care is a critical sector of any economy, and the S is not an exception. With changes in the way healthcare services are given and the challenges that are faced in this industry, it is high time that the governments and stakeholders come up with policies to bridge that gaps that are constantly witnessed in the healthcare sector. There is need to address how best to offer both primary and specialized care in balanced proportions to ensure optimum health status of the American population
Reallocation of Funds in Primary Care
Primary care is the core of the American healthcare system considering that most patients are first booked in primary care facilities before being transferred onto to specialized units. This means that these establishments witness heavy traffic (Klink, 2015). In addition, primary healthcare facilities offer a broad range of services ranging from promotion of health through medical campaigns and initiatives, prevention, early interventions, screening, treatment and management of diseases (Klink, 2015). As such more funding is required to train more qualified staff in order fill the gap that is witnessed in the attempt of ensuring that the entire American population is receiving efficient and affordable healthcare services. However, this does not mean that training of specialists should be put off entirely, but it means that the government should access where there is more need for training and pass the necessary legislation policies
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Expanded Use of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses and Physician Assistants
In the hope of serving more patients in healthcare institutions as well as reducing money spent on salaries, the government is seeking the help of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) and Physician Assistants (PAs). The ARPNs and Pas come in handy in healthcare facilities especially with looming staff crisis as they take the role of physicians, therefore, closing the staffing needs gaps. According to Vleet & Paradise (2015), there is a projected shortage of up to 20,400 physicians in the primary care by 2020 which necessitates the hiring of PAs and APRNS. The patients are likely to accept the services of APRNs and PAs since they have been legalized by the federal government and various state government to offer services provided by physicians. Additionally, according to Gadbois, Miler, Tyler &Intrator 2015 the services of APRNs and PAs though regulated by some states is accepted by patients who do not want to wait for the physicians who would take long in diagnosing their illnesses.
In conclusion, there is a looming shortage of primary care providers by 2020 which should guide the federal government’s initiative in cushioning its population. One of the ways to do this is allocating or finding to primary care initiatives. Additionally, the hiring of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses and Physician Assistants will go a long way in complementing the treatment offered by physicians. However, better policies need to be passed to ensure that all states agree to have their help. Additionally, the government should not ignore investing in the training of specialists as they focus more attention in funding primary care.
References
Gadbois, E. A, Miller, E. A, Tyler, D & Intrator, O. (2015). Trends in state regulation of nurse practitioners and physician assistants, 2001 to 2010 . Med Care Res Rev, 72(2), 200-219.
Klink, K. (2015). Incentives for physicians to pursue primary care in the ACA era. MA Journal of Ethics, 17(7), 637-646 .
Vleet, A.V. & Paradise, J. (20 Jan. 2015). Tapping Nurse Practitioners to Meet Rising Demand for Primary Care. Kaiser Family Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/tapping-nurse-practitioners-to-meet-rising-demand-for-primary-care/.
