Healthcare System Delivery Objectives
The first core objective of a health system delivery is to ensure that all USA citizens have access to universal health care services whenever they need them (Shi & Singh, 2015). A health care delivery system should ensure that there are no citizens who cannot access healthcare services by eliminating various health disparity causes.
The second core objective of a healthcare delivery system is to ensure that it delivers cost-effective services to its citizens (Shi & Singh, 2015). Moreover, the services must meet particular pre-established quality standards. In case the services offered are expensive, it indicates the system has failed its citizens as the low income, and middle-class citizens will most likely not have access to the services.
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10 Characteristics of the U.S. Health Care System
Various factors influence the USA health care system. Some of these factors include a population’s demographics, culture, technology, society, economics and politics (Singh, 2015). All of these factors play a vital role in shaping the USA health care system. This is what has made the American health care system to be very different from other countries. Some of the core characteristics of the USA healthcare system include:
Lack of a central governing agency
A majority of other developed nations have a central governing body for the health care system, unlike the USA (Singh, 2015). In the USA, the system is funded privately and publicly an indication it has multiple delivery, insurance and payment mechanism. This makes the USA health system more complex and costly, unlike a centrally controlled system.
The delivery system is technologically-driven and mostly focuses on acute care
Advancement of medical technology is rampant in the USA. Health care facilities have begun using technology as a means of attaining a competitive advantage (Singh, 2015). Nonetheless, this increased use of technology has its fair share of setbacks, such as rising health care costs.
The system has average outcomes due to its high costs and unequal access
In 2016, health care expenses in the USA accounted for 17% of the GDP (Singh, 2015). The USA has one of the most expensive health care services among developed nations. This makes it hard for all its citizens to access the services, especially those from the low-income class.
The system still has the ability to offering healthcare services under imperfect market conditions.
The private sector funds 55% of the USA health care system (Singh, 2015). This has made the health care system not to meet the free market conditions. The MCO, Medicare caters for all prices making patients not to have an ability to set prices. Patients in the USA are not educated about products as compared to the free market. There are many hidden costs in the health care system of which patients are not provided information about them.
The government subsidizes the private sector
The private sector is dominant in managing health care in the USA as compared to the government. The government’s role is only to fill the unaddressed gaps left behind by the private sector players.
The system amalgamates social justice and market justice
The system perfectly fuses social justice, and market justice as the private and public resources are perfectly blended.
The system has many players and still maintains a sufficient power balance
The USA health care system consists of many players, including government, small and large employers, insurance companies, physicians, among others. Each player has their interest, and this brings about counteracting forces within the health care system (Singh, 2015). This makes it hard for one player to control the entire health care system fully.
The pursuit of accountability and integration
The expansion of managed care has improved health care access in the USA. The patient-provider relationship is enhanced through a combination of the various services allowing for more seamless delivery. This has brought about the provider and patient accountability.
Insurance coverage is the critical determinant of health care service access
An individual with insurance can access the best medical care in the USA. If you are uninsured, you have limited options for access to health care.
Legal risks highly influence practice behaviours
The promptness of filing lawsuits in the USA is very high. Medical malpractices can attract severe litigation costs, and this has made the providers practice defensive medicine.
Improving Access to Medical Care and Satisfaction
Accountable care organizations consist of groups of health care providers, doctors or hospitals who on their own accord join forces to provide high-quality care to patients they attend to. The purpose of this is to make sure that even terminally ill patients can access care when they need it. ACOs ensure that any redundancies within health care services are eliminated and prevent the emergence of medication and medical errors. Ortiz, Bushy, Zhou & Zhang (2013) state that ACOs must meet all the 33 quality performance standards an indication they help improve patient care and satisfaction.
References
Ortiz, J., Bushy, A., Zhou, Y., & Zhang, H. (2013). Accountable care organizations: benefits and barriers as perceived by rural health clinic management. Rural and remote health , 13 (2), 2417.
Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2015). Delivering health care in America: A systems approach . Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Singh, D. A. (2015). Essentials of the US health care system . Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
