Healthcare Reform Strategies: Article Analysis

Overview of the Patient Centered Medical Home project piloted by Geisinger Health System in Danville, Pennsylvania

Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PCMH) are growing in popularity as the right thing to do improve patient care. PCMH are growing in popularity, as there is early evidence of their effectiveness (Egge, M. 2012). The PCMH concept has been widely promoted as a way to enhance primary care and deliver better care to patients with chronic conditions. This model of care has stimulated the attention of payers, Medicaid policy makers, physicians, and patient advocates, as it has the potential to address several of the limitations of the current healthcare system (Wang, J. et al 2014). Currently, primary care in the United States is focused on acute and episodic illness, it inadvertently limits comprehensive, coordinated, preventive and chronic care (Bleser, W. et al 2014). The PCMH address these limitations through organizing patient care, emphasizing team work, and coordinating data tracking (Bleser, W. et al 2014). A PCMH and HMO have some similarities but are markedly different.

There is an imbalance between primary and specialty care services in the U.S. health care delivery system.

There is a growing trend where physicians are choosing different specialties instead of choosing primary care, primarily due to the low reimbursement rate in primary care. According to Iglehart (2014),” the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) still projects a shortage of 130,000 physicians by 2025, split almost equally between primary and specialty care” (para. 1). With this decline comes an answer, an increase in the number of nurse practitioners providing patient care, reported 154,00 in 2012 and growing every year (Iglehart, 2014). This increase in nurse practitioners’ helps fill that gap, allow greater health care access to the community, especially special populations. By gaining access to healthcare were a nurse practitioner is the provider not only with the special population have high quality affordable health care, a trusting long lasting relationship will develop. This relationship will break the barriers of; lack of trust, lack of health care education and discrimination. Nursing is a trusted profession that provides education and care that no other health care professional

Changes to the health care system throughout the United States will greatly influence health care utilization. Trends in health care utilization can be used to project future health care needs, predict expenditures, or for training personnel in new medical procedures and policies (Berstein, Hing, Moss, Allen, Siller & Tiggle, 2003). For example, the increase in ambulatory surgery was changed by improvements in anesthesia and improved techniques in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (Berstein, Hing, Moss, Allen, Siller & Tiggle, 2003). Advanced medical procedures that used to require a few weeks of bed rest now only need a few days in the hospital. Shorter hospital stay makes the patient happier and it

Felland, L., Lechner, A., & Sommers, A. (2013, June 6, 2013). Improving access to specialty care for Medicaid patients: policy issues and options. The Co

The latest health care reform has done what few policies manage to do – sicken both republicans and progressive democrats. While we can all agree that a reform of the health care system is sorely needed, we must also acknowledge that “Obamacare” is not the cure-all we so desperately require. Rather, President Obama, like a medieval barber, prescribed a health care reform that treated the symptoms of our flawed system rather than the actual disease. The subsidization of health insurance providers has proven ineffective at providing affordable coverage for all. Certainly one is likely to hear the various incendiary talking points of both the proponents and opponents. Whether it’s the republican candidates blaspheming Obamacare as socialism, or the administration praising the success of health care for all, it is difficult to actually find constructive dialogue. We are purview to many sound bites, but few actual solutions. We have witnessed heated debates, but rarely do we witness intelligent discourse. If beneficial reform is to be crafted and implemented, we must first acknowledge the issues and inconsistencies of the current system and begin to explore alternate methods of providing health care to the American people.

Hederson, S., Princell, C. O., and Martin, S. (2012, December). The patient-centered medical home. American Journal of Nursing, 112(12), 54 59. doi: 10.1097/

There are Currently 32 million people without health insurance in the United States. This means that roughly 83 per cent of citizens have to live day by day hoping they won’t get sick. For this reason, President Obama signed the U.S health reform bill into law. The health reform will make health care more affordable for citizens. Employers with more than 50 employees will be forced to provide coverage for all, or they will have to pay a fine. It will also make health insures more responsible. For example, health insurance carriers are forbidden from placing lifetime dollar limits on policies, from denying coverage to children because of pre-existing conditions, and from canceling policies because someone gets sick. It will also expand

“We will pass reform that lowers cost, promotes choice, and provides coverage that every American can count on. And we will do it this year.” The preceding is a powerful statement from the newly elected President Barak Obama. One of the main aspects of both political campaigns was health care reform. The above quote shows passion and encouragement, but the quotes about health care do not end there. Georgian republican gubernatorial candidate and health care policy maker John Oxendine expressed: “Their proposal would virtually devastate the private healthcare sector in this country along with competition and patient choice, by replacing it with bureaucratic planning and government control. The result of this plan and its one trillion

For current and future needs we need to enable all healthcare professionals especially nurses to practice to the full level of their education and training. Advanced practice nurses can fulfill the primary care needs. This will free up physicians to address more complex cases which needs their expertise. Current practice focus on specialty and acute care only and a shift in practice to deliver more primary care and community care services is essential to improve the quality of nursing care and address the growing need of care in these areas.

As a result of the implementation of an “in house” Patient Advocate Department, care providers will create an increased perception of quality for the patient. In Massachusetts, hospitals have seen positive results from the utilization of a team of patient advocates who have proven to continually increase the coordination of care for high cost patients. Within just three years a Boston hospital hit a 5% reduction in cost through the use of patient advocates (Gawande, 2011). Many in the healthcare industry today realize that it is time to change the current model of care, the institution of Patient Advocacy is a large piece to that new vision.

Primary care practice will be greatly impacted by health care reform. To provide better health care, the country will see a trend away from specialty to primary care and the avoidance of acute issues by delivering this care in the community setting. As a result, primary care physicians will be overwhelmed with the patient load as the number of the insured increases exponentially. The committee recognizes the scope of nursing practice that remains untapped and therefore the profession

Patients and health care providers have a special relationship due to the nature of their union. Understanding the modern relationship necessitates a look back to explore a historical context. For the purpose of this study the term health care provider is expanded to include physicians, facilities, and ancillary providers (pharmaceutical, durable medical equipment, etc.). Traditionally in the United States the patient-provider relationship was paternalistic (Ceccoli & Klotz, 2013). This means the provider is considered the premier authority on the treatment plan and the patient takes a subservient role (Brannigan & Boss, 2001; Ceccoli & Klotz, 2013). This relationship marginalizes the patient involvement, concerns and preferences when creating a treatment plan.

As the cost of care keeps on rising, numerous doctor's facilities are searching for long haul answers for limit inpatient administrations. Figure out how innovation and social insurance conveyance will converge to impact the eventual fate of healing center outline and the patient experience over the globe in this report created by Deloitte US.