Prime Time Health Care

In today’s society, the accuracy of health information, the availability of health records, and the professional resources in which one live are vital in decision making for health conditions. Meaningful Use (MU) is a program developed by CMS Medicare and Medicaid that awards, incentives in the health care industry in which the certified electronic health records (EHRs) are used to improve patient care (Practice Fusion, 2016). These incentives are for professionals that care for about 30% of their adult patient volume or 20% of their children’s volume for Medicare and Medicaid patients (CMS, 2016). In addition, adjusting from paper charts to electronic charts of patient’s information is beneficial for MU. Furthermore, the American

With the existing trend of shortages in healthcare providers and professionals, the recruitment and retention of this type of staff in a rural area may

Health care in America is a serious issue as it involves families that are unable to receive accessible, affordable and quality medical treatment. Middle class or impoverished families are unable to receive the benefits of health care due to low income levels and a volatile economy. Politicians discuss the reformation of the health care system, but people who are uninsured suffer the consequences of a system that overlooks middle class families in favor of wealthy families, a dominant issue for conflict theorists. Some argue that the health care system is not in need of reform and state that

Healthcare stakeholders know how to value what they have captured and they have come up with many ideas to help with their goal. “Big data could transform the healthcare sector, but the industry must undergo fundamental changes before stakeholders can capture its full value” (Kayyali, B., Knott, D., Van Kuiken, S., 2013). Since the affordable care act has been in place there has been an increase number of patients seeking preventative care or even seeking help for chronic illnesses that they weren’t seen for because of lack of insurance. Because of that, there has been a shortage of physicians, nurses and other healthcare providers. So the stakeholders have another challenge on their hands in trying to hire more doctors and nurses to help with the increase of patients.

One dominant economic feature of the healthcare industry is the growing need for both basic and specialized healthcare due to the continued aging of the “Baby Boomer” generation. This generation consists of over 79,000,000 individuals born in the US between 1946 and 1964. As this generation has aged, the need for healthcare has increased dramatically. Let us take a look at some statistics:

The United States has a significant “delivery of care” issue wherein physicians (and other HCPs) are concentrated in and around major cities and densely populated areas. This leaves rural populations with fewer physicians and more difficult access to care.

One of the most controversial issues in politics today is healthcare, specifically ObamaCare, also known as Affordable Care Act (ACA), which has effectively insured millions of low-income American households. Under the ObamaCare, Medicaid has been expanded to states that want to participate. It plays an exceptionally crucial role in the healthcare coverage, and access for rural communities as they are more likely to “be poorer, less likely to have insurance, and less intense users of medical services overall” (Richards et al., 2016, p. 573). A study conducted by the Health Services Research found that Medicaid patients received appointments nearly 80% of the time in rural areas, but only 60% in nonrural areas (Richards et al., 2016, p. 570).

There are 2,157 Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA’s) in rural and frontier areas of all states and US territories compared to 910 in urban areas.**

To respond to these legislative changes, there must be an increase in the professional workforce of rural health. The existing workforce will need extensive training to deal with the new aspects of the Affordable Care Act, and new professionals need to be encouraged to practice in rural areas. The following are potential methods for increasing the health care workforce of rural and frontier America:

One of the trends that is consistent between Pennsylvania and Kentucky is the discrepancy between physicians available in rural areas versus urban areas. For example, in Pennsylvania in 2012 for every 100,000 persons in an urban area of the state there was 273 physicians available. While in the rural areas per every 100,000 in population there was only 150 physicians. (2012 Pulse of Pennsylvania’s Physician and Physician Assistant Workforce, 2014). The reason behind this trend is simple, the larger the area the greater the financial opportunities. Also urban areas tend to have larger hospital facilities that provide access to well-equipped facilities, with lab services, radiology departments, staffed surgical suites, new medical devices to assist in surgery such as laser and robotics, and updated imaging devices. (Johnson and Cooper, 1982). These statistics highlight the need to institute methods that will attract providers to the rural areas. Whether this is through scholarship programs for those who intend to work in a rural area upon graduation, accepting federal funds to expand rural hospitals and improve technology, accepting federal funds to expand Medicaid programs, or a combination of all three providers need incentive to move into the rural areas. The standard of care needs to be consistent across the state no matter what area a patient lives in.

Pocahontas County is a rural area located in the southeast region of West Virginia, spanning 942 square miles. The scenic area serves as the site of the head waters for eight rivers: Cherry River, Cranberry River, Elk River, Ganley River, Greenbriar River, Tygart Valley River, Williams River, and Shaver Fork of the Cheat River and consists of 10 scattered small towns. As with other rural communities across the United States, Pocahontas Country suffers from a depressed local economy, substantial barriers to health care access, and difficulty in attracting health professionals. A market analysis of both the rural community and some options that may be used to attract health professionals to Pocahontas Memorial Hospital offers some proposed relief to the dampened healthcare outlook.

Another threat is the current state of rural hospitals nationwide. According to the case study, about 25% of Americans live in rural areas and only about 10% of physicians actually practice in rural areas. There is a 15% gap in the ratio of rural citizens to available practicing physicians. This is a threat to ELH’s need to attract and hire more physicians. In relation to rural hospitals, citizens have longer drive times to their medical facilities. This causes them to delay routine visits which subsequently exacerbates

The United States healthcare delivery system is a uniquely developed system that involves various features, components, and services. The US delivery system is massive, with total employment in various healthcare settings of qualified medical professionals that provide key functions to delivering quality healthcare. The market-oriented economy in the United States attracts a variety of private entrepreneurs driven by the pursuit of profits obtained by carrying out the key functions of healthcare delivery (Shi et al. 2015).

Ever since the Recession of 2008, the process of acquiring employment has become extremely challenging and exhausting. After months of searching, a significant amount of job seekers are willing to accept any job offers that will allow them to put food on the tables. If you follow the United States’ economic recovery, you probably know that there are about 10.5 million unemployed Americans and constant debates about how to create more jobs. What you may not know is that there are actually four million open jobs waiting to be filled. So how is it possible and who is there to blame?

At the end of 2012 the National Unemployment Rate was 7.8% (“Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey”) and employers were struck with the daunting task of filling 3.6 million job openings (Smith.) In an article for Forbes on the subject of the daunting prospect of the job search, Jacquelyn Smith shares this startling fact: “The average number of people who apply for any given job: 118.” With the downturn in the economy in recent years, candidates for any given job can include inexperienced job seekers, seasoned competitive candidates, and even those who are looking to start their second or third career. The job market is flooded. Employers are overwhelmed by the sheer number of applicants, sometimes willing to compromise