The Health Care Act Of Lakeland Regional Health

Many people are seriously ill when they seek treatment because they lacked enough money in their insurance for treatment (Bush, 2015). Although people have reported general satisfaction with their health plans under PPACA, a Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) survey has revealed that affordability is a concern for those who buy their own health insurance. 46% of those with both ACA-compliant and noncompliant plans reported it was “very” or “somewhat” difficult for them to afford their monthly health insurance premium (Medical Economics, 2015). Cost of care has been a longstanding barrier to care for minority groups. The survey did not find an improvement in Blacks and Asians skipping care due to cost concerns. (Pallarito, 2015).

A visit to the emergency department (ED) is usually associated with negative thoughts by most people. It creates preconceived images of overcrowded waiting rooms and routine long waits for treatment (Jarousse, 2011). From 1996 to 2006, ED visits increased annually from 90.3 million to 119.2 million (32% increase). During this same time period, the number of EDs has declined by 186 facilities creating the age old lower supply and greater demand concept (Crane & Noon, 2011). There are many contributing factors that have led to an increase in ED visits. A few of these key drivers include lack of primary care access, rising of the uninsured population, dwindling mental health services, and the growing elderly

When focusing on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Systems strategies for improvement with unnecessary emergency room visits, a major key area is accessibility to health care at the appropriate health care setting. For many years, there has been the perception that the emergency department is the only place for someone who is uninsured or underinsured can go to receive the needed and appropriate health care, and in some situations that may be the case. (Rhodes et al, 2013, p.394) Due to the decreases in reimbursements for the publicly funded, more and more physicians are opting out to treating these patients, thus leading to an increase in emergency department utilization. According to a study conducted by Rhodes, Bisgaier, Lawson, Soglen, Krug, and Haitsma, this is becoming a greater concern for the

The lack of health insurance reached began to become a serious issue in the mid-1990’s reaching a crisis level in the 2000’s. Individuals without insurance turned to emergency rooms across the country to obtain care routine care, turning emergency departments into primary care facilities. In many instances, people who presented at emergency rooms for treatment could not be turned away due to various health and safety regulations; therefore, patients were seen without the ability to pay often leaving the hospitals with millions of dollars in uncollectable debt, subsequently leading to the insolvency of hundreds of hospitals across the United States.

In a survey conducted in 2003, it highlighted that the recurrent problem is the reimbursement rate from Medicaid to the physician (O’Shea, 2007). The Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) show that 21% of physicians that state they accept Medicaid have reported they will not accept a new Medicaid patient in 2004-2005(O’Shea, 2007). This number would only logically be assumed to have risen in 2013 A survey conducted by the U.S. National Health reported that researchers have found two standout trends among Medicaid beneficiaries: they have more difficulty getting primary care and specialty care and they visit hospital emergency departments more often than those with private insurance (Seaberg, 2012). The lack of primary and specialty care access is mostly contributed to the following barriers; unable to reach the MD by phone, not having a timely appointment with the MD and lastly unable to find a specialty MD that will accept Medicaid. In a recent report released by the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, it stated that about 30% of Medicaid patients experience “extreme uncoordinated care”, there is a strong correlation between this situation and higher Medicaid spending and less quality of care given (Bush, 2012). After January 1st 2013, healthcare providers have experienced a 2% reduction in payments for Medicaid beneficiary, this will only create more of a problem for these patients to seek the

The new federal health-care law has raised the stakes for hospitals and schools already struggling to train more doctors. Evidence suggests there won’t be enough number of doctors to treat the newly insured millions under the ACA. At current graduation and training rates, America faces a shortage of as many as 150,000 doctors in the next 15 years, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. The greatest demand will be for primary-care physicians. Emergency rooms, the only choice for patients who can't find care elsewhere, may grow even more with longer wait times under the new health law. That might come as a surprise to those who thought getting 32 million more people covered by health insurance would ease ER

Many uninsured and underinsured focus group participants described going to emergency departments for non‐urgent care because they could not afford to pay for private care and knew they would not have to pay the emergency department charges and/or preferred to be seen as soon as possible. Several informants mentioned that the emergency department becomes a default source of primary care, which is costly and lacks the continuity of care that chronic conditions demand ("Community Health Needs Assessment,"

Emergency room over utilization is one of the leading causes of today’s ever increasing healthcare costs. The majority of the patients seen in emergency rooms across the nation are Medicaid recipients, for non-emergent reasons. The federal government initiated Medicaid Managed Care programs to offer better healthcare delivery, adequately compensate providers and reduce healthcare costs. Has Medicaid Managed Care addressed the issues and solved the problem? The answer is ‘Yes’ and ‘No’.

On March 23, 2010, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or “Obamacare” was signed and put into effect (DiMichele, 2017). From then to now, many people in the United States are split from fully agreeing to completely against this certain reform. Throughout different types of research and speaking to an interviewee, I have found multiple reasons that the ACA is good and why it can be bad (or Pros and Cons). One important pro that I found was that with Obamacare, anyone can have the choice of their own Physician or place of care for their needs, then just being able to get care from an Emergency Room (ASPA, 2015). This lets the patient have more freedom to make their own decisions based on their own healthcare and what they

Ever since Obamacare was introduced back in March 23, of 2010, it has been one of the most controversial health plans debated by all government parties. The rich hate it and the poor love it. Is Obama care good or bad for the people and the economy? I believe it will be a stepping stone in the right direction for the economy and the people and protecting their rights.

As previously illustrated, there are both advantages and disadvantages of Medicaid. However, being a beneficiary of Medicaid increases access to health care. As a result of the program, adults were 70% more likely to have a regular place of care, “55% more likely to have a regular doctor than the adults who did not gain coverage;” and the utilization of preventative services have increased (Garfield & Paradise, 2013). Furthermore, access to speciality care such as physical therapy; podiatry and hospice remain unattainable. In a multiple city audit, researchers found that only 34% of Medicaid beneficiaries were able to “secure an appointment for urgent” specialist care, compared to 64% of those privately

Eliminating the barriers to access of care starts with the extended health insurance coverage offered through the ACA. The Shortage of healthcare providers in areas- opens a window of

With many living in poverty and on unemployment whether by choice or due to lack of insurance, the crime rates rise also leading to risky behaviors. These risky behaviors sometimes end up leading to the emergency room settings. This increases the cost of health care with no primary care physician available.

One of the Florida’s largest hospitals is in Lakeland, Florida. Lakeland Regional Medical Center (LRMC) is a not-for-profit healthcare facility that is licensed for 851 beds and has served Lakeland and the surrounding communities for more than 80 years. LRMC is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. LRMC’s vision is creating the best healthcare experiences for each patient. “Lakeland Regional offers some of the most comprehensive and sophisticated care available, from early detection and education programs, to primary and specialized care” (LRMC2012). LRMC’s has a wide scope of specialized medical services such as the heart center,

The emergency room has become the new primary care facility for the millions of uninsured in the United States. Thanks to an “unfunded mandate passed into law in 1986,” hospitals that participate in the Medicare program must “screen and treat anyone with an emergency medical condition” (Stephens & Ledlow, 2010). This unfortunately leads to emergency rooms full of people who may have something as simple as a sinus infection which then makes it really difficult for someone with a real emergency that did not require ambulatory transport to be seen in a timely manner. Another unfortunate result of this is that “over 1,100 emergency departments closed over the past decade” (Stephens & Ledlow, 2010).