The American people deserve quality, effective healthcare. Unfortunately, those who can afford healthcare have been paying more and more every year. The Center for Medicare Services (CMS) has developed a plan to incentivize change in the healthcare delivery system. Triple Aim focuses on simultaneously improving the patient experience, improving the health of populations, and reducing the per capita cost of health care (Berwick, Nolan, & Whittington, 2008). Triple Aim affects all areas of the healthcare delivery system; this paper will focus on how hospitals are improving care, encouraging healthier lifestyles, and reducing costs.
Foundation of Triple Aim
Improving the patient’s experience of care is the first of three pillars in the theory of Triple Aim. While ‘patient experience’ does include the satisfaction level of a hospital stay, the American Hospital Association (AHA) and CMS also defines patient experience to include subjects such as patient safety, process improvement measures, and how well they are following the guidelines of evidence-based practice. CMS and other governing authorities monitor and track the rates of hospital acquired infections, adverse drug effects, fall prevention programs, and
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Some of the preconditions of Triple Aim is enrollment of a particular population as well as a commitment to universality to its members (Berwick, Nolan, &Whittington, 2004). Hospitals typically serve the entire community in which they are based, regardless of population (excepting specialty hospitals such as pediatric or oncological hospitals). Increasingly, hospitals have been accepting more responsibility for their communities than recorded historically. Community Health assessments are required by the Affordable Care Act, As a result, an increased number of hospitals are becoming involved with home health programs, community-based exercise programs, and health fairs (AHA,
Healthcare is in a constant state of change with movements that impact rates, access and quality of care. Hospitals have become more competitive due to the rising cost of care delivery and the reduction in reimbursement from payers. This causes difficulty in delivering quality care to all patients, which is being measured by mandated patient perception surveys, Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS). HCAHPS scores are part of value
How can ideas such as the Triple Aim initiative and patient centeredness help to improve performance in the U.S. health system?
Over the course of our countries history, the delivery of our health care system has tried to meet the needs of our growing and changing population. However, we somehow seem to fall short in delivering our goals of providing quality, affordable and accessible healthcare to our citizens. The history of our delivery system will show we continuously changed the delivery of our system however never mange to control cost. If we can come up with efficient ways to cut cost, the delivery of quality care will follow.
Triple Aim, as defined by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, consists of improving patient experience of care, improving health populations, and reducing per capita health care costs simultaneously (IHI, 2009). Triple Aim is not focused on patient satisfaction or on reducing the growth of healthcare; rather it is based on the six Institute of Medicine (IOM) dimensions (safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable), reducing per capita healthcare costs, and improving health populations (Relman, 2001). Key to the Triple Aim model is understanding each element works in tandem with each other and sacrificing population health at the expense of reducing per capita expense, for example, does not comply with the Triple Aim
Title three: making the quality and efficiency of health care in US to be of a higher standard. Under this title, the quality of medical care would be enhanced for every U.S citizen, mainly to those who were members of Medicaid and Medicare. A research was set to be conducted aim at mobilizing consumer on taking good care of their health. Accountable Care Organizations would also receive a percentage of the savings
For anyone who has kept up with the news, the US healthcare system has undergone major changes in recent years. Insurance providers are no longer able to deny someone coverage based on pre-existing conditions. The advent of healthcare marketplaces has changed the way people purchase health insurance. Children can stay on their parents' health insurance plans until 26. Leading the healthcare revolution is InnovaCare Health. This organization is a leading provider of Medicaid and Medicare Advantage plans. InnovaCare Health recently announced it would partner with the Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network. This is a significant private-public partnership that seeks to change compensation models to reflect the quality of care instead of quantity. This new partnership reflects InnovaCare Health's to affect change in compensation sooner rather than later. The current healthcare model focuses on reimbursing physicians based on the number of patients seen or procedures performed. This encourages "treadmill medicine," or a model that focuses on rapid turnover. This can often lead to detrimental effects on patient health. The new quality model would reward physicians based on practice targets. Potential goals include HbA1c goals for patients with diabetes, the percentage of patients who smoke, and hospital stay after surgical procedures.
The American Hospital Association’s McKesson Quest for Quality Prize compares hospitals that are following certain criteria, such as, partnerships with consumers and families (Johnson et al., 2008). The hospital that receives this recognition also procures a $75,000 award. The Joint Commission includes the Patient-Centered Designation Program award on their website under a hospital’s profile, which people may view to take control of their health (Johnson et al., 2008). Many other institutions offer hospital acknowledgments like these that can promote innovation within hospitals, which can be slow to change.
The concepts of accountable care and triple aim are somewhat similar in nature with an encompassing goal of quality patient care. Accountable care emphasizes the provision of value-driven care that involves improving the patient health outcomes, reducing the amount of chronic illnesses among patients, and reducing the cost of health care within the United States through improved collaboration and coordination (Hacker & Walker, 2013). Similarly, the formulation of the triple aim by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement or IHI addresses three of the main problems facing the US health care system today namely: high cost, low quality, and poor health status (Tanenbaum, 2017). These two approaches dwells on the belief that precisely calibrated financial incentives will produce socially desirable ends (McCarthy, 2015). Their goals are somewhat aligned
Medicare are getting people more improved and secured benefits every year, and Medicare’s long-term sustainability is stronger as a result of performances, new tools, resources to lessens waste and fraudulence, and a decrease growth in Medicare costs. These significant changes will produce savings for the taxpayers and help to prolong the life of the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund. These changes will also assist people with Medicare by keeping their premiums and cost sharing lesser than under the law before. , Medicare beneficiaries under the Affordable Care Act will enjoy improved quality care, better access to care, and a more innovative care delivery system that will improve outcomes and reduce
Healthcare is the single largest business around the world and plays a vital role in society today. The desire to enhance quality of care in healthcare delivery has increased tremendously.
Many people who know me know that I am a triplet. Yes, a triplet one of two boys and one girl. Fortunately for everyone, we are not identical. Growing up we where the A-team. If one of us did not get what we wanted the other two would throw a fit, we had each other’s back. We had our own language that not even a translator could translate, if one of us caused a scene in class the other two did as well. Being one of three meant that we experienced every new experience together, without any older siblings to give us advice; we had to figure out the hardships of life for ourselves. We each teach each other through the mistakes and accomplishments we made along the way. Many think that being a triplet is cool, awesome, and above all the least bit
The United States healthcare system has undergone a wide variety of changes over the past few years. As the overall health of its citizens continues to deteriorate and people live longer, certain aspects of healthcare are costing an increasingly large portion of the healthcare budget. Problems such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, and substance abuse have become the most pressing issues facing healthcare providers today.
The Institute for Healthcare Framework developed the Triple Aim. The framework of this model is an approach for change. Within this framework there are five concepts to focus one when implementing in different organizations. These include: “Focus on individuals and families, Redesign of primary care services and structures, Population health management, Cost control platform and System integration and execution”(Institute for healthcare Improvement, 2016). The goal of the Triple Aim is for organizations to have healthy populations while reducing per capita cost of care.
In recent years, emphasis has been placed on improving the quality of health care services and the overall patient experience. Innovative measures are needed to meet these expectations, while also containing the rising costs of health care. The government has enacted new laws in attempts to provide incentives that base Medicare payments in part on quality. In fact, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, requires the implementation of value-based purchasing (VBP), which bases Medicare reimbursement rates on the quality of care (Kennedy, Wetzel & Wright, 2013). Hospitals may experience a decrease in revenue initially, however, it is theorized that the increase of transparency and accountability will serve as an incentive for improvements in the overall quality of care provided in the United States.
The future of America’s health care system looks bright with new innovations coming about. Advancements in technology, patient care, and access to care are all important factors to create a health care system suitable for American citizens. New health care reforms help shape our health care system to provide better care to all citizens. To implement these new reforms, the plan must be financially viable and be understood by those it effects. To improve the current health care system, new reforms should include ways to insure more citizens in a cost effective manner, offer insurance at an affordable rate, improve efficiency of the health care system, and provide higher transparency to the public.