Economic Analysis of Outpatient Care Centers vs. Hospitals A recent phenomenon in the health services is the burgeoning of outpatient healthcare centers. Particularly vigorous growth has been observed in centers that perform diagnostic tests and simple surgeries and procedures like colonoscopies. At the current state, outpatient care centers outnumber hospitals in Pennsylvania. Furthermore, these centers now perform one of every four surgical and diagnostic procedures in the state (Levy 2006). However, the trend applies nationwide, and other states could easily follow suit. Many critics have commented on the negative and positive aspects of this trend. What remains to be determined are the long term effects (on health and the economy) of this paradigm shift, in terms of the wellness of the community as well as economically. Proponents of the movement have pointed to the lower overhead for these clinics trickling down to lower costs for patients. However, critics skeptically question whether the real benefits are for the patients or simply as a mechanism to stuff physicians' wallets. When considered as firms in the marketplace, it is evident that these two groups, both servicing the health needs of the community, have vastly different balance sheets and income statements. This transfers over to a difference in operational functionality, profitability, and cost structure. Furthermore, the disparity of financial motivations that is visible in the varying profit margins is of concern to the community. All of these are important considerations to be made when considering the economic implications of this new phenomenon. The most important aspect of this shift to analyze is the health aspect how effective and safe are outpatient... ... middle of paper ... ...fault.aspx?doc_id=89001 Levy, Marc (2006). Outpatient Centers Outnumber Pa. Hospitals as Profitability Soars. The Miami Herald. Retrieved November 7, 2006 from http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/national/15736742.htm Harvey Jay Cohen, John R. Feussner, Morris Weinberger, Molly Carnes, Frank Hsieh, Philip Lavori. (1996). The New England Journal of Medecine. A Controlled Trial of Inpatient and Outpatient Geriatric Evaluation and Management, 346, 905-912. Retrieved on November 8th, 2006 from http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/346/12/905 John B. Pollard, Ann L. Zboray, Richard I Mazze. The International Anesthesia Research Society. (1996). Economic Benefit Attributed to Opening a Preoperative Evaluation Clinic for Outpatients, 83,407-10. Retrieved on November 8th, 2006 from http://www.anesthesia-analgesia.org/cgi/reprint/83/2/407.pdf
Prior to intubation for a surgical procedure, the anesthesiologist administered a single dose of the neuromuscular blocking agent, succinylcholine, to a 23-year-old female to provide muscular relaxation during surgery and to facilitate the insertion of the endotracheal tube. Following this, the inhalation anesthetic was administered and the surgical procedure completed.
Stanley, J., Gannon, J., Gabuat, J., Hartranft, S., Adams, N., Mayes, C., Shouse, G. M.,
There has been a shortage of physicians, lack of inpatient beds, problems with ambulatory services, as well as not having proper methods of dealing with patient overflow, all in the past 10 years (Cummings & francescutti, 2006, p.101). The area of concern that have been worse...
Volles, D. F. (2011, April 11). University of Virginia Health System Adult and Geriatric Sedation/Analgesia for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures. Retrieved May 12, 2011, from University of Virgina Health System: University of Virginia Health System Adult and Geriatric Sedation/Analgesia for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures
It is no secret that the current healthcare reform is a contentious matter that promises to transform the way Americans view an already complex healthcare system. The newly insured population is expected to increase by an estimated 32 million while facing an expected shortage of up to 44,000 primary care physicians within the next 12 years (Doherty, 2010). Amidst these already overwhelming challenges, healthcare systems are becoming increasingly scrutinized to identify ways to improve cost containment and patient access (Curits & Netten, 2007). “Growing awareness of the importance of health promotion and disease prevention, the increased complexity of community-based care, and the need to use scarce human healthcare resources, especially family physicians, far more efficiently and effectively, have resulted in increased emphasis on primary healthcare renewal.” (Bailey, Jones & Way, 2006, p. 381).
Khenzi, N., Hutton, D. N., Garber, A. M., Hupert, N., & Owens, D. K. (2009).
Anderson, Daniel R., Aletha C. Huston, Deborah L. Linebarger, Kelly L. Schmitt, and John C.
Ed. Robert Anderson, John Malcolm Brinnin, John Leggett, Gary Q. Arpin, and Susan Allen Toth.
American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. Professional Aspects of Nurse Anesthesia Practice. Philadelphia: F. A. Davis Company, 1994. Print.
The balance between quality patient care and medical necessity is a top priority and the main concern of many of the healthcare organizations today. Due to the rising cost of healthcare, there has been a change in the focus of reimbursement strategies that are affecting the delivery of patient care. This shift from a fee-for-service towards a value-based system creates a challenge that has shifted many providers’ focus more directly on their revenue. As a result, organizations are forced to take a hard look at the cost of services they are providing patients and then determining if the services and level of care are appropriate for the prescribed patient care.
Duley, S. M., Cancelli, A. A., Kratochwill, T. R., Bergan, J. R., & Meredith, K. E. (1983).
Gerald Mahoney, Ann Kaiser, Luigi Girolametto, James MacDonald, Cordelia Robinson, Philip Safford, and Donna Spiker
The United States health care system is one of the most expensive systems in the world yet it is known as being unorganized and chaotic in comparison to other countries (Barton, 2010). This factor is attributed to numerous characteristics that define what the U.S. system is comprised of. Two of the major indications are imperfect market conditions and the demand for new technology (Barton, 2010). The health care system has been described as a free market in
Just like everything else in life, there are pros and cons to inpatient and outpatient services. All of this, boil down to the need of the patient and how well the provider treating the patient is seeking can be granted without any risk to the patient’s life. To identify and describe an inpatient setting is to understand what these all mean. Wikipedia states “Inpatient care is the patients who condition requires admission to a hospital. Progress in modern medicine and the advent of comprehensive out-patient clinics ensure that patients are only admitted to a hospital when they are extremely ill or have severe physical trauma.” While the Outpatient setting is also known as ambulatory care, these are instant that describes medical care or
When asked to state the primary goal of his business, Dr. Slez cited “high quality health care service” as the firm’s main objective. The effective treatment of, and development of trust with, the practice’s patients, Dr. Slez continued, takes precedence over profits. Indeed, if all healthcare firms placed profits above patient care (and many do) we would be far worse off. While doing what is needed to stop the spread of a disease or alleviate pain may not always be the most cost effective approach, it is the approach demanded by the government and general public. This is not to say that Dr. Slez’s firm does not try to maximize profit. The f...