Increasing access to preventive services is also an act that is important to develop. There are two types of prevention: primary and secondary. Primary prevention is detecting warning signs or symptoms earlier enough so that they do not develop into a disease of some sort. Secondary prevention consists of detecting the disease itself, while it is in the stage where it is treatable. Accessing health care facilities is a major issue itself. Emergency medical services include aid with basic and advanced life support. Not everyone has access to hospitals so for them emergency medical services are crucial and it is very important that they strive to respond rapidly. Most deem access to the United States health care services as unreliable. Many propose …show more content…
The quality of care in the United States health system falls into three very broad categories: underuse, misuse, and overuse. Underuse refers to the patients who do not receive medical care at all and for whatever reason, misuse goes with the patients that are given the incorrect treatment and suffer injuries as a result, and overuse adverts to the patients who receive care that they do not need; whether it's because they were given a more expensive treatment that could have cost less, or whether they received treatment that included more side effects than another and harmed their health rather help it. In the health care industry, everyone is collaborating to improve the quality of care provided. Knowing that Americas' health care system needs improvement in terms of quality, many of the industry core aspects such as hospitals, physicians, nurses, health insurance providers, and even government are working together to ensure success. Actions such as immunizations for children, mammograms for women, screenings, etc. are being taken to improve the measure of quality in the United States health care …show more content…
In order to ensure good health care high quality research is extremely important. It is essential for physicians to keep up the latest information about the most effective ways to care for their patients. Yearly, there is so much information published that most physicians find it nearly impossible to keep up and read all of the new findings. With that being said, most discoveries are not introduced to a practice and if they are managed to be presented, it takes years to do so. For example, one orthodontist may have invisalign and another may only offer traditional braces. But despite the endless amounts of uncovering, there is still not enough evidence to cure some of the nation’s most leading diseases and illnesses. Making a patient's health information available to physicians when needed can also ensure good quality of care. It is of the essence for physicians and other health care staff to be able to access their patient's past health and medical problems, as well as their families’ medical history too. It is often too common for patient's information to be stored in medical files that are either lost or inaccessible which is where HIPAA's importance comes into play. There are two types of records that are gathered for patients. According to Rouse, “An electronic health record is an official health record for an individual that is shared among multiple facilities and agencies. Digitized health information
. HIPAA privacy rules are complicated and extensive, and set forth guidelines to be followed by health care providers and other covered entities such as insurance carriers and by consumers. HIPAA is very specific in its requirements regarding the release of information, but is not as specific when it comes to the manner in which training and policies are developed and delivered within the health care industry. This paper will discuss how HIPAA affects a patient's access to their medical records, how and under what circumstances personal health information can be released to other entities for purposes not related to health care, the requirements regarding written privacy policies for covered entities, the training requirements for medical office employees and the consequences for not following the policy.
While the HIPAA regulations call for the medical industry to reexamine how it protects patient information, the standards put in place by HIPAA do not provide ...
HIPAA provides the first federal protection for the privacy of medical records (Burke & Weill, 2005). HIPPA encourages the use of electronic medical records and the sharing of medical records between healthcare providers, because it can aid in saving lives. HIPAA requires that patients have some knowledge of the use of their medical records and must be notified in writing of their providers' privacy policies. HIPAA has technical requirements that a healthcare provider, insurer, or service provider, unless exempt under state law, must provide. An organization must conduct a self-evaluation to learn what threats its records face, and develop techniques needed to protect the information (HIPAA, 1996).
McGlynn, E, Asch, S, Adams, J, Keesey, J, & Hicks, J. (2003). The quality of health care delivered to adults in the united states. The New England Journal of Medicine, 248(26), 2635-2645.
With today's use of electronic medical records software, information discussed in confidence with your doctor(s) will be recorded into electronic data files. The obvious concern is the potential for your records to be seen by hundreds of strangers who work in health care, the insurance industry, and a host of businesses associated with medical organizations. Fortunately, this catastrophic scenario will likely be avoided. Congress addressed growing public concern about privacy and security of personal health data, and in 1996 passed “The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act” (HIPAA). HIPAA sets the national standard for electronic transfers of health data.
The interpretation of quality health care varies with each person. Some place emphasis on the ability to access various treatments without interference. Others value the feature of being able to simply select one’s provider. Quality health care, according to the Institute of Medicine (2001), can be defined as care that is “safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient and equitable” (p. 3). Furthermore, it should account for, in detail, a patient’s medical history, and improve overall patient well-being.
Some of the things that HIPAA does for a patient are it gives patients more control over their health information. It sets boundaries on the use and release of health records. It establishes appropriate guidelines that health care providers and others must do to protect the privacy of the patients’ health information. It holds violators accountable, in court that can be imposed if they violate patients’ privacy rights by HIPAA. Overall HIPAA makes it to where the health information can’t b...
Despite the established health care facilities in the United States, most citizens do not have access to proper medical care. We must appreciate from the very onset that a healthy and strong nation must have a proper health care system. Such a health system should be available and affordable to all. The cost of health services is high. In fact, the ...
Reforming the health care delivery system to progress the quality and value of care is indispensable to addressing the ever-increasing costs, poor quality, and increasing numbers of Americans without health insurance coverage. What is more, reforms should improve access to the right care at the right time in the right setting. They should keep people healthy and prevent common, preventable impediments of illnesses to the greatest extent possible. Thoughtfully assembled reforms would support greater access to health-improving care, in contrast to the current system, which encourages more tests, procedures, and treatments that are either
In today’s healthcare system, there are many characteristics and forces that make up the complex structure. Health care delivery is a complex system that involves many people that navigate it with hopes of a better outcome to the residents of the United States. Many factors affect the system starting from global influences, social values and culture. Further factors include economic conditions, physical environment, technology development, economic conditions, political climate and population characteristics. Furthermore the main characteristics of the Unites States healthcare system includes: no agency governs the whole system, access to healthcare is restricted based on the coverage and third party agencies exist. Unfortunately many people are in power of the healthcare system involving multiple payers. Physicians are pressured to order unnecessary tests to avoid potential legal risks. Quality of care is a major component; therefore it creates a demand for new technology. A more close investigation will review two main characteristics and two external forces that currently affect the healthcare delivery system. Furthermore, what will be the impact of one of the characteristics and one of the external forces in review with the new affordable care act 2010? The review will demonstrate the implications to the healthcare delivery system and the impact on the affordable care act 2010.
There are new challenges every year in the health care field. Research on the future of U.S Healthcare System is of paramount importance to the entire Health care industry as well as the citizens of the U.S. To begin with, the research will discuss how challenges for future healthcare services can be enhanced by reducing the costs of medication. By creating a better quality of health care, Information technology advancements, including future funding, lower rising costs, the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The research will also discuss the challenges of market shares for different ages of populating and maintaining a skilled work place. It will further discuss the tentative solutions to these challenges. The role that the government plays to ensure that these challenges are mitigated and that health care is available to all American citizens is also discussed. Among these problems poor quality of care is perhaps the most visible and troubling, resulting in nearly 100,000 preventable deaths each year (Institute of Medicine, 1999) and reduced quality of life for millions of Americans due to non-fatal yet serious adverse events such as wrong-limb amputation, hospital-acquired infection, and medication errors (Institute of Medicine, 2006; Leape, 1997).
The purpose of the Electronic Health Record is to provide a comprehensive, standardized and universal digital version of a patient 's health records. The availability of a patient 's digital health record provides health information and data for critical thinking and evidence based decision-making, aggregates patient data for quality assurance and research. The Electronic Health Record has been, "identified as a strategy for effectively and efficiently coordinating and maintaining documentation of patients health histories and as a secure method of providing more informed clinical decision making" (MNA, 2006).
The World Health Organization outlines 6 areas of quality that help shape our definition of what makes quality care. Those areas are; (1) Effective: using evidence bases practice to improve health outcomes based on needs of individuals and communities. (2) Efficient: healthcare that maximizes resources and minimizes waste. (3) Accessible: timely care that is provided in a setting where the skills and resources are appropriate for the medical need and is geographically reasonable. (4) Acceptable/Patient-Centered: healthcare that considers individual needs, preferences, and culture. (5) Equitable: healthcare quality that does not vary because of race, gender, ethnicity, geographical location, or socioeconomically status. (6) Safe: healthcare that minimizes harm and risks to patients. (Bengoa, 2006)
The Urgent Need for Increased Quality in Healthcare The need for increased quality in the healthcare system is extremely important and should not be overlooked. Quality can refer to many aspects in the healthcare system, not just the individual’s interaction with the provider. The population, as a whole, should have a health status that is improving. Quality across the entire healthcare system needs to be enhanced. Working through factors such as: underuse, misuse and overuse would be a way to start improving the quality of healthcare in our system.
William, R. (2009, August). Improving quality and value in the u.s. health care system. Retrieved from http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports/2009/08/21-bpc-qualityreport