1) What is access of care?
Access of care can be defined as the capability to obtain affordable, convenient, acceptable, effective and mostly needed healthcare assistances at the right time. According to healthy people 2020, access to care is the appropriate use of healthcare amenities for a person to attain the best possible health condition. This include entry to a health care system, access to appropriate locations with needed services, and contacting a health care provider who can be trusted ("Access," 2013).
Access to care constitutes of five measurements such as availability, accessibility, accommodation, affordability, and acceptability. This means acceptable and affordable health services should be available to required persons at the time of necessity. Access to care is different for different types of patients (Shi & Singh, 2008, p. 508-509). For example, access to health service is different for a disables person and a working person. A disabled client may have to worry about transportation and a working person thinks about getting an appointment on his/her day off.
2). How does service availability affect access of care?
Availability is a broad term that refers to the capability of health services to match
with client’s requirements. Clients have varied needs regarding the availability of healthcare services. The various range of availability related issues include availability of primary and preventive services, availability of enabling assistances such as transport, interpretation, and social services, availability of health care specialists, and /or availability of appointments when needed. Availability of care can also be based on income, insurance, and geographical differences. For example, rural Americans hav...
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...ious population surveys to assess the equity of access to health care services (Shi & Singh, 2008, p. 510-512).
References
Access to Health Services. (2013). Retrieved November 25, 2013, from http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicid=1
Chapter 9. Access to Health Care:National Healthcare Quality Report, 2011. (2011). Retrieved November 25, 2013, from http://www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/nhqrdr/nhqr11/chap9.html
Key Facts about the Uninsured Population. (2013). Retrieved Oct 28, 2013, from http://kff.org/uninsured/fact-sheet/key-facts-about-the-uninsured-population/
Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2008). Delivering health care in America: a systems approach (4th ed.). [Adobe Digital Editions]. Retrieved from http://gcumedia.com/digital-resources/jonesandbartlett/2008/delivering-health-care-in-america_-a-systems-approach_ebook_4e.php
The U.S. Health Care System: An International Perspective - DPEAFLCIO. (2014). Retrieved June 04, 2016, from http://dpeaflcio.org/programs-publications/issue-fact-sheets/the-u-s-health-care-system-an-international-perspective/
(Kirst-Ashman, 2013) Services vary dramatically from one location to another, because the focus is on coordination of services, not prescriptions about what should be provided.
There are several drivers that affect the functionality of health care systems. These entities or controllers move medical services in different directions and substantiate the need for change in organizations around the world. One pressing issue that has caused concern for the United States and other nations is demographics (Drivers of change). Demographics is defined by the growth and age of the people, as well as the diversity of the community (Drivers of change). In the U.S., the average age of the public has increased substantially due to longer life spans (Buchbinder & Shanks, 2012). This results in a maximization of hospital visits and cost to society (Shi & Singh, 2012). Unlike other countries, our health practices do not offer the best care at free or manageable cost (Reid, 2008). This nation is expected to continue to expand by 25% at the end of 2025 (Drivers of change). As a result, health disparities will require diversification of access, utilization, quality, and the health environment (Buchbinder & Shanks, 2012). A need for cultural integrity must be instituted for all people based on race, ethnic background, religion, and class (Buchbinder & Shanks, 2012).
The access to care can be described as the degree of fit between the patient and the health care system. Are the right services available, at the right time and place? Is care delayed, or are there long waits for appointments? When access to health care is compromised, people are more likely to use emergency room services inappropriately, or forego medical care entirely, which can lead to poorer health.
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.
A wide variety of community, individual and national factors determine the delivery of health.2 There is a growing number of evidence on inequalities in both accessing of health and the distribution ...
Niles, N. J. (2011). Basics of the U.S. health care system. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.
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
According to Harry A. Sultz and Kristina M. Young, the authors of our textbook Health Care USA, medical care in the United States is a $2.5 Trillion industry (xvii). This industry is so large that “the U.S. health care system is the world’s eighth
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 ...
According to healthypeople.gov, a person’s ability to access health services has a profound effect on every aspect of his or her health, almost 1 in 4 Americans do not have a primary care provider or a health center where they can receive regular medical services. Approximately 1 in 5 A...
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)
Access to health care refers to the ease with which an individual can obtain needed medical services. Many Americans face barriers that make it difficult to obtain basic health care services. These barriers to services include lack of availability, high cost, and lack of insurance coverage. "Limited access to health care impacts people's ability to reach their full potential, negatively affecting their quality of life." (Access to Health Services, 2014) Access to health services encompasses four components that include coverage, services, timeliness, and workforce
In terms of access, everyone is required to buy and maintain health care within the first 3 months of living within the country. If one cannot afford insurance, the government subsidizes for low-income families. This is extremely important to make sure everyone has health care. Access again is obtained based on what canton on...
Med, E. (2006, March). Who is at greatest risk for receiving poor-quality health care?. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16540615