What is the Issue? A strong primary care foundation is fundamental to constructing an effective health care system. Patients who have regular access to a primary care physician are more likely than those who do not to receive the necessary preventative care before their conditions become too difficult or expensive to treat (Bindman, Grumbach, Osmond, Vranizan & Stewart, 1996). Additionally, primary care physicians are significant to providing better care to low-income patients. Access to primary care correlates positively with better management of chronic conditions and reduced mortality (Starfield, Shi & Macinko, 2005). Despite the necessity of primary care in regards to health system performance, there has been little value and investment in primary care for decades (McGlynn et al., 2003). Consequently, health care in the U.S. is left poorly coordinated and expensive. The main shortcomings of health care in the U.S. include limited access and difficulty in coordination of care. In an 11-country survey conducted by the Commonwealth Fund, Americans were found to have a greater wait period than adults from other countries. In fact, 20% of adults reported a delay of six or more days to see a doctor or nurse (Schoen, Osborn, Squires, Doty, Pierson & Applebaum, 2010). Access to care is further complicated as only 29% of U.S. primary care practices make arrangements for patients to receive care on evenings, weekends, and holidays (Abrams, Nuzum, Mika & Lawlor, 2011). Physicians also face frustrations in the coordination of care. U.S. physicians are more likely to report that patients cannot afford treatment and are less likely to have electronic patient records that facilitate patient-centered care (Osborn, Schoen, Doty, ... ... middle of paper ... ...34. Seale, C., Anderson, E., & Kinnersley, P. (2005). Comparison of GP and nurse practitioner consultations: an observational study. British Journal of General Practice, 55(521), 938-943. Starfield, B., Shi, L., & Macinko, J. (2005). Contribution of Primary Care to Health Systems and Health. Milbank Quarterly, 83(3), 457-502. Retrieved from http://www.commonwealthfund.org/usr_doc/starfield_milbank.pdf Vaughn, B. T., DeVrieze, S. R., Reed, S. D., & Schulman, K. A. (2010). Can We Close The Income And Wealth Gap Between Specialists And Primary Care Physicians? Health Affairs, 29(5), 933-940. Retrieved from http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/29/5/933.full Yee, T., Bokus, E., Cross, D., & Samuel, D. (2013). Primary care workforce shortages: nurse practitioner scope-of-practice laws and payment policies. National Institute for Health Care Reform, 13, 1-7.
In 2011, Barbara Safriet published an article “Federal options for maximizing the value of Advanced Practice Nurses in providing quality, cost-effective health care” from a legal perspective. The article focused on the benefits of utilizing Advance Practice Nurses to the full extent of their abilities as well as the current barriers that APNs encounter in their practice. The aim of this paper is to discuss two regulatory provisions to full deployment of APNs in current health care system, as well as three principle causes of current barriers to removal of the restrictive provisions for the APN. Furthermore, I will discuss the critical knowledge presented in the article and how it relates the APN practice. This article was incorporated into a two-year initiative was launched Institute of Medicine (IOM) and by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in 2008 which addressed the urgency to assess and transform the nursing profession.
The number of doctors that present in the United States of America directly affects the communities that these doctors serve and plays a large role in how the country and its citizens approach health care. The United States experienced a physician surplus in the 1980s, and was affected in several ways after this. However, many experts today have said that there is currently a shortage of physicians in the United States, or, at the very least, that there will be a shortage in the near future. The nation-wide statuses of a physician surplus or shortage have many implications, some of which are quite detrimental to society. However, there are certain remedies that can be implemented in order to attempt to rectify the problems, or alleviate some of their symptoms.
Every individual in the world deserves to enjoy health and wellness. Maintaining or achieving proper health needs enables individuals to be productive at work and leisure. Traditionally, many people have had barriers obtaining adequate healthcare due to economic constraints or personal inconveniences. Despite impressive technological advances in medicine, the challenge of delivering quality healthcare to the Americans continues to be debated amongst the nation’s political and healthcare leaders. The aging baby-boomers and the increased number of uninsured people add to the equation of population growth which results in limited access to primary healthcare for the entire public. On the other hand, this has ignited the need for advanced practiced registered nurses to unveil the profession’s fullest potential. Nurse practitioners have been called to the public to meet the demand for safe and convenient healthcare. These academically and clinically well prepared nurse practitioners demonstrate their knowledge, skill and leadership in the communities (Hansen-Turton, Miller, Nash, Ryan, & Counts, n.d.). Due to the magnified concerns for additional access to healthcare, ANA has supported nurse practitioners’ ongoing work in retail-based health clinics to reflect a positive movement towards accurate, quality medical care for all citizens.
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 ...
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).
Primary care clinics are essential in society for people who need urgent care right away or need a place where they know will be the customer service is going to excellent. Care facilities have to make sure they are to provide the patients with excellent care and services or be able to refer them to a place where their issue can be handled. When the opportunity comes for improvement, care facilities should find it essential to listen to their patients to make sure they’re being taken care of in the proper way and the care being given isn’t different from people who have insurance and from those who don’t.
It was during this period that the importance of primary care dawned on me. I noticed that several of my patients could have averted surgeries had they undergone appropriate and timely screening. Through my interactions with them, I could see how poverty and a scarcity of healthcare resources in the remote areas had been compounded by the residents’ lack of awareness and education.
Rising medical costs are a worldwide problem, but nowhere are they higher than in the U.S. Although Americans with good health insurance coverage may get the best medical treatment in the world, the health of the average American, as measured by life expectancy and infant mortality, is below the average of other major industrial countries. Inefficiency, fraud and the expense of malpractice suits are often blamed for high U.S. costs, but the major reason is overinvestment in technology and personnel.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is projected to provide health insurance to 25 million Americans by 2016 (Congressional Budget Office, 2014). The U.S. demographics are also changing in a way that will cause an increased demand on the health care system. Both of these changes will result in an increased demand of health care in the US. Due to the limits in the supply of health care providers , a shortage of workers will result which will eventually drive up prices and costs. One method of preventing this shortage is to remove the barriers that limit the expansion of the health care provider supply.
The County of Sacramento had its humble beginnings during the California Gold Rush and booming railroad industry. Since then it has grown to encompass seven cities and the states government buildings. This county is the home of the city of Sacramento, the state capital of California. The county of Sacramento is growing in population and is facing the same issues as the rest of the state when it comes to healthcare accessibility, affordability and quality. The following research paper speaks to the demographics, economic status, chronic diseases and healthcare initiatives the county is implementing to improve the quality of life
The United States’ healthcare system is often compared to health care systems in other industrialized countries. According to Davis, Stremikis, Schoen, and Squires (2014), “The
Primary care is critical to the delivery of integrated, comprehensible health care services by clinicians accountable for addressing most personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community.
towards the quality and cost of health care in the United States in the general public. In
The population is living sicker longer. Overall patients in the United States are grossly under treated by primary care providers, likely because there simply are not enough of them. 60% of physicians in the US are specialty care providers. Shi summarized, with increased access to primary care overall health of the population is positively influenced. Mortality and disease rates decrease; as do hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions. Life expectancy and satisfaction with the healthcare system also increase (Shi, 2012). I sometimes wonder if my cancer patients had better access to primary care would the outcome be different? Could the cancer had been caught in time for more curative measures, instead of
There are many reasons for poor medical health care in the United States. As mentioned by Dr. Steve Beller that many healthcare centers’ concentration is on raising the costs of the medicine and treatment rather than the health of the patients (Beller, 2008). Patients cannot afford the medicine or the costs of the health centers; nonetheless, the treatment is very expensive although it does not provide the needed and effective treatment and care to the patient. Furthermore, as directed by Kaiser Family Foundation in 2001 that constant racial and ethnic differences also have an impact on the quality of health care provided to the citizens. Studies showed that fifty-five percent of the black citizens receive poor medical healthcare than the white, depending on the do...