American Healthcare | Distance Learning Systems (DLSI)

5 Biggest Issues in Healthcare Today

The healthcare industry has experienced a lot of interesting changes during the last few years, and it will not exempt 2015.

However, there are still a lot of major healthcare programs being practiced all over the world. There are still recurrent issues concerning healthcare today. In this article, we will discuss more about the 5 biggest issues in healthcare.

Wasted Health Funds
According to the recent report of Institute of Medicine Health, there are billions of dollars of health costs that are being wasted each year. Some of the funds were used for unnecessary programs.

Excessive and Needless Care Rendered
Half of all healthcare costs were used for unnecessary and excessive health care. According to the American College of Obstetricians, these healthcare issues have been around for more than a decade. A lot of healthcare organizations carried this burden for so long yet did not dare to do something to fix it.

Chronic Disease Rates Are Extremely High
According to recent surveys, out of the seven countries being examined, Americans have the second highest rate of chronic disease next to Australians. Where in fact, Americans pay the most expensive healthcare costs. How did it happen? Authorities were not able to focus more on preventive care. Majority of adult Americans are becoming at risk to diseases and illnesses due to lack of healthcare support.

Preventable Harm to Patients
This is considered to be one of the most common healthcare problems. According to research, one of four health insurance recipients that were admitted suffers harm during their hospital stay.

Absence of Transparency
Transparency stimulates healthcare change like nothing more. Regardless of getting a lot of warnings from respected national health organizations and other medical societies, the rates of healthcare problems continues to rise. There were a lot of early elective deliveries reported since 2010 but were not taken care of due to unexplained loss of funds.

Healthcare Insurance

Health is rooted in everyday life. If you, or any of our family members become ill, you lose the focus on what is important to you—learning, providing for our family, building a home and family, and realizing our true potential.

In order for you to do all those things, you must take better care of our health. Therefore, the importance of healthcare insurance cannot be minimized. No one plans to get sick or hurt, but most people need medical care at some point in their lives. When that happens, when you need to see a doctor, you can afford to go with healthcare insurance.

Health insurance is there for the unpredictable, unexpected, and fundamentally uncontrollable problems the come up in people’s lives. You pay for it but you hope that you will never need it. And although you are still young and healthy, you will never know when you will require medical care.

One of the reasons why it is important to get health insurance is to avoid the risk of a financial ruin. When an unexpected medical care is needed such as in a sudden or serious illness or a traumatic event, paying high medical bills is expected. The inability to pay these bills is one of the reasons why people file for bankruptcy which can ruin your credit history and set you back for years.

Another reason is to have access to preventive and primary care. This means you are more likely to stay healthy and catch health problems early. The earlier an illness is detected, they are easier and less expensive to treat. Even young people benefit from this kind of healthcare coverage.

There are many other reasons why health insurance is important even if you are not sick. Having good health insurance provides you with an affordable way to get medical care when you need it.

Healthcare Waste Management

Hospitals can efficiently protect public health by lessening the quantity and toxicity of the wastes they generate, and also by employing a variety of ecologically sound waste management and disposal alternatives. As part of a healthcare program, they must not only focus on treating the patients inside the hospital, but protecting citizens as well outside from harmful waste materials.

All over the world, health care waste management is underfunded and inadequately executed. The merging of contagious and other dangerous properties of medical waste symbolize a significant environmental and public overall health threat. It is indeed frightening to think that chemicals and other toxic substances may reach our neighborhood. A current literature review came to the conclusion that over half the world’s population is in danger from illness caused by healthcare waste. It was also found that plenty of inadequate waste treatment methods cause violation of fundamental human rights.

There is certainly no international convention that directly addresses medical waste management, so classification systems vary from country to country. Nevertheless, waste is frequently categorized based on the risk it carries. The vast majority of medical waste (around 75-85%) is comparable to normal municipal waste and also considered as low risk, unless burnt. The rest consists of more harmful forms of medical wastes, which include infectious and sharp waste, chemical and radioactive waste and hospital waste water.

Burning medical waste products creates numerous hazardous fumes and compounds, such as hydrochloric acid, dioxins and furans, as well as the toxic metal lead, cadmium, and mercury. The disposal of biodegradable waste produces greenhouse gas pollutants, including methane, which can be twenty-one times stronger than carbon dioxide. The government, as well as international organizations, must have a strong stand in managing hospital waste materials. This is to improve the quality of healthcare and avoiding possible spread of diseases in the community.

Career in Healthcare Management

Healthcare is changing more quickly than almost any other field. The sector is beginning to change in terms of where and how care is delivered, who is supplying those services, and just how that care is financed. Healthcare management demands talented people to manage the changes taking place. In their roles, healthcare executives have an opportunity to produce a significant contribution to improving the health of the communities their organizations serve.

With growing diversity in the healthcare system, executives are needed in many settings, including clinics, consulting firms, health insurance organizations, healthcare associations, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, physician practices, mental health organizations, public health departments, nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities and universities and research institutions.

Currently, approximately 100,000 people occupy health management jobs at numerous organizational levels, from department head to chief executive officer. Prerequisites for senior-level positions in healthcare organizations are demanding, but these jobs also offer the opportunity to improve the system of care giving.

If you choose a career in healthcare management, your first job might be an entry- to mid-level management position in a specialized area, like finance, government relations, human resources, information systems, planning and development, marketing and public affairs, material management, medical staff relations, nursing administration, patient care services, as well as growth and salaries.

Healthcare management is a large, sophisticated, and ever-changing field. The fact is, healthcare services improve each year which supports millions of new jobs, the largest increase of any industry. This shows that nurses, physicians, therapists and other health care professionals are highly needed by the industry. It is a good time to enroll to a program and enter the health care field.

Improvements in Healthcare

A 16 year old girl was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. The emergency room felt like home for her. The physician explained her condition where her immune system is acting abnormally. He added that antibodies are savagely killing her platelets. Death from over bleeding may occur. At an early age, Kelly had undergone several major surgeries and countless hospitalizations.

Autoimmune disease is one of the leading causes of death among women from all age groups. It is categorized as a chronic illness that can either be debilitating or life-threatening. Kelly and millions of Americans live with such medical nightmare. A few years ago, medical advancement modified dramatically. Unfortunately, most doctors are not aware of these changes. For instance, if laparoscopic surgery (a procedure that could reduce several surgeries into one) was known by Kelly’s doctor, she would have saved time and money. Not to mention the discovery of new pipeline treatments, that soon could lead to a whole new type of drugs. This new drug could have exempted her from surgery.

Technology is very obvious, but total application in medicinal sense is not fully widespread. We will now discuss some of the new improvements in healthcare that are readily available to use.

3D Printing
Three dimensional printed models help doctors prepare for transplants and conduct surgery smoothly. In addition, it makes the procedures a lot more accurate. CT scan images are helpful, but 3D models enable the doctor to hold and see the “real thing”, giving them confidence over their procedures.

Medical Robots
Robotic technology is utilized for certain functions like food service, medication distribution, infection control, surgery and diagnostics. Proponents contend that robots can bring many advantages since artificial intelligence can cut labor cost, increase precision, create clinical outcomes and substitute humans from unsafe situations.

Scanadu (real-life Tricorder)
A Scanadu makes the diagnostic process of basic medical stats convenient (like pulse rate, temperature, and blood oxygenation). With the use of this new machine, you can be diagnosed at the comfort of your home. It analyzes data, diagnose the problem, and send the information to a physician that can possibly provide treatment remotely.

Advanced technology has presented physicians countless of better medical options that could save, if not millions, thousands of thousands of lives every day. It is readily available, just waiting for us to discover them making healthcare a lot better.

Healthcare Problems

Healthcare has been a major issue for most countries including the USA. Though the issues are not as huge as compared to poor countries, it still has an effect on the system and the health of the citizens in general. Amongst the major problems in relation to healthcare are the cost and the accessibility to health insurance. There are many other issues aside from this, but we will be focusing first on this issue.

The cost of healthcare is not as affordable as compared to other countries that are subsidized, most if not all, the expenses for any health related concerns. There are many reasons why the cost is high. Healthcare professionals, medicine manufacturers and suppliers and service providers will charge a cost or fee that will give them a reasonable profit or else they will invest in other areas.

Doctors charge excessive rates just to reimburse the expenses they used with their education. It’s virtually impossible to get a medical education in America without winding up with many years of debt. Another explanation would be that the US is really a litigious society, and also to safeguard themselves, doctors need to pay high malpractice insurance rates.

In knowing the explanation of high medical costs, you have to consider insurance in addition to time and materials. Private health insurance companies don’t run a business to facilitate healthcare, but, like drug companies, to create profits for their employees and investors. Just to create a profit, they often deny coverage to those who have problems with their insurance that may result in claims. They even deny legitimate claims by making the procedure for compensation difficult. They offer guidelines which have high insurance deductibles and minimal insurance coverage.

Healthcare is a business and will require financials in order to function. Without it, services will surely be affected with reduced quality and efficiency. To be able to deal with this problem the government must be able to find a way to reduce the cost of education for doctors, support researches that will lead to affordable and more efficient medicine and services, and create a system that will benefit both the providers and the people.

Ways Technology Is Improving Healthcare

It is undeniable that more and more people are depending on the internet to inquire about their medical conditions. Healthcare has been using the internet as a medium for people to get in contact with the necessary information they needed. The internet is a good source of medical information, from symptoms, as well as treatments and medicines. It is of course not advisable to depend on the internet and avoid the doctor, it is somehow an immediate source of information on what they are about to do next.

Healthcare facilities like hospitals and other facilities are using the social media to get connected with the patients. Through the social media, they are able to inform the public the services they offer, their available facilities and answer patients’ queries. Technology has been able to improve the facilities, equipments, medicines and treatments offered by hospitals today. Through this, they are able to save more lives.

Information Technology has made patient care secure and more efficient than it was before. Hand-held computers are now being used by nurses and physicians to trace a patient’s medical history and check that they are administering the correct treatment. Results of lab tests, records medicine orders and vital signs are all automatically put into a main record that can be checked and updated. Many healthcare institutions are using electronic health records. It is much easier to access patients’ information to make more accurate medications and treatments.

Electronic databases are used to consolidate large amounts of information that are used for health research. By studying patient history, scientists can have a better understanding of trends and causes of ailments. Technology can reach more milestones in the future and could lead to more breakthroughs. It has no limits and its capability has not yet been fully achieved.

Best Healthcare Jobs Part 1: Dentist

As the population grows, the need for healthcare professionals also grows to provide healthcare services. Avoiding disease, sickness and injury has been just as important as our identifying and curing them. There is a need to employ certified healthcare employees to both prevent and cure health conditions. We not only need to maintain those employees already in the field, but also to add a significant number of new ones to supply the increasing demand and to avoid future shortage. It is predicted that there will be an increased demand in the years to come. Today, we will discuss healthcare jobs and their importance in the industry.

First, we’ll talk about dentists. We see dentists at an outpatient care center or hospital, but we usually see them at their personal clinics. Dentists work together with a dental staff that helps him with the record keeping, sanitizing equipment and tooth cleaning. Dentists clean your teeth and give you advice on proper dental treatment. They extract your decayed tooth and fill the spaces on your cavities. There are dentists who choose to specialize on dental surgeries or treating other serious oral diseases.

We need dental professionals to examine the health of our teeth and gums. Without them, we may suffer from extreme pain due to tooth decay or permanent tooth loss. The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts employment increase before 2022 at nearly 16 percent. It is estimated to reach more than 23,000 new opportunities. A dentist profession is one of the top healthcare jobs in the country because of its good salary and job employment opportunities.

Dentists are well paid for the services they provide. According to the BLS or the Bureau of labor Statistics, dental workplaces gained an average wage of $145,240 this year. The best-paid gained more than $187,999, while the lowest-paid gained less than $74,130. Dentists who work in personal offices are paid pretty well, but so are those who work together with other doctors. If you are yet to decide your career in the healthcare field, dentistry is a good choice.

Healthcare Management vs. Healthcare Administration

Healthcare institutions require managers with the skills, knowledge, and practical experience necessary to keep with the ever growing needs for healthcare and maintenance. Healthcare today is among the largest and fastest-growing industries in the United States. The Healthcare Management concentration develops the managerial skills needed to work in today’s synchronized, complex healthcare field.

Definitions of healthcare management and healthcare administration can be easily confused. Many people, of course, cannot help but use the two phrases interchangeably. Mainly, the difference between administration and management is much similar to the difference between sales and marketing. In sales and marketing, they are used to generate revenue for a company, but they achieve that task in two different ways. It’s is the same with healthcare management and administration. The sales is the face of a company that has the personal contact with clients and marketing attempts to expand the corporate client base through advertising and other physical means. While marketing is much more involved in demographics than sales would be, the sales department is much more focused in increasing the revenue numbers than marketing.

Likewise, healthcare administration is responsible in running the healthcare organization. Administration deals more with functionality of a facility, while healthcare management deals more with staffing and direct patient care.

Healthcare System Needs

There are a lot of outstanding leaders in American healthcare, but, on average, we still get unremarkable results. The answer is simple, management needs to be less about charisma and style, and more about creating managerial systems that standardize brilliance. The ventures couldn’t be higher. We must produce higher-quality, better-integrated care at a lower cost.

In health care practice, our structures are normally too constricted and focused on today’s urgent problem. We respond with checklists, principles, action plans and strategy to improve performance on, say, a significant safety issue. Even when we use lean or Kaizen practices, it’s done in a limited way. Staff members treating patients end up dealing with a pile of disconnected proposals on top of their core responsibilities.

There is something else that needs concentration, but nothing is done to pick up the whole environment. Without a more global organizational viewpoint, we risk cutting costs reactively rather than thoughtfully. And, as we consolidate and build new affiliations, we introduce more cultural variation into the mix, making our institutions more confused and disordered, and generate more crises.

The better way to run healthcare delivery systems is to apply lean philosophy broadly to what and how we do everything. Organizational operating systems that regulate every facet of our work must be created. It means mounting common meeting agendas, uniform daily workflows, cascading communication and reliable use of relevant data across the enterprise.

Part of the task are the problem solving and modernization. The focus must be on the well-defined and clearly articulated objectives, we can create organizations that are well-organized, successful and philosophical of their highest ambitions.

Leading wellbeing systems already use lean ideology to create more economical and focused workplaces and work cultures. The ThedaCare system in Wisconsin is a trailblazer in creating lean management systems. In the foreword to “Beyond Heroes,” the book about ThedaCare’s journey, John Toussaint, M.D., CEO of the ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value, writes, “When lean thinking goes only skin deep and management does not change, improvements cannot be sustained, and savings never quite hit the bottom line.”

New systems must be created to deeply reshape our associations so that we can get the healthcare results that our population deserve. We need a great system to reach our goals for a better healthcare services.