Improving Access to Health Care

 

 Major Problem in Medical Field:

Many individuals who are uninsured, have chronic illnesses, and many who live in rural areas have a difficult time in accessing health care whether it is due to long distances, shortage of physicians, work hours, as well as cultural and language barriers. These are just some of the reasons as why access to health care is such a big issue in the medical field affecting so many people throughout the United States. Doctors also have a difficult time in finding ways to reach wide populations or be reached by patients. (A)

How do we improve the access to health care?

The solution to better meeting patient needs whether it is in increasing productivity or the time spent with sicker patients are just some of the ways in which physicians can begin to approach this problem. Then there are healthcare delivery organizations whose main concerns vary from rural and community hospitals where their aim is to attain medical specialties especially during after work hours, having tertiary and specialty providers to be able to give their services to hospitals reaching wider areas, and having access to assisted living facilities such as rehabs so that patients can be treated without the obstacle of transportation. (A)

Some communities have volunteers and staff members who find patients medical homes, enroll them into public programs, ensure transportation to health care appointments. They also provide translation and interpretation services or case manage those with chronic and costly diseases. Insurance agents, health care providers, and pharmacies donate or severely discount their services to support these new systems. (B)

Physicians could also delegate their responsibilities to other providers when appropriate. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has estimated that in 2010, there were approximately 56,000 NPs and 30,000 PAs who were practicing in primary care. (C) These individuals could be the key to reaching more patients who are sicker or live far away who can be consistently cared for by PAs an NPs. Having nurses practice at the top of their license and deliver high quality care that they are capable to patients something to really be considered.

Subsequently, there are many ways in which we, as a nation, can improve access to health care. Now, we just need to ask ourselves, "How can we implement or better implement these solutions throughout the United States?"

Links:
(A) http://www.sbrhealth.com/improving-access-to-care
(B)http://www.policyconsensus.org/publications/reports/docs/Healthcare.pdf
(C) http://managedhealthcareexecutive.modernmedicine.com/managed-healthcare-executive/content/tags/access-care/7-ways-improve-access?page=full

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