The United States’ Healthcare Policy Brief

Topic: Public Policies
Words: 1128 Pages: 4

The Policy Brief on the Chosen Bill

The committee evaluated one of the suggestions in the IOM study Crossing the Quality Chasm while assessing the healthcare sector’s role in ensuring public health. Health care organizations, professional groups, and private and public consumers should use it as their precise aim to reduce the burden of sickness further, injury and disability as well as to promote the health and well-being of the United States citizens. The healthcare industry in the United States is made up of multiple doctors, hospitals and other healthcare facilities, insurance programs, and healthcare providers. They work through various configuration groups, networks, and private systems. Some labor in the public sector, while others operate in the private sector, either for profit or non-profit (Leonardsen, 2022). Regulations in the healthcare industry are made up of government and non-governmental organizations. The term “health care system” is sometimes used to describe the collection of various persons and organizations, but it implies a lack of coordination, integration, and accountability (La Valle, 2022). This network’s ability to coordinate, communicate and plan is severely hampered and may even be hazardous to the businesses involved. On the other hand, the committee utilizes the term “health care delivery system” as a convenience.

In addition to the health care system, programs aim to influence non-health policies and processes to promote health and well-being. Health care programs that focus on the community’s needs can be found in a number of government and provincially financed and Medicaid-focused programs within health care. In addition to treating patients, provider-led programs carry out diagnostic tasks and address social issues (La Valle, 2022). In 2017, for example, Medicaid-based care programs were required to review and give referrals to community services in 19 states (Hans, 2022). A recent study of Medicaid-based care programs indicated that virtually all (91 percent) response systems reported community decision-making activities.

Public transportation, for example, has a significant impact on a person’s capacity to get to work, buy healthy food, and receive medical treatment, as well as several other critical aspects of health and well-being (La Valle, 2022). Healthy corner stores in low-income neighborhoods, farm-to-school initiatives, community gardens and schools, and overall efforts to support the production and consumption of healthy food are just a few examples of how nutrition programs and policies can promote health.

For low-income families and people of color, providing early childhood education helps enhance kids’ lives, eliminate achievement inequalities, and promote health equity. Along with initiatives to incorporate health outcomes into non-medical contexts, there are also efforts to address non-medical, social decisions in medical care and treatment (Hans, 2022). Multi-payer state and federal programs, Medicaid or health programs run by provinces, and treatments provided at the provider level that focuses on recognizing and resolving patients’ non-medical and social needs are just a few examples.

Forces and working groups in countries and territories bring together leaders from all sectors and communities to emphasize health and health equality in their activities (Leonardsen, 2022). As part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the National Prevention Council was established, which includes senior leadership from 20 government departments, agencies, and offices, working with the Prevention Advisory Group, stakeholders, and members of the general public to develop the National Defense Strategy (La Valle, 2022). I propose that the bill should be voted into law because quality health care services must be incorporated into a robust public health system for the American people to have a higher quality of life both as individuals and as a nation.

Support of the Bill and Suggest Passing it into a Law

Modern healthcare, especially in hospitals, is a team sport. Medical practitioners working collaboratively to provide high-quality care for inpatients create a positive patient experience. The hospital doctor (or perhaps her chief physician) comes by on her way around every morning throughout her stay (Leonardsen, 2022). Before being transferred to a cardiac unit, where he will be cared for by a new team of traveling nurses after an emergency surgery in the ICU lasts for 12 hours.

Cardiologists and endocrinologists, and pulmonologists are all specialists in their own right. Physical therapists, dietitians, and social workers may be included in the patient’s recovery process, depending on their individual needs and preferences. Insight into the patient can be gained from any of these individuals. Various indicators pique their interest, and multiple hypotheses are tossed about (Lan, 2022). They can gain a comprehensive picture of the patient when they work together (La Valle, 2022). However, these are some of the rarest people will ever come across in the same place. The best part is that they exchange data via EHR, but they rarely have direct access to real-time communication.

Additionally, many hospitals are promoting patient-centered care cycles involving the primary care physician, nurse, specialists, and other team members qualified for participation. As a result, this promotes patient-centered care and professional teamwork in the healthcare industry. Hospital communication technology that enables caregivers to text, call, or video chat with each other or patients is also beneficial (Leonardsen, 2022). Communication spaces in health care can result in many costly errors, from missed symptoms to misdiagnosis to prescription mistakes.

With so many doctors prescribing different prescriptions and nurses delivering those medications, it is easy to understand how mishaps can occur. In fact, 250,000 people die each year due to medical misconduct. It is the third largest cause of death in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Health Policy Research (Hans, 2022). Even though EHR notes can be helpful, clinical communication is essential. Meetings with other healthcare experts, such as pharmacists, are necessary if nurses receive the knowledge they require to provide safe care for their patients.

Health care is a lot like waiting for a bus or a train. Patients wait for doctors while doctors wait for other doctors to consult or for radiology to submit laboratory results. Patients are frustrated and time is wasted because of poor communication (Lan, 2022). As a result, the Joint Commission has included “enhancing staff communication” and “obtaining crucial test findings from the proper staff on time” one of its National Patient Safety Objectives since 2005 (La Valle, 2022). Collaboration amongst experts also helps to close the gaps in knowledge. Health professionals working together have been found to help reduce drug-induced side effects, mortality rates, and medication doses. So, too, is the use of therapeutic communication tools (Leonardsen, 2022). To access a doctor who has not yet entered notes into the EHR and to receive notifications, it connects all care team members via a secure connection so they can get text messages when significant lab results arrive. With the help of specific notes, phone calls, or videos, care team members can get the information they need at the correct time.

References

Hans, K. M. (2022). Comorbid patterns in the homeless population: a theoretical model to enhance patient care. Western journal of emergency medicine, 23(2), 200. Web.

La Valle, C. J.-F. (2022). A systematic review of the use of telehealth to facilitate a diagnosis for children with developmental concerns. Research in developmental disabilities, 27, 104269. Web.

Lan, Y. C. (2022). Collaboration structures in integrated healthcare delivery systems: An exploratory study of accountable care organizations. Manufacturing & service operations management. Web.

Leonardsen, A. C. (2022). Hospital physicians’ experiences and reflections on their work and role in relation to older patients’ pathways-a qualitative study in two Norwegian hospitals. BMC health services research, 21(1), 1-11. Web.