Improving Healthcare Quality - Research Paper Example

Healthcare quality affiliation Introduction A good healthcare system should have the following components. First, the system is safe that is free from accidental injury, all the time and help patients heal without further complications. Patients need only tell their health care providers information once, and that information is not misplaced or overlooked. Second, a high quality health care system provides care that is effective that is based on the use of systematically obtained evidence to make determinations regarding whether a preventive service, diagnostic test, therapy, or no intervention would produce the best outcomes. Third, a high quality health care system is patient-centered. This concept encompasses respect for patients values, preferences, and expressed needs; coordination and integration of care; information, communication, and education; physical comfort; emotional support and involvement of family and friends. Fourth, high quality health care implies care that is delivered in a timely manner. A high quality health care system is efficient. It should use resources to obtain the best value for the money spent. Lastly, a high quality health care system is equitable and based on the patients’ needs (Lighter & Fair, 2004). Initiatives of improving quality on healthcare 1. Use of information technology to improve healthcare Information and communication technology is integral to achieving substantial quality improvement. Information technology infrastructure supports health care delivery, consumer health, quality measurement and improvement, public accountability, clinical and health services research, and clinical education. New technology will enable improved healthcare by providing pharmaceutical therapies, diagnostic and medical devices, and surgical procedures have been introduced that help improve the recovery of patients. Use of information technology will also improve on health delivery to patients. Medical practitioners will use computers to record patients’ medical history and check if they are administering correct treatment. Results of laboratory tests, records of vital signs and medical orders can be put into a main database that can be referred to later (Lighter & Fair, 2004). 2. Reducing the cost of healthcare while maintaining good quality. Good quality healthcare system can be provided at lower costs. This can be achieved by administering cheaper drugs. Expensive antibiotics can be effective just as cheaper drugs. Outpatient drug treatment can be effective and reduce costs compared to in patient basis. Using drugs to prevent opportunistic illnesses such as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in HIV patients can lower costs are cost effective since the patients would less likely require hospitalization or admission to the intensive care unit (Lighter & Fair, 2004). 3. Focusing on the processes and applications of systems. Quality improvement draws on a wide variety of methodologies, approaches and tools. However, many of these share some simple underlying principles, including a focus on: – understanding the problem, with a particular emphasis on what the data tell you – understanding the processes and systems within the organization – particularly the patient pathway and whether these can be simplified, analyzing the demand, capacity and flow of the service, choosing the tools to bring about change, including leadership and clinical engagement, skills development, and staff and patient participation; evaluating and measuring the impact of a change (Lighter & Fair, 2004). Difference between quality in free care market system and single payer government health care system A single-payer health-care system is one in which the medical costs of the citizens of a nation are financed by one source, usually the federal government. The underlying philosophy of single payer is that every citizen should have equal access to health care and that eliminating the profit motive by involving the government in financing makes this possible. An example of a single-payer medical system is found in Canada where the national government is responsible for providing basic medical coverage to all of its citizens. Under the Canadian program of National Health Insurance, the federal government, through tax revenue, grants money to the provinces to be used for health care. The provinces themselves determine how the money should be distributed and are free to supplement the revenue via their own mechanisms (Lighter & Fair, 2004). The advantages of a single-payer medical system are numerous and appealing. First and foremost, every individual will receive necessary medical coverage, regardless of age, health, employment, or socio-economic status. This is of particular significance in the United States, where 43 million people are uninsured during a time of record prosperity. The large gaps in coverage have occurred despite the fact that the U.S. spends over $4,000 per person on healthcare, nearly twice the amount of any other industrialized nation. A single-payer system ensures that ability to pay is not a factor in receiving adequate health care (Lighter & Fair, 2004). Free-market health care is a health care proposal in which all health care is bought and sold without government regulation, oversight, approval and licensing. To achieve a free market health care system, licensing requirements for medical schools, hospitals, pharmacies and other health care personnel. This would cause their supply would increase and prices would fall. This system also has no restrictions on the production and sale of pharmaceutical products and medical devices. This would therefore increase innovation and reduce costs. This type of healthcare increases quality of healthcare compared to single payer health system. However, this system is limited to a person’s income (Lighter & Fair, 2004). Low quality initiatives that are still found in 21st century healthcare organizations 1. Fragmentation of the delivery system contributes to a failure to provide patients with necessary care This could lead to complications and readmissions, particularly for the chronically ill for whom care coordination is most essential for health (Lighter & Fair, 2004). 2. Lack of care coordination This contributes to duplicate care and overtreatment, a source of waste exacerbated by payment systems that compensate physicians based on the number of services provided. Overuse of expensive medical technologies is particularly costly, and some research suggests that a significant portion of coronary artery bypass graft surgery, angioplasty, hysterectomy, cataract surgery, and angiography is of questionable or low medical value (Lighter & Fair, 2004). 3. Failure of providers to adopt widely recognized best medical practices These failures include lack of adherence to established preventive care practices and patient safety systems, as well as widespread failure to adopt best treatment practices. In cases where the best medical practice is both clinically more effective and lower in cost. Failure to follow these practices results in worse clinical outcomes and higher readmissions and contributes to wasteful spending (Lighter & Fair, 2004). Importance of healthcare quality in the organization As a healthcare quality officer, it is important to ensure quality measurements and improvement activities which successfully done, allow a health system to meet key strategic goals such as lowering readmission rates and improving standardization of care. Healthcare quality is measured by structure, process and outcome. Structure refers to the relatively stable elements of a health care delivery system that promote or prevent access to and provision of services. Process refers to what occurs during the patient-provider interaction, and consists of both technical excellence and interpersonal excellence. Outcome refers to the effect of the care on the health status of both patients and populations; it includes the results of efforts to prevent, diagnose, and treat health problems (Lighter & Fair, 2004). Hospitals and doctors differ in how well they provide appropriate care to patients. The quality of the care provided by your doctor and hospital may influence patients’ health. Patients who report specific good experiences have more trust and are less likely to switch physicians or health plans, allowing for more continuity in care. In technical ways, too, patient-centered care performs better. For example, studies have shown that patients treated for a heart attack in hospitals with better patient-centered care have fewer symptoms and are more likely to survive a year later. Patients treated in hospitals with quality healthcare are less likely to require readmission in the month after they go home (Lighter & Fair, 2004). Protecting patient information Quality healthcare should include protecting the confidentiality of the patients’ information. This can be ensured by confirming patients’ identity during the first encounter. Never discuss the patients case with anyone without the patients permission. Hard copies of patients’ forms and records should also not be left in areas where unauthorized persons can access them. When in an office, clinic, or institution, patient interviews should be conducted in private rooms or areas. If a staff member or health care worker requests patient information, establish his or her authority to do so before disclosing anything (Lighter & Fair, 2004). Health care workers have a responsibility to protect patient records from unauthorized access. Offices should be locked during nonbusiness hours. No papers should be exposed when workers are away from the work area, even for brief periods. Access to such databases should be protected by a combination of user IDs and passwords; user IDs should be issued only to staff who require access to the database to perform their official duties. All computers and work stations accessing surveillance databases should be kept in a locked or restricted area. If this is not feasible, the hard disk must be physically or electronically locked when the computer is not in use (Lighter & Fair, 2004). References Lighter, D. E., & Fair, D. C. (2004). Quality management in health care: Principles and methods. Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett. Read More