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HealthCare Delivery Systems and Documentation

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HealthCare Delivery Systems and Documentation

Interrelationships in the HealthCare delivery systems

A healthcare delivery system requires extensive levels of teamwork. First, several patient-care responsibilities at a Physicians Clinic need real-time interaction of diverse expertise and skills. Moreover, the 24/7 conduction of activities in a long-term care organization setting require sophisticated interrelationships and coordination across several shifts. Patients in a hospice center may need to interact with several caregivers during an average healthcare stay (Suter et al., 2009). A simple task such as conducting and ordering a CT scan can need individuals in different clinical responsibilities to each perform a distinctive task all of which must collaborate to ensure that the desired image is presented (Suter et al., 2009). For instance, such issues can unfold in two different ways. First, typical of most healthcare delivery systems, each assigned expert will be required to conduct their task whenever needed in a way that optimises the efficiency of the department. In so doing, this can leverage the throughput time from the required hours to a full day. In some instances, it can go on for an extended period. Second, experts might collaborate their activities to optimise the entire procedure hence minimising the patient discomfort (Al-Saddique, 2018).

However, it is unfortunate that this second approach is hard to find since clinicians have been historically socialised regarding their responsibilities and their tasks have been spontaneously framed. In some instances, emergency departments in these organisations that are always busy rely on fast-paced communication among a constantly shifting group of nurses, physicians as well as other caregivers (Suter et al., 2009). In this case, communication is only employed mostly for treating, triaging and discharging of patients that tend to be admitted in unpredictable manners and with diverse demands. Furthermore, differences in status, for instance, those between nurses and physicians and between residents and physicians, play a crucial role in contributing to misunderstandings, errors, and hesitation to speak up, as well as extended throughput times for most patients.

It is difficult for these healthcare delivery systems to operate alone. An increasing number of patients diagnosed with chronic illness and multiple comorbidities interact on a frequent basis with a variety of specialists and health care delivery systems parts such as hospice centres, long term care centres, community health organisations, physicians clinics, home health assistant among others. In most instances than not, it is vital to note that in some home care centres, patients themselves are abandoned alone to navigate the delivery system and digest increasing number of advice and instructions on their own (Suter et al., 2009). As a result, it contributes to risks such as readmissions, drug interactions, along with other healthcare delivery system failures. It might also result in expensive and harmful side effects when team members do not collaborate effectively.

To back up the hardwood and diligence set aside to improve collaboration and coordination in healthcare, most healthcare delivery systems are still operating in Silos based on clinical specialities. Furthermore, interactions between them are unevenly distributed. Some healthcare departments might perform fairly within silos, yet collaboration between them is relatively low which might result in serious implications (Suter et al., 2009). One of the major areas that cannot operate on their own is performance of a CT Scan. Failed Coordination can make it to last for extended periods. In this case, it is possible to find that everyone within the healthcare chain can perform an exemplary job within their confined departments, but they fail taking into account the way their activities fit into the larger picture. To help sought out these issues, it is highly recommended that a healthcare delivery system changes its focus from the structured to the teamwork activities (Suter et al., 2009). Teaming will ensure that there is interdependent, fluid and collaborative work across shifting initiatives along with the healthcare delivery partners within the boundaries of the facility.

Public Policy and how it impacts HealthCare delivery system

A healthcare delivery service provider’s main concentration is on the provision of patient care. Yet, the actions and decisions of clinicians and physicians are impacted by policies as they attempt to offer services that are in line with the guidelines of the payer. Even though these requirements are in most instances accepted as media guidelines, from another perspective, they offer the conditions that must be met to make payments (Olsen, Saunders, & Yong, 2010). They provide the baseline to which services and items will be covered and the steps that the healthcare provider must follow to receive payment. They emanate from the choices that the community makes regarding their health priorities, goals, and the manner in which resources are allocated to realize them (Suter et al., 2009). For this reason, healthcare delivery system’s policies reflect the beliefs, values, and attitudes of the policy makers whether on the international or national stage. Therefore, they help in determining the kind of organisations that are involved in policy development to ensure that they take advantage of any opportunities that can help to influence the processes in the healthcare delivery system.

Healthcare policies affect the drivers of healthcare. As a result, any policies that might seem not related to health can possess an enormous impact. For instance, public programs, policies and services influence and shape the social, physical and economic environments (Al-Saddique, 2018). They also establish incentives and opportunities that influence behaviors of various healthcare delivery systems. Healthcare policies regulate, create and maintain public goods that assist in creating a favourable conducive health environment (Suter et al., 2009). For instance, a healthcare delivery system policy relating to highways and roads are funded by user fees and taxes. Therefore, the manner in which they are connected, constructed, planned, and maintained can affect the accessibility of required services.

Healthcare policies also set mandates and requirements that can assist physicians, nurses and other healthcare staffs to protect patients. At a period when insurance and governmental policies are dominant in the healthcare delivery landscape, it is challenging for individuals to imagine the fact that a physician or a surgeon can establish the costs involved in performing a surgery based on the income of the patient (Al-Saddique, 2018). Several years from now, there is a high chance that healthcare delivery system providers might incur a difficult time imagining the current system that seems normal to other people. Even though no one can make a prediction of the way the future healthcare policy will look like, it is imperative to note that the current healthcare delivery system practitioners and staffs can play a crucial role in the manner in which it develops (Porter, 2014). Ensuring that the policy makers in the health care delivery sector support and join hands with primary organizations and influencers in the industry will permit healthcare policies to make the type of effect that will act as a benchmark of making any future health policies in ways that can benefit the community, individuals and health practices.

How to evaluate HealthCare policies

Implementing and adhering to a healthcare delivery systems policy has the capacity to change the practice patterns of physicians vastly. Hence, a critical evaluation of healthcare policies at different levels including state, national and regional levels is a step that clinicians cannot afford to miss. First, it is imperative to narrow the competition at both levels whether it is at the federal or state level by exploring high quality sources of healthcare policies (Porter, 2014). For instance, the employment of evidence-based approach can be helpful in determining and evaluating the implications of a healthcare policy. Perhaps, this will ensure that only those policies that are trustworthy are implemented and tailored to realise the local needs in an effective manner.

Another way of evaluating healthcare policy is using one helpful policy source. It will ensure that before any policy is adopted at the state, regional or federal level, a quick evaluation is done. One policy source will ensure that its users are able to compare different types of policies based on a certain number of criteria (Porter, 2014). The criteria chosen will involve determining clinical outcomes, evidence collection and the assessment of the strength and quality of the evidence used in policy development. Moreover, setting up of a committee that is contemplating on adopting a given healthcare policy would ensure that they discuss and evaluate them rigorously to see to it that they are up to the standard recommended for evaluating the policy. It is advisable to use six criteria when evaluating a healthcare policy (Porter, 2014). They include the following; the relevance of the policy to family medicine, the recommended interventions and specificity of target condition, the quality of evidence used in development of the policy, the definition of the target population, the biases reflected by the policy and its readiness for implementation. By taking into account these criteria, any healthcare policy adopted will be in line with the state, federal and regional regulations as well as meeting the needs of the patients.

References

Suter, E., Oelke, N.D., Adair, C.E., Armitage G.D. (2009). Ten key principles for successful health systems integration. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov /pmc/ articles/PMC3004930/

Olsen, L., Saunders, R. S., & Yong, P. L. (Eds.). (2010). The healthcare imperative: lowering costs and improving outcomes: workshop series summary. National Academies Press.

Al-Saddique, A. (2018). Integrated delivery systems (IDSs) as a means of reducing costs and improving HealthCare delivery. J. Healthc. Commun, 3(1), 19.

Porter, M. E. (2014). Value-Based health Care Delivery Systems integration and Growth. Retrieved from:https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/Website_2014 _April_23_TMC_Systems_Integration_And_Growth_MAH_ea6a06f1-6fa6-4101 81c8-2f1185ccfde7.pdf