Module 3 Case Study: Approaches to Healthcare Delivery Questions
IHP 600
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As technology is advancing each year, both videos displayed different perspectives in
medicine. For instance, in What if Dr. House used Twitter, Dr. Mesko introduced the constant
dilemma that is ongoing in the medical field, old vs. new (SNHU A11y Remediated Videos,
2018). In this type of culture, a lot of older physicians who are used to the traditional side of
medicine do not feel comfortable browsing the internet to search up differential diagnosis.
Differential diagnosis is basically an analysis of a patient’s condition and is narrowed down to
two to three conditions that can be the reason behind the patients’ symptoms. Instead, these
physicians would rather use the hundreds of books/journals located inside the hospital library or
google their differentials instead of turning to the medical online community to ask. In contrast,
the culture amongst a lot of newer generational doctors would rather save their time and browse
the internet or use social media to help answer their questions regarding their patient’s diagnosis.
Another cultural aspect that is displayed in the video is the quick and easy accessibility in
medicine. In today’s era of medicine, many doctors turn to social media to help solve their
medical cases by reaching out to other doctors in their scope of field. Social media helps connect
doctors worldwide in which they can communicate. g Despite the different approaches in
medicine, both era’s focus on quick and efficient care for their patient. Training More Country
Doctors showed a different aspect of medicine when it comes to treating patients. Not many
would think that doctors still show up for in home visits, but Training More Country Doctors
showed us that they indeed still do (SNHU A11y Remediated Videos,2018). The cultural beliefs
in a rural countryside are quite different than a city side. In the rural/countryside, towns are
much smaller and therefore everyone knows one another. As shown in Training More Country
Doctors, the doctors know their patients off first names base and are treated more like family
rather than a patient. The doctors also go above and beyond to treat their patients. As shown in
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the video, the doctors also pay at home visits and know exactly their patient’s family history,
current history, and their day-to-day routine without looking at their charts (SNHU A11y
Remediated Videos, 2018).
Incorporating cultural awareness in the education of healthcare professionals is very valuable
because it helps expand their knowledge amongst the diverse population they are attending to.
For instance, in Training More Country Doctors, the cultural awareness that the physician is
spreading to his students is that the patients who they attend to are not their average patients who
just come in for a medical checkup (SNHU A11y Remediated Videos,2018). In fact, these
patients are family that the physician has treated for generations. They are not only seeking
prescriptions, but also looking for someone to talk to. Meanwhile, in What if Dr. House used
Twitter, the use in incorporating cultural awareness is excellently displayed in terms of
technology.
Dr. Mesko highlights the importance of expanding the use of social media amongst doctors
to cater to their “e-patients” (SNHU A11y Remediated Videos,2018). Over the years Dr. Mesko
mentioned an increase in online patients who seek medical information over the web in which he
encourages physicians to also be present and up to date with today’s medicals needs which is
social media and the internet (SNHU A11y Remediated Videos, 2018). It also raises awareness
amongst the medical community about rare cases that may be present in a physician’s care
which other parts of the world have not experienced. The value that cultural awareness would
bring to the medical facility is for instance social media, which provides health care providers
with tools to share information, to debate health care policy and practice issues, to promote
health behaviors, to engage with the public, and to educate and interact with patients, caregivers,
students, and colleagues (Ventola C. L, 2014).
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I believe insurance companies will cover some extent of these services. For an example,
patients who like to see their doctors online for non-emergency care are one of the services that
Michigan’s Priority Health has started to cover (Appleby J, 2021). g Dr. Mesko, in What if Dr.
House used Twitter, mentions to include more online/technology-based services for patients as
it’s the future of medicine, but unfortunately insurance may charge as much as an in person visit
and the patient may or may not receive the attentive care (SNHU A11y Remediated
Videos,2018). When doctors see their patients in person, they can sense, feel, and touch the
patient to get a better understanding of their illness which allows for proper treatment versus
online, which you see the patient through a camera, but cannot probably see the lacerations or
rashes due to poor internet/camera connectivity. Services like in home patient visits from a
primary care doctor may be covered by the insurance, but the transportation by the physician
may not be. A Physician may not be reimbursed for his or her time to drive to the patient’s home
or for the gas/electricity the car uses up for the travel as shown in Training More Country
Doctors. In this case the only way reimbursement is possible is charging the patient a bit more
for in home visits that way it covers the physicians time and travel.
Doctors take the Hippocratic oath solely to swear that they will uphold ethical standards
when caring for their patients. Therefore, the many deliveries of care approaches would cause
competition, but for the best interest not only in the healthcare organization, but also for the
patients. This competition would encourage physicians to explore alternative methods to give
better access to medicine for their patients. I do agree with providing services with all the
possible approaches because at the end of the day it is in best interest of the patient.
Incorporating the latest technology and making it easily accessible for patients via online will
help encourage patients to see their physicians quite often instead of dreading the in person wait
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times, this will be convenient according to their work schedules. Also, physicians providing in
home visits would create more relationships between physician and patients. This will show
patients that their doctors genuinely care and are willing to go above and beyond for their well-
being.
Embracing cultural beliefs, values, and these care delivery approaches within our
medical organizations would make the United States more competitive. America is a melting pot
with so many people all from different backgrounds, religions, and cultures which makes it the
most desired country where everyone can practice his or her culture according to the first
amendment right. With that being said, the medicine world is the same exact way in the United
States. We have many healthcare providers from different parts of the world practicing in our
nation and catering to the needs of patients according to their beliefs, rituals, and culture. From
telemedicine to rural medicine, this allows our medical organizations to be a lot more
competitive compared to other countries.
References
1. Ventola C. L. (2014). Social media and health care professionals: benefits, risks, and best
practices. P & T: a peer-reviewed journal for formulary management, 39(7), 491–520.
2. Appleby, J. (2021). Insurance focused on virtual visits? the Pros and cons of a new twist
in Health Plans. Kaiser Health News. Retrieved from https://khn.org/news/article/virtual-
first-insurance-plans-telemedicine/
3. SNHU A11y Remediated Videos. (Jun 21,2018). IHP 600 What if Dr House used Twitter
CC. [video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/bNLJqc0w_U8
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4. SNHU A11y Remediated Videos. (Jun 21,2018). IHP 600 Training More Country
Doctors CC. [video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/TpeKHyUnF5s
