Healthcare cost is a huge issue in the United States and has been getting worse
over the years. The quality care patients receive in correlation to the amount
that they pay is outrageous. I believe that the government should be in a central
position to issue physician practice guideline based on cost efficiency. This is
because a lot of times the healthcare field is look at as a market that prices can
fluctuate depending on what is occurring in the world around which should not
be the case. There has also been plenty of times where patients get taken
advantage of because they are in desperate need to get treated but cannot
afford it. This brings up ethical issues, reactive vs. proactive care as well as
legal because no one should be denied medical service due to their finical
availability.
Clinical practice guideline is defined as “statements that include
recommendations intended to optimize patient care. They are informed by a
systematic review of evidence, and an assessment of the benefits and harms of
alternative care options” (AAFP, 2022). Meaning the government can play a
huge role in not only advocating for those are uninsured but also regulating the
quality care every patient receives. Take for example programs like pay-for-
performance, Medicare’s Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP),
these are initiatives that have been created to motivate employees to work to
the best of their ability.
Applying these programs and initiatives in healthcare can not only increase
quality care but help reduce costs as well. “HRRP can reduce payments by 1
percent to hospitals that have excessively high rates of avoidable readmissions
for patients experiencing heart attacks, heart failure, or pneumonia. Perhaps
the best known of the programs under the law that will pay for performance are
accountable care organizations (ACOs)--groups of providers that agree to
coordinate care and to be held accountable for the quality and costs of the
services they provide” (James, 2012). Given this information I completely
believe the government should be in a central position to issue these types of
guidelines and aid in reducing healthcare cost and increasing quality care.
References
AAFP. (2022). Clinical Practice Guideline Manual. Aafp.Org.
https://www.aafp.org/family-physician/patient-care/clinical-
recommendations/cpg-manual.html
James, J. J. (2012). Pay-for-Performance. Healthaffairs.Org.
https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hpb20121011.90233/
