Quality Healthcare Initiatives

Quality Healthcare Initiatives

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10-May-18

Quality Healthcare Initiatives

Quality initiatives employed in today’s healthcare organizations are very crucial in enhancing quality healthcare services worldwide. This refers to the effort either worldwide or national that is geared on tasks existing which may be long-term and professional care which is achieved by setting achievable goals to promote and improve care quality in healthcare centers and strive to support communities at large. Quality initiatives was launched in the year 2001 in America to enhance and promote evidence based care through public reporting and essence of accountability.

Some of the quality initiatives for the organization include: Patient-safety, effectiveness, timeliness, equity, efficiency and patient-centeredness measures are hospital quality measures for consumers in healthcare systems. Patient safety includes ensuring that patients get the treatment and procedures marching the condition hey present with, the correct drugs in the correct amounts and drugs that are not expired among others. In addition, ergonomics including slipperiness of floors and well serviced equipment and well maintained furniture are aspects of patient safety. Timeliness will be achieved through hiring of adequate and efficient personnel to reduce waiting times and therefore ensure quality service. Patient centeredness measures include provision of feedback systems through placing suggestion boxes in easily accessible places and provision of adequate instructions on discharge. Utilization of a patient follow-up system ensures better patient outcomes.

The cost of healthcare can be reduced without compromising the quality of healthcare provided to the patient. Preventive services fall under this category of healthcare services. In the US the medical organizations have come up with educational programs to patients which enable them create awareness on preventive measures in cases where they are likely to be exposed to risks of diseases which help in evading costs that can be incurred in the future hence improving overall health. Reviewing of individual medications ensures adequate treatment and reduces the number of hospital visits by patients. Proper management of chronic conditions by health professionals reduces patient morbidity and therefore reduces the cost of healthcare.

Exercising cautiousness and appropriate conduct when handling patients ensures that patients are accorded quality healthcare and the organizations save fees in terms of regulatory fees. In addition, good knowledge of healthcare policies by health professionals and administrators is important. All these are the practices that should be employed to avoid incurring of medical costs. Research has shown that such costs come our way due to lack of information. Due to the need to keep medical costs down there is needed to learn how to shop wisely for healthcare services. The Affordable Care Act was created in America to keep individuals informed and shop appropriately since they have greater responsibility of making payments. Making smart financial decisions requires knowledge on the correct tools to use.

Most patients or individuals suffer from overcharges when receiving care and billing. Every patient should consider many factors before receiving a service that requires payment. Every healthcare has different services and also varies at their levels of category either local or international. For example the fee for surgery, dental and radiology varies and the likely hood of hiking of prices is high. The U.S healthcare has been rated the largest and the medical costs are at a very high rate. Patients should beware when going for a medical service if the charge is less than that of insurance when cash is paid up front. This works when there is a high deductible health plans making the resulting payment lower than that of the insurance. Such medical providers with such kind of arrangements should be considered.

Free market healthcare is the system whereby there is minimal or no government regulation in matters price setting for healthcare goods and services. With minimal regulations, healthcare providers may provide their services without the need to satisfy strict regulatory requirements and standards. They are therefore not required to comply with restrictive government licensing requirements. The disadvantage of this form is that it does not ensure quality in healthcare and may not be cost-effective since it is subject to the laws of supply, demand and cost of healthcare services. Examples of countries with the free market health care system include Singapore.

The single-payer government system is an alternative to the free market system of healthcare in which the taxpayer finances health services and the costs are covered by a single public system. All citizens receive the same benefits in terms of healthcare and all providers are paid at the same rates by government. It provides universal access to healthcare. The main disadvantage of this system is that it may take long before patients actually get treatment after diagnosis for some terminal illnesses such as cancer. Countries that have the single payer system include Canada, Taiwan and South Korea.

Every institution has a governing body with laws and regulations to be followed hence there are common law quality initiatives that still exist in the 21st century in healthcare sectors. The common law on the traditions and conventions of the communities are crucial in ensuring and enhancing quality in various healthcare organizations. The practice of consideration and obligation to basic honesty helps to cover on matters when an individual suffers monetary advantage. At the same time the law helps to avoid exploitation on both consumers and suppliers. Obligation of consideration with the ranking individual on customary judicious and comparison of situations is another law on quality initiatives. This depicts the need of consistency of medical service distributors while providing and treating the sick.

The third one is exercising of obligation of consideration on reasonable tasks and activities to the highest advantage of the person and the reputation of office. It helps to evaluate the activities of the distributors whether they are majorly beneficial to the firms or otherwise. Implementation of information technology, professional education on healthcare and taking caution and avoiding medication errors are examples of the quality initiatives. Conducting education on professions of healthcare sectors is crucial to the medical providers and patients so they stay informed on overall health issues.. The use of proper information technology equipment aids in effectiveness and efficiency, while providing service to patients who require proper care and attention especially with severe and chronic diseases. This is only possible when the practitioners have the technical knowhow and enough skills to provide a service where electronic systems are used to keep records and standards which enables rating and developing performance of healthcare centers.

Benefits of healthcare cuts across the activities from healthcare organizations and is very important to both the patients and medical providers. Corrective measures are taken on areas of failure identified earlier to avoid poor delivery and delays on services. It ensures motivation, efficient production of the employees that promotes better quality health leading to satisfaction of patients and the society at large. Setting achievable goals by health workers creates teamwork that results to perfection on quality health. Good communication between the healthcare providers is important and enables the professionals to prevent incidences of medical errors all because of quality healthcare.

Quality healthcare is important to every health organization that aims to provide the best for its clients while remaining in business. Three major reasons why quality healthcare quality is important to our organization include the following: First, providing quality healthcare to clients is a fulfillment of the mission and vision of the organization. Fulfillment of the mission of the organization is one of the measures of success of any business organization. Being in an organization that provides quality healthcare motivates healthcare personnel who work in the healthcare organization.

Secondly, quality healthcare ensures client satisfaction which in turn leads to customer loyalty. Customer loyalty brings business to the organization and contributes to achievement of organizational goals. In addition, quality healthcare builds the reputation of the organization, promoting the popularity of the organization through word of mouth marketing. This increases the clientele base for the organization. In the healthcare business it is very crucial to provide solutions and improved care to patients; the patient experience should be satisfying, receiving of good treatment and environment and able to cure what they suffer from.

According to the regulations governing medical records, patient information should remain private and confidential and it is the responsibility of the hospital to protect patient information. In a world where electronic health records have taken over as the major form in which medical records are kept and accessed. The emergence of cybercrime and increase in vulnerability of modern technology to access by intruders who hack systems, and the ease of access and transfer of electronic records through electronic devices and print media, makes it important to protect patient information. One of the plans of the new financial year by the organization is to go completely paperless and therefore, there is optimized use of electronic health records in the health institution.

The plan to protect patient information includes three major components including restriction of access to patient information stored in computers and other electronic devices, use of physical barriers to restrict access to electronic devices in which patient information is stored, incorporation of electronic barriers to prevent access to information by hackers, utilization of passwords for the electronic devices, and creation of accounts required for staff and other authorized personnel to access the electronic devices in which patient information is stored. Access to rooms where patient information is stored will be restricted to health information records personnel and other authorized personnel . Access by other individuals will require written permission from hospital administration. Firewalls and other electronic and web protection will be acquired through contractual services of professionals in prevention of cybercrime. Researchers and insurance companies will require written permission to access patient information, and insurance providers will get access to only specific patient information.

References

Chassin, M. R., & Loeb, J. M. (2013). High Reliability Health Care: Getting There From Here. The Milbank Quaterly , 459-490.

Field, R. I. (2013). Mother of Invention : How the Government Created ‘Free-Market Healthcare. Oxford University Press.

Marjoua, Y., & Bozic, K. J. (2012). Brief History of Quality Movement in US Healthcare. Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine , 265-273.

Testa, P., & Block, W. E. (2013). Applying the Free Market Philosophy to Healthcare. Humanomics , 105-114.