Us Healthcare Forces And Trends

Introduction				given health practitioner has rather than their
The US health care system is characterized by				history. This will go a long way in stimulating
numerous ills such as poor customer satisfaction,				creativity, production and quality services.
low healthcare quality, increased prices and low				Hospitals need not worry about expansion
coverage. These problems are only symptoms of				programs because there would be adequate
the underlying problems in healthcare. As a result				funding for such programs since expansion is
of the serious setbacks with health delivery				synonymous with increased numbers of services.
models currently in operation, a systematic				(Porter and Teisberg, 2006)
analysis is necessary to ensure that the root				Impact of current environmental trends on each
cause of the problem is identified and the				health care delivery model
necessary solutions given. (Porter and Teisberg,				There are a wide range of environmental issues
2006)				currently affecting the health care systems. All
Definition of model trends in the US health care				these factors influence health care differently
system				depending on the model adopted. The issue of
Model trends in the US health care system are				clinical outcome research is currently becoming an
the systems that facilitate clarification of one's				important factor in most health care delivery
service lines. It is essential for any particular entity				systems. The value based competition approach
to understand the nature of business or service				encourages the infusion of clinical research with
line they are offering the public. Model trends are				patient care. This is because the model is based
essential in the US health care system because				on improvement of service quality. This is an
they determine the nature of customers that a				aspect that can be achieved very well using clinical
health entity deals with. It also guides any given				research. On the other hand, the soft regulatory
organization on client needs that ought to be				approach may not necessarily favor incorporating
addressed. Lastly, model trends affect the nature				patient care with research. This model encourages
of order within the business. Model trends				separation of these two issues.
determine what health organizations think of the				The second environmental issue is in relation to
kind of value they can create in the market. This				geography. Geography is critical to any given
means that there should be an alignment of what				business in the health sector because it allows an
the organization thinks of its business values and				in-depth understanding of the market to be
what the actual values are. This would be a				served. The second trend is incorporation of the
prerequisite to great performance.				regional or national needs with health care
It should be noted that model trends in other lines				services. This trend affects the value based
of business are quite straight forward. However,				competition model. According to the model, health
the same cannot be said of health care delivery				practitioners need to eliminate factors that make
models. This is because traditional approaches to				them vulnerable to competitors. In this models,
health care have been either too narrow or broad.				the issue of geography also facilitates partnerships
For instance, there are some groups that consider				across geographical spheres. The same may be
themselves part of the hospital business while				said of the soft regulatory approach. Some health
others consider themselves as part of the health				needs are synonymous with certain geographical
care delivery business. The former group consists				locations. Consequently, the nature of resources
of hospitals that compete with other hospitals; this				availed or the type of regulation offered largely
model is horizontally integrated. The latter model				depends on the location. The latter issues indicate
consists of mostly health policy experts who				how geography will affect service provision in the
believe that health care delivery should be				soft regulatory approach. (Robinson &
vertically integrated. Here, health insurance and				Dratler, 2006)
health care delivery are considered as one and				Description of an emerging contemporary trend in
the same thing.				management in the US health care system
Additionally, some health entities may use models				Health care organizations these days have started
based on the nature of their business specialty.				focusing on specialty services. There is a move
For instance, those who specialize in nephrology				from offering a range of services in a mediocre
define their business model along that line. Also,				way to performance enhancement. Consequently,
this applies to hospitals; some hospitals may think				management system have become less
of themselves as service line providers hence the				centralized. The new trend is on empowering
divisions into surgery, urology and others. (Porter				different health care functions to make
and Teisberg, 2006)				independent decisions on their own.
2 current trends in healthcare delivery models				Health care systems are now incorporating the
Health care delivery models have moved away				need to give different specialists the ability to
from direct intervention by the state, federal				decide their own fate.
government and policy makers into competition				Effect of the latter health care trend on the
based models. The first emerging trend to be				health care organization leadership
analyzed in the essay is value-based competition.				Leadership in health care has had to embrace the
This model of health care provision shifts away				latter trend. In this regard, organizations have
from focusing on doctors, business functions or				been forced to redefine their business offering
policy makers as the main subject in health care,				especially in relation to patient requirements. This
instead, the model embraces the patient as the				means that the overall services offered have
most critical entity. This is a holistic approach				now become more specialized. Consequently, each
because it does not just focus on offering				entity has to control its own functions. Many
patients a range of specialty services, instead it				health organizations have reduced vertical
encompasses the best service for every service				integration as decision making abilities are now
offered. In the value based competition model,				common practice among the different health care
hospitals or practitioners need not dwell on				functions.
perfecting just one aspect of health like surgery,				Different hospitals and other heath care centers
but the emphasis is on the overall quality of health				have adopted smaller strategies for individual
care in the system. This implies that practitioners				practice units. This approach is quite different
should strive for quality in surgery, nursing,				from the past approach that involved adopting a
radiology and any other service needed by a				uniform organizational strategy for all parts of the
particular patient. For instance, if a patient is				hospital. Consequently, the overall hospital
diagnosed properly, then they can undergo the				administration is not the only body given the
right treatment (which may involve surgery)				responsibility to determine organizational strategy.
thereafter, they need to receive good post				Various practice units now have the mandate to
surgery care and follow. By enhancing the value				perform the latter task. (Ginsburg, 2005)
of all the services required by a particular patient				Additionally, hospitals have begun checking on their
then health care service delivery can be enhanced.				performance through the following methods
The second trend in health care provision is a soft				- Measurement of results
regulatory model by policy makers. Regulatory				- Assessing patient attitudes
approaches are seen as the traditional approach				- Assessing patient experiences
to health care delivery in the US. However, the				- Assessment of health care delivery methods
new trend is on soft regulatory approaches. This				- Assessment of patient characteristics
comes about as a result of the following issues;				Health care systems have also had to change the
- High levels of the elderly in health care				way they do business. For instance, their pricing
- Technological proliferation				strategies have been radically transformed. Most
- Consumer awareness				of them have now started offering single bills
- Emphasis on effective service provision				related to each service offered rather than
- Etc				offering a large package to cover all the health
All these issues have caused increasing concerns				costs. This enhances accountability in those
about cost implications in health. Consequently, the				respective business functions because each of
government and other policy makers have been				them can see their returns directly. This is quite
forced to embrace a softer approach to health				different from the latter approach which
care. The health care system today may not				promoted almost zero accountability. The blanket
encourage direct government intervention. This				charges offered would camouflage efforts made
means that a direct supply of health resources or				by one business function.
health care providers may not necessarily be the				Market services currently being offered in health
best approach to health care. Instead, policy				institutions have changed as a result of this
makers have embraced a guiding role. The main				emerging trend. Health organizations now market
advantage of this kind of approach is the fact				themselves as businesses that offer very unique
that patients are given equal access to medical				services to their clientele. Additionally some of
care without any form of isolation. Additionally,				them prefer emphasis on the excellence of their
this model also encourages equity in funding.				product package. This makes health organizations
Patients can gain access to health care regardless				more competitive or market driven. (Tollen
of their financial dispositions. This system goes a				& Enthoven, 2005)
long way in protecting fairness; a fact that is				The last major effect of this emerging
seriously compromised in the latter approach of				contemporary trend is greater growth of health
value based competition. (Porter and Teisberg,				institutions. Due to decentralization, services have
2006)				improved and geographical expansion has been
How the transformation of healthcare influences				enhanced.
each of the two health delivery models				Conclusion
Health care in the US has changed from its latter				The essay examines two health delivery models
days. Patients have now become more informed				in the US health care system. The first is the
about their rights and what health care providers				value based competition model. This model is
must offer them. Consequently, there is a need				patient centered and focuses on provision of
for health care providers to embrace these				quality services, it also leaves competition in the
changes. Health care delivery systems operating				hands of the health practitioners rather than in the
under the soft regulatory model have been				hands of the policy makers. The second model is
affected by this transformation because astute				the soft regulatory approach. According to the
administration of services is expected. Patients				model, policy makers still regulate the health care
from various backgrounds expect equity and				system but they do so light handedly; they act as
transparency in health care given the fact that				guides rather than controllers.
they are very informed.				An emerging trend in the health care system that
Heath care transformation affects the value				is likely to affect management systems is the
based competition model because patients can				issue of decentralized decisions making. This has
now access all the health care options available to				affected organizational structure and functions in a
them through information technology. This means				number of ways. First, they have had to
that in order to enhance value, hospitals need to				breakdown organizational strategy, billing systems
do more than what they did a decade ago.				have been transformed and marketing functions
In the past, health care systems have been				too.
funded using an ineffective method. Health care				Reference:
systems would receive funds based on historical				Porter, M. and Teisberg, E. (2006): Redefining
expenditures. Additionally, funding was done				Health Care: Creating Value-Based Competition on
irrespective of the nature of the organization				Results; Harvard Business School Press, 54-67
itself. It was a blanket model that offered little if				Ginsburg, P. (2005): Competition In Health Care: Its
any room for improvement of service delivery.				Evolution Over The Past Decade, Health Affairs,
However, these days there is a move toward				24, 6, 1512-1522.
funding based on service offering. The value				Tollen, A.. & Enthoven, C. (2005): Competition
based competition model and the soft regulatory				In Health Care: It Takes Systems to Pursue
approach are likely to be affected by this trend				Quality and Efficiency, retrieved from accessed
positively. This is because funding will be done on				on 15th July 2008
service basis; i.e. the nature of services that a				Robinson, J. & Dratler, S.

Integrail

Us Healthcare Forces And Trends