Health care planners could be more effective and efficient
Health care planners could be more effective and efficient if they used the concept of the natural history of disease and the levels of prevention to design services that intervene at the weakest link in the chain of progression of specific diseases. Instead, most focus on high-technology solutions to preventable problems. Assess the characteristics of the medical care culture that encourage the latter approach
.Hospitals and other health care institutions, whether voluntary or for-profit, need to be financially solvent to survive growing market pressures. Describe how this “bottom line” focus has changed the nature of the US health care system
.The insurance industry plays a huge role in the American health care system and absorbs a significant portion of the health care dollar. A single-payer system, whether it is a private company or the US government, would eliminate the complex insurance paperwork burden and free substantial funds that could be diverted to support care for the under-served. Why do you believe that so much resistance to a concept used in every other developed country has continued in the U.S.?
Sample Solution
Health care planners could be more effective and efficient
With little public warning, a concern for “good business” has moved to the heart of health care, a sector once relatively insulated from the pursuit of profit that drives the rest of the U.S. economy. Throughout our history, medical institutions have largely been “charitable,” nonprofit establishments existing primarily to serve the community. But during the past years, the number of for-profit health care facilities, ranging from national hospital chains affiliated with major academic institutions to local dialysis centers, has grown at a rate exceeding even that of the computer industry. The growth of for-profits decreases the availability of health care for “unprofitable” patients. A society as wealthy as ours has a moral obligation to meet the basic needs of all of its members.
