Health Care System
• 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
The medical care culture in the United States often favors high-technology solutions to preventable problems, rather than utilizing the concept of natural history of disease and levels of prevention. This is due to several characteristics that encourage this approach, such as a focus on short-term outcomes and a lack of incentives for long-term behavior change (Cohen et al., 2018). Additionally, there is also an emphasis on immediate treatment over preventative measures which can lead to further complications down the line (McKenzie et al., 2017).
In addition, many healthcare providers fail to take into account social determinants of health such as poverty or access to education when designing services. These factors can play a large role in determining if someone is at risk for certain diseases yet they are often overlooked due to limited resources or unawareness (Werner et al., 2019). This type of myopic thinking prevents healthcare planners from fully understanding how their proposed interventions will help patients before intervening.
On top of that , many stakeholders within the healthcare system may benefit financially from using expensive technologies instead investing more cost effective preventive treatments . For example pharmaceutical companies may have vested interest promoting new drugs despite availability cheaper alternatives whereas insurance companies could incentivize doctors prescribe specific medications order reduce costs(Martin & ;Forsyth , 2020) . As a result, those involved making decisions about patient care might prioritize financial gains personal gain over what ultimately best interests patient.
In conclusion, medical care culture America has encouraged favoring expensive technology oriented solutions rather than focusing natural history disease levels prevention when designing services. Factors such short-term outcomes lack incentives long -term behavior change combined with disregard social determinants health potential financial benefits parties involved all contribute creating environment where these types choices made regularly detriment overall health public.