Question

The chapter "Changing the Healthcare Delivery System" gave you an insight of what the industry as a whole is facing. Select at least two particular issues you are passionate about and express how you would change things to make a difference. Please be very specific on how you would address each issue

Answer 1

The USA is one of the primary market players in the healthcare industry. However, there are certain aspects which affect the leading market player of the healthcare segment as well. The rate of uncertainty and fluctuations in the healthcare policies of the country has, eventually, led to subsiding the globalization rate of the overall health and wellness segment. The proposal of Obamacare i.e. ACA and the entire controversy surrounding it, which eventually led to reforms in the act by President Trump and his government has created quite a stir and confusion in this segment. As a result, investors have become hesitant to pour capital in the industry and the overall flow of capital has considerably reduced in the healthcare segment, thereby impacting the globalization rate of the country. The rising healthcare cost and the unaffordability of the same by the citizens, has substantially affected the economy of the country and made it less competitive in the global arena.

Two primary challenges affecting the healthcare domain and the changes that I would like to integrate, to manage them are:

1. Rising costs of Healthcare : In order to reduce the healthcare costs and make it more affordable for the citizens, the healthcare administrators as well as the policy makers of the country need to research thoroughly about the scope and applicability of the single payer system. This can be done on the similar lines as that done in Canada. Scope and feasibility of such system in the country must be thoroughly checked. This payer system has the potential to reduce the rates of the surging healthcare costs in the country. This is claimed as the burden on the citizens to pay heavy premiums will be considerably reduced. Healthcare will become more affordable, thus increasing the overall coverage in the country and reducing inequalities in the healthcare system. In my views, Single-payer system will be a big positive change in the US market and can be considered the need of the hour.

2. Increasing need for making healthcare accessible: With the evolution and advancement of technology, telemedicine has emerged as the future of the healthcare sector. Th concept of telemedicine has been incorporated in the healthcare sector to make healthcare services accessible and available to patients, at any desired time and even to remotest locations. The key technologies or infrastructure, which facilitate the practice of telemedicine are:

• Remote patient monitoring devices
• 24*7 access to technical support staff
• Access to fast broadband internet with considerable bandwidth
• Imaging peripherals

The roadblocks, which can restrict the adoption of telemedicine as a viable option for healthcare services, are:

• Inadequate funds to establish the infrastructure for telemedicine
• The provision of access physicians who can visit the patients in remote area may discourage health care providers from adopting telemedicine practices
• Threat of patient data security and privacy rights violation
• Fragmented regulations in establishing the effectiveness of telemedicine
• Non reliable broadband services of the area

The legal issues associated with telemedicine are:

• Licensure
• Tele-prescribing under Haight Act
• Reimbursement issues
• Privacy concerns and Confidentiality

The ways in which the risks associated with telemedicine can be mitigated are:

• Proper fund allocation must be done for the telemedicine setup
• Designing the telemedicine platform as a HIPAA compliant platform so that its coverage and acceptability is wide
• Data transfer channels must be made well protected so as to inhibit any malwares or malicious attacks