HSCI710 Discussion Challenges of the Healthcare System

Challenges of the Healthcare System

The biggest Challenge the Health Care will face in the next 5-10 years

Inadequate provision for patients' needs

Many individuals are enjoying longer lives as a consequence of advances in medical understanding, technology, and healthcare delivery. As the population ages, more people will develop chronic illnesses. According to studies, over 35 million individuals, or 13% of the population, were over the age of 65 in 2000; by 2030, that figure is expected to rise to 20%, or 70 million (Krois et. al, 2019). More than half of the 125 million Americans living with one or more chronic illnesses have multiple chronic disorders. Furthermore, despite the fact that chronic diseases account for the majority of disease burden and healthcare costs, the country’s healthcare system is built and geared largely to offer acute treatment and is inadequate in meeting the needs of the chronically ill.

Other challenges facing the National Health Care System

In healthcare, there is infidelity and a lack of trust. Fraud and cover-ups are frequent in the United States healthcare system. Upcoding is a critical issue that is causing a tug-of-war between providers and insurance companies, with customers caught in the middle. In order to obtain more money from insurance companies, providers “up code” a procedure; yet, insurance may charge more rates to businesses and tighten its belt when paying consumers. Customers in the health care system are trapped in the middle, with no say over health outcomes or costs. Inadequately qualified workers. Health consumers are unable to simply pick a competent doctor due to a lack of freely available information on medical credentials and accomplishments (Kingma, M. 2018). Consumers rely on erroneous internet reviews to make decisions about things like staff friendliness and wait times. However, these platforms do not provide crucial information such as information on health issues that consumers may be experiencing, the best physicians to treat such diseases, and how to evaluate a physician’s skill level in treating clients with their health conditions.

Medical facilities are expensive. According to the annual report data of the Health Cost Institute, average healthcare prices have risen year over year, with rates 15.0% higher in 2018 compared to 2014. (Krois et. al, 2019). The need for resources to teach and administer new Electronic Health Records (EHR) and Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems, as well as the expenses of operations and employees necessary to manage and maintain the new systems, has accelerated this.

Medical teams are negligent and reckless. Preventable medical errors and hospital readmissions caused by a lack of quality treatment jeopardize consumers' health while also squandering valuable time and money, resulting in inefficient healthcare.

Of all the above-listed challenges, expensive healthcare facilities are the main challenge to the population. This is because of the increasing poverty level and also the emergence of more complicated ailments like the recent Covid-19.

Reference

Jordan, R. A., Krois, J., Schiffner, U., Micheelis, W., & Schwendicke, F. (2019). Trends in caries experience in the permanent dentition in Germany 1997–2014, and projection to 2030: Morbidity shifts in an aging society. Scientific reports, 9(1), 1-7.

Kingma, M. (2018). Nurses on the move: Migration and the global health care economy. Cornell University Press.