Research Paper on Delivery of Healthcare

Arguably, the primary reason why the delivery of healthcare is critical is the fact that quality healthcare is stemmed from a favorable environment and cooperation between the patient and the healthcare provider (Mosadeghrad, 2014). Based on this context, the core intent of this paper is to determine and discuss the manor forces that affect the delivery of healthcare today as well as their corresponding impacts on the healthcare environment, today in the 21st century.

To begin with, market forces have the highest probability of affecting the modern day healthcare environment. More specifically, today in America, the costs of healthcare have become the primary driving forces that have continued to impact todays healthcare environment from a transactional industry into a wellness model (Jarousse, 2014). With Americans projected to spend an average of $3 trillion on healthcare annually, the rising cost of the U.S healthcare is considered one significant factor is shaping the todays environment. Besides, with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, more than half of the initially uninsured Americans have been able to afford access to healthcare, which has, in turn, increased the demand for healthcare providers.

Technology, on the other hand, is a significant force affecting the modern day healthcare environment. With the growing advances in the medical technology, a significant increase in healthcare recruitment and employee education has been noted. Besides, the advancement in medical technology, which involves the ability of medical practitioners to monitor the vital signs of their patients remotely has substantially affected the modern day healthcare environment. Owing to the unique skill set needed to carry out these advanced methods of care, the nature of the healthcare delivery has significantly changed the existing environment between patients and the healthcare providers, and this has in turn positively impacted the quality of healthcare delivery.

The American Hospital Association Environment Scan gives insight information about how the delivery of healthcare in the modern day today is significantly impacted by the current aging population. According to the Pew Research Centre, the current baby boomer population is approximated to account for an average of 26% of the total United States population. These baby boomers populations are expected to live longer than any previous generation, however, many of them will need continued medical care for the rest of their lives. Based on this concept, the increase in the aging population today in America is considered a crucial force affecting the quality of healthcare delivery because as people age, they tend to use a disproportionately large share of the healthcare services, which translates to a greater demand for quality services and healthcare providers.

Based on the above-discussed forces impacting the quality of healthcare today in America, management challenges are the greatest challenges facing the healthcare environment (Mosadeghrad, 2014). With the healthcare leaders being the key influencers of change in the modern day healthcare environment, they are constantly confronted with numerous challenges resulting from the current day forces in the health environment. For instance, today in America, strict regulatory demands have become one of the primary challenges faced by the healthcare leaders (Persily, 2014). Healthcare providers are expected to adhere to many complex regulations which set both guidelines and expectations for the quality of their care delivery. However, despite the fact that a majority of these regulations were initially designed to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare, some of the healthcare forces such as advanced medical technology have proved these regulations to be both impractical and burdensome, especially for the healthcare leaders. Besides, based on the fact that healthcare leaders ought to evaluate healthcare performances based on quality, appropriateness, cost and risk, today, these leaders are constantly faced with the challenge of transitioning from volume to value-based care.

References

Jarousse, L. A. (2014, September 8). Take A Look At How Market Forces Will Impact Health Care | H&HN. Retrieved from http://www.hhnmag.com/articles/4012-take-a-look-at-how-market-forces-will-impact-health-care

Mosadeghrad, A. L. (2014). Factors influencing healthcare service quality. International Journal of Healthcare and Mangement, 3(2), 77-89. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4122083/

Persily, C. A. (2014). Team leadership and partnering in nursing and health care. New York, NY: Springer Pub. Co.