Essay Example on Fragmentation in US Healthcare System: Effects and Examples

Introduction

Fragmentation in the healthcare system may refer to a lack of coordination or misalignment of incentives that leads to misallocation of resources in the health care system (Elhauge, n.d.). Fragmentation has been greatly witnessed in U.S. healthcare, and it has led to ineffectiveness in administering services and care in the healthcare system (Elhauge, n.d.). The main aim of this paper is to provide an example of how the U.S. system is fragmented and state the impacts that fragmentation has on patient care.

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How the U.S. Healthcare System Is Fragmented

Different patients in the U.S., especially those suffering from chronic illnesses, are seen to consult various healthcare workers. An example is a patient who has diabetes and has the medication prescribed by their primary care provider (Frandsen et al., 2015). Despite having the primary care provider, the patient may opt to see other specialists who may not be related. All specialists may offer different medications depending on their mode of treatment.

When a patient is admitted to a hospital, there may need to access the medical history and the list of medications prescribed to the patient. Lack of proper coordination and communication can lead to the nurses not being aware of any changes in medication or allergies that the patient may have (Stange, 2009). Therefore, fragmentation in the healthcare system could lead to the prescription of medication that can counteract the medication a patient is already taking. It is one of the many cases that the U.S. has concerning fragmentation in the healthcare system.

Impact of Fragmentation on Patient Care

Fragmentation has many impacts on the patient's care. Fragmentation has been seen to bring risk or deterioration of the patient’s health (Elhauge, n.d.). Lack of proper coordination between physicians can bring dire consequences to the patients' health, and they may even die. A good example is patients with chronic illnesses whose quality is seen to lower when they receive fragmented care.

Fragmentation also leads to higher costs for healthcare organizations. When physicians operate individually rather than collaboratively, it is noticed that they increase the cost of operations of the organization. It is because they are seen to offer medications or services that may not be helpful to patients. Resources used in prescription of wrong drugs could have been saved or used in better ways (Stange, 2009). Fragmented care also leads to incorrect dosages, conflicting medications, as well as unmet social needs. The patients may not receive care that is to the standards that they had expected. Higher rates of preventable hospitalizations are also noticed in fragmented systems (Frandsen et al., 2015).

References

Diaz, S. (2018). The implications of fragmentation in care. Social Determinants of Health Management- Healthify. https://www.healthify.us/healthify-insights/the-implications-of-fragmentation-in-care

Elhauge E. (n.d.). The Fragmentation of U.S. Health Care. Scholars at Harvard. https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/einer_elhauge/files/elhauge_the_fragmentation_of_us_health_care_-_introductory_chpt.pdf

Frandsen, B. R., Joynt, K. E., Rebitzer, J. B., & Jha, A. K. (2015). Care fragmentation, quality, and costs among chronically ill patients. The American journal of managed care, 21(5), 355-362. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390131.003.003

Stange, K. C. (2009). The problem of fragmentation and the need for integrative solutions. The Annals of Family Medicine, 7(2), 100-103. https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.971