Healthcare Problems and Solutions - Essay Sample

Introduction

The current healthcare situation is awash with many issues that impede healthcare providers to keep society safe from day to day illnesses. Every day, there is a possibility of experiencing a critical issue that risks people's life. With the healthcare profession being dynamic as well, the approaches that care providers use to respond to everyday health problems are changing profoundly. While looking at the case of the Actuary, this case analyzes some of the issues and trends experienced and possible to emerge in the healthcare profession and possible solutions.

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The Actuary is a healthcare facility that follows a similar service model to that of Johns Hopkins. It follows the principle that healthcare should be accessible to people. For that reason, it applies a decentralized structure where it establishes a health unit in a particular area based on the needs of the specific population. In such a case, the Actuary starts by assessing what the community needs and establishes a facility within that community to handle problems that people face. Also, it has an e-health function that answers health-related problems while directing patients to the facilities close to their locations.

Actuary's business model infers that it does not have a centralized form of organization. Its care centers are dispersed in different locations, and the organization intends to add more to continue addressing community health needs. However, their facilities are networked to the extent that there is regular communication between the various units. Doing so allows them to be aware of what is happening in all centers, challenges, and the necessary help when required. Overall, it is a model that has enabled the Actuary to be in the leading line as far as the provision of optimal health is concerned.

Organizational Problems

One of the leading problems is ethical challenges. Patients and healthcare workers have faced accusations of ethical violations in different circumstances, and it is a worrying trend. For instance, some healthcare providers have occasionally provided patients with misleading information. When such issues occur, it is challenging to secure the organization from reputational damage. Other occurrences such as harassment in hospitals can be harmful to someone's character or discourage the patient from seeking healthcare assistance. If harassed, healthcare workers may be intimidated to offer their services as well.

The need for value-based systems is compelling healthcare facilities to change their approach to health. Unlike in the past where the procedure was primarily curative, organizations are currently emphasizing the need for preventive health. In such a case, healthcare is now encompassing the overall well-being of the populace that also includes their social environments. Since health is becoming increasingly costly over time, emphasis on value-based care is on the rise: it is obliging the health organizations to focus on the preventative approach that can reduce costs. One of the most empathized areas is nutrition. Due to such changes, it has become quite challenging for organizations to meet the demands of time.

Another security-related problem is cyber-security concerns. With the proliferation of technology, it has become necessary for organizations to incorporate electronic methods of data processing into their systems (Issa, Isaias, & Kommers, 2013). As they automate their operations, hackers and other online intruders who phish data for malicious gains have identified a new target- the hospitals. In the end, the preservation of patients' information in a way that is safe and secure has proven to be a costly task in current healthcare organizations.

Lack of time and resources for professional development has become another significant problem facing current health organizations. In concurrence with Teel (2018) supposition, physicians should take the necessary step to assess and develop their professional skills. Doing so enables them to remain proficient, but it is not straightforward due to the rigorous nature of their profession. Still, it is problematic to discard the traditional clinical interview method of patient evaluation that focuses on acute health. The inference, here, is that an instant need for changing the dynamic of healthcare in all places but the structure of the current facilities and how they run activities is still a hindrance.

Physician shortage is high too. However, this point does not imply that there is a shortage of diseases. It means that there are options that reduce physical visits to the healthcare facilities and in-patient care. A decade from today, it is accurately predicting that there will be more shifts from the traditional hospital visits to a scenario where virtual and cyber doctor interactions will be some of the preferred medication procedures. Regarding that, the apparent change in practice is technology integration in practice. As the world becomes digital, its incorporation is high in healthcare as well.

Healthcare centers are also coping with the challenge of increasing healthcare costs. According to Baicker and Goldman (2011), this issue gradually growing in its criticality due to several factors. Firstly, there is an increasing influx of patient data and increased cost of drugs. As illnesses change their dynamics and diseases increase, it has become increasingly necessary to maintain a lot of patient data. Hence, healthcare organizations are compelled to update their systems, employ, and retain more staff members to take care of that data. Secondly, advancing clinical technology comes at a cost. Thirdly, legal requirements and data security processes have constrained healthcare organizations' financial positions as well.

Organizational Solutions

As Free et al. (2013) suggest, harnessing health technology can play an instrumental role in improving disease management Free. As time advances, healthcare facilities must do everything possible to discard traditional approaches to health and ensure technology is a significant part of their procedures. Telehealth needs incorporation into the facilities at a quicker rate compared to what is happening today. However, before investing in any technology-related system, it is vital to do some piloting to evaluate its effectiveness.

Training and education are elemental in improving organizational awareness of the common problems hence more awareness towards the everyday challenges. Even though the internet has improved a lot of processes in healthcare due to automation, the issue of cyber-security cannot be depressing without it. Since the current health setup cannot effectively function without technology, it is crucial to ensure that healthcare workers are adequately informed about the possible risks and how to respond. They also need education on emerging disease dynamics, patient concerns, and ethical issues.

Healthcare partnerships are vital to share ideas about the changing healthcare situation. Currently, it is catastrophic for a hospital or similar care management centers to serve people independently. They must engage others to guarantee better services and improve procedures over time. Since holistic approach requires joint programs, health organizations should try partnering with others in their area or different expertise to share information regarding how systems work. In the end, there would be not only an informed health community but also one which cannot be caught unaware when disasters strike. Such partnerships also provide a platform where organizations can benefit from telehealth and similar developments.

The need for patient education is critical when creating a healthy community. As one can accurately establish, health dynamics are changing to the extent that the preventative approach is now a highly recommended approach to health. Achieving such goals can prove vital without involving the community as clients. Through community education, people realize how they can improve health through healthy eating and other interventions such as embracing fitness and adequate sleeping (Hill, 2011). With more informed health communities, healthcare management tends to be a joint approach since everyone becomes a stakeholder. In such cases, people are also ready to benefit from health-related technologies such as telemedicine.

Also, adaptation and readiness are vital. Organizational leaders should, at a minimum, explore the alternative ways available that can help to store data securely. In the same case, organizations' managers should not only understand but accurately predict the behaviors of the systems. This way, they can get adequate information that can enlighten about possible developments of ailments and people's behavior in the future. Once the leaders understand how the system works, it is possible to prepare adequately through staff training and the provision of more health information to the patients.

Research in different medical fields has advanced tremendously in the current healthcare organizations and needs support too. More research has resulted from the increased use of wearables. The other element is the internet of things (IoT). Jointly, these elements have led to a situation where the healthcare industry can use the gathered data through such inventions in search of preventative medicine. With the help of IoT, the data not only advance medical fields through research but it is also applicable in preventing the severe health epidemics worldwide. As a result, healthcare organizations should embrace research for better processes.

Observable Trends

With telemedicine, management of less severe ailments has improved drastically. As Teel (2018) asserts, telemedicine involves electronic communication where patients receive quick and precise information about managing their health. With it, the need for hospital visits for common conditions such as colds, flu, and sprains is no longer critical. Accordingly, hospital managers should keep integrating more technology without forgetting making the necessary updates as time necessitates. Such improvements will ensure that patients can access their doctors through private sessions that do not oblige the patient to meet the doctor physically.

Another noticeable trend is artificial intelligence. Technology is consistently enabling a better customer experience in healthcare as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes a part of healthcare processes. With AI, healthcare organizations can give better scans and detection of neurological concerns is quicker. Therefore, instead of prolonged results that take unnecessarily long to get, patients have a guarantee for not only instant results but accurate too. Overall, AI has led to improved patient evaluation and experience as well as better medication.

Conclusion

It is crucial to conclude this analysis by asserting that what happens at the Actuary is an accurate demonstration of the shape of modern healthcare facilities. The problems and issues identified as well as the trends accurately portray how health intervention measures are changing and how to intervene. As highlighted, technology has numerous benefits, but it can also harm due to issues such as cyber-security that can risk health data. As a result, healthcare facilities should keep their workers informed about the current nature of health. Most importantly, extending knowledge to the communities is crucial so that they play a joint role in the efforts towards achieving a healthy society.

References

Baicker, K., & Goldman, D. (2011). Patient cost-sharing and healthcare spending growth. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 25(2), 47-68.

Free, C., Phillips, G., Galli, L., Watson, L., Felix, L., Edwards, P., ... & Haines, A. (2013). The effectiveness of mobile-health technology-based hea...