Integrated Healthcare Model: Enhancing Patient Outcomes Through System Coordination - Essay Sample

Introduction

A healthcare model connotes a system of how resources, institutions, and people are organized in ways that enhance the delivery of healthcare services that meet the health needs of patients. An integrated healthcare model thus refers to the systematic coordination of various facets and networks of healthcare such as primary care services, mental health, general, and behavioral healthcare in such a way that results in the best health outcomes for patients. The integration of healthcare systems may take different conceptual models, including linkage, coordination in networks, cooperation, and full integration (Ahgren & Axelsson, 2005). Moreover, like Bautista, Nurjono, Lim, Dessers, and Vrijhoff (2016) correctly observe, one of the most important strategies for improving healthcare system performance is integrated care.

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Measuring Outcomes

Outcomes in an integrated healthcare model may be measured in various ways using a specific type of quality improvement measures that make integrated care better. The model and type of measurement should combine both the behavioral as well as structural and cultural aspects of the healthcare needs of patients (Ahgren & Axelsson, 2005). The measurement model may involve the use of both qualitative and quantitative measurement approaches. Thus, I would measure outcomes in an integrated healthcare model by using mixed data sources, registry data, focus groups, staff interviews, questionnaire surveys, and health profile or inpatient data as suggested by Bautista et al. (2016). I would also measure the same by considering the level of integration, cooperation, and continuum that exists between the various healthcare systems that are in place. Moreover, one would measure outcomes in an integrated healthcare model by determining the effectiveness of the integration on patient outcomes, such as improved quality of care. Also, a consideration of pooled resources, chains of care, and patient referrals can help determine and measure whether or not an integrated healthcare model is effective in ensuring quality improvement.

Quality Improvement Measures

Quality improvement (QI) in the healthcare systems context involves systematically analyzing healthcare practice and performance to enhance health outcomes through behavior and attitude change and pro-activeness (DocMikeEvans, 2014). It mainly entails the analysis of data and testing the extent to which there has been a change in the quality of care offered at different levels. There are various quality improvement measures that I would use to make integrated healthcare better. Some of these measures include timeliness of care, the effectiveness of care, patient experience, patient readmission rates, and the safety of care, mortality rates, and efficient use of medical technology. Other quality improvement measures are medical errors by medical healthcare professionals, hospital costs, timeliness, and access, level of care coordination, patient-centeredness, efficiency, and patient lengths of hospital stay (Bautista et al., 2016). These measures may be categorized into outcome measures, process measures, and structural measures.

Outcome measures such as safety of care, medical mistakes or errors, patient experience, patient wait time, and mortality rates are vital in measuring the effectiveness of an integrated healthcare model. For instance, the effectiveness of care measures the achieved outcomes such as lower readmission rates and level of compliance with best-practice care guidelines. These measures provide feedback from patients which helps determine whether or not there is a need for more improvement in the quality of care. Further, process measures that determine the productivity of medical staff and the extent to which they adhere to the recommended care quality standards are equally important. These measures include the length of patient wait time and the percentage of patients receiving preventive services. They entail determining what needs to be done to ensure that quality of care is maintained or improved. Also, structural measures such as the physician-patient ratios, the nature of the technology used in delivering care, and systems in place in a healthcare organization may be used to make an integrated healthcare model better.

Conclusion

In summary, healthcare integration can help with quality improvement in the healthcare setting. It does this by ensuring that different aspects of patient care are properly coordinated, hence resulting in better health outcomes such as patient safety, reduced falls, improved patient's quality of life, and reduced deaths. However, there has to be a way of measuring outcomes in an integrated healthcare model to make it better.

References

Ahgen, B., & Axelsson, R. (2005). Evaluating integrated health care: A model for measurement. International Journal of Integrated Care, 5, 1-8. DOI: 10.5334/ijic.134

Bautista, M.A., Nurjono, M., Lim. Y.W., Dessers, E., & Vrijhoff, H.J. (2016). Instruments formeasuring integrated care: A systematic review of measurement properties. The Milbank Quarterly, 94 (4), 862-917

DocMikeEvans. (2014). Quality improvement in healthcare. [YouTube file]. Retrieved December 1, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=jq52ZjMzqyI&feature=emb_logo