Outpatient Care: A Closer Look at the Revolutionizing Healthcare System - Essay Sample

Introduction

The healthcare system has revolutionized over time with frameworks being inducted in this field to improve the general performance and delivery of services. The emergence of outpatients services and institutions continue to crop up in the healthcare field. This work will provide a clear analysis of this area, highlighting the different reasons behind the setup and more so the general outlook on how outpatient institutions operate. The continual growth of outpatient revenues and centers over the years has been triggered by the subsequent expensive services rendered by inpatient facilities. The general setup and operation of outpatient facilities are cheaper as the building of these centers are less costly as key areas such as electrical systems, night stays, and mechanical systems are reduced considerably hence standing out as a preferable option for service providers.

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Another key factor that has led to care being offered outside the hospital setting is the accessibility to healthcare services as the majority of these centers are located in regions that are convenient for patients and potential clients. The operational efficiencies generally attract more clients as these individuals deem these services to be less costly and more specifically, easily accessible to both physicians and patients. Increased competition has also led to these services to be opened as hospitals are looking for better ways and strategies to market their portfolios in a way that these facilities are solely opened to improve services and more specifically attract more clients. The general staffing and scheduling of the physicians make these centers to grow as these setups provide a different perspective in which patients can perceive healthcare providers and services.

Advantages of Outpatient Care

Girard, K. (2013) agrees that outpatient care is less disruptive for clients, as individuals can still take part in different activities. Individuals can still maintain their respective job duties and more so able to keep touch with their family members and friends as the program is entirely flexible hence on cannot be inconvenienced when accessing specific healthcare services provided by the respective centers. This makes these facilities to remain convenient as individuals can remain productive and monitor activities that happen in their respective lives hence this clearly shows the crucial role these facilities play in ensuring its respective clients can remain relevant in other disciplines while still receiving treatment or rehabilitation procedures provided.

Another advantage is that these centers are less costly hence standing out as affordable when compared to inpatient healthcare systems. Specific insurance plans and clauses cover for different costs incurred in the treatment processes provided hence making accessibility of different services offered to be affordable for the patients. Insurance covers provide better options for these settings as patients can receive treatment procedures at convenient rates hence making the productivity and general performance of outpatient care to be suitable and fitting for the different health concerns.

Outpatient care settings benefit consumers mostly in a way that individuals can remain connected to family members, friends and more so the real world as this setting is flexible as the majority of individuals feel that inpatient setting limits their movement and general freedom. The role family and friends are given terms of health support makes these facilities to continue to grow in popularity as more individuals prefer institutions that positively gives them an opportunity to be actively involved in a patient's progress. The support groups provide adequate support for patients hence making these facilities stand out as being convenient in terms of proper support for an individual's progress. Hence this clearly shows how consumers are the main beneficiaries of the outpatient care system.

Disadvantages of Outpatient Care

However, this care system does not provide 24-hour surveillance or supervision hence making it difficult for physicians to monitor the progress of the patients properly. This may negatively affect the progress of a patient's condition as full supervision guarantees convenient monitoring hence inpatient services may come in handy as they adequately monitor a patient's condition

This care system relies on family involvement; hence, the program may not succeed in situations where a patient may lack the required family support. In situations such as rehab services are involved a patient may be disturbed mentally if he or she does not the necessary attention required from his or her respective family members hence this stands out as a loop hole in this system.

Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act impacts the healthcare scene in different ways. This act impacts the outpatient care system in a way that individuals can access insurance covers that can positively help cater for the different healthcare services and medical procedures, respectively. This act focuses on increasing the access to respective providers in the system; hence, outpatient clients will be able to access different medical services under this act improving the general health of subsequent individuals. Shi and Singh, (2017) agree that the stability this act offers to the medical practitioners and more so patients positively show how this act can generally improve the health and more so services provided by outpatient care centers. This clearly shows the benefits this act has on the outpatient scene.

References

Girard, K. (2013). Health care delivery systems and occupations. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1WpakHcjRs

Shi, L. & Singh, D. A. (2017). Chapter 7: Outpatient services and primary care. Essentials of the U.S. health care system (4th ed., pp. 167-176). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC. Available in the Trident Online Library.