The Improvement of the US Healthcare After the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Publications

Introduction

The US healthcare system has shown positive growth over the years especially after the publications made by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). These improvements are evident across the various areas within the healthcare sector across the country. While the system does not meet the needs of each of the patients, it is evident that there have been gradual changes that aim towards mobilizing a positive health delivery system. For instance, the mortality rate has decreased steadily due to the increase in the quality of healthcare services especially for the diseases that contribute to the high mortality rates due to poor delivery of healthcare services. There are some cases where the healthcare interventions and medical conditions are capable of preventing some of the deaths. In this case, the quality of the healthcare delivery system has improved reducing such cases of deaths. Currently, the mortality rate has decreased by approximately 30% since 1999. The infant mortality also improved by 13% within the period between 2000 and 2013 (Altman, Clancy, & Blendon, 2004). More importantly, the most significant improvements within the healthcare system include the adoption of modern technology which facilitates the efficiency of the service delivery system. Also, the introduction of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has seen most of the Americans access the medical facilities more efficiently as compared to the past.

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Despite the remarkable improvements, it is also evident that there are areas the US healthcare is failing to deliver quality services. For instance, it is evident that the rate of adults reporting poor general health status whether physical or mental is increasing rapidly. It shows that despite the significant improvements, the US healthcare system still does not the required needs for all the patients and therefore requires further changes.

Recommendations for Further Improvement

As discussed above, the US healthcare system is not providing optimum quality care to all the patients. It occurs due to some barriers that exist within the system. In this case, it is recommendable that they adopt the following procedures as a significant mechanism in overcoming the underlying challenges. For instance, the healthcare providers need to be organized in such a way that they are more focused on the client needs rather than the reimbursement programs. Currently, healthcare professionals are more concentrated on the monetary rewards in determining the level of healthcare delivery. By focusing more on the patient needs will help to shift from isolated services to more patient-focused medical services. Also, the system should embrace flexibility is such a way that they shift to proving services based on the clients need rather than following the set schedules and personal conveniences. In the long-run, the medical facilities will be able to deliver a high volume of quality care at a lower cost (Tzelepis, Sanson-Fisher, Zucca, & Fradgley, 2015).

Also, there is a need for transparency regarding the relevant information on the quality services and the cost associated with the value improvement. Furthermore, it is effective to foster improvement without a measurement mechanism. In this case, it means that the hospitals need to operate in collaborate such that they create regular reports on the quality and cost of the services they deliver to the patients. The hospitals should also integrate other performance metrics including reducing the recovery time, achievement of the functional status, and maintaining the highest level of recovery as much as possible. These metrics are sufficient to steer performance improvement since it enhances goals alignment and value creation.

The US Healthcare and the Six IOM Aims

The US healthcare has embraced various strategies that aim at meeting the six IOM aims. However, it is evident that it does not meet some of these aims as discussed below (Crossing the quality chasm: a new health system for the 21st century, 2003).

Safe Care: For instance, in meeting the aim to provide safe care, nursing practitioners are obliged to utilize strategies that do not pose a danger or harm to the lives of the patients. Today, the nursing practice involves processes where these nurses have direct contact with the patient and their families with the aim of creating a safe environment.

Effective Care: Secondly, in meeting the aim of effectiveness, nurses are embracing the evidence-based practice in delivering the required medical care to patients. As opposed to the traditional techniques, the evidence-based practice ensures that the patents receive the most appropriate medical care based on research, evidence, expert judgment, and sufficient information rather than mere assumptions. It thus enhances the general quality of medical services.

Patient-Centered Care: In meeting the patient-centered care, the system has been striving to integrate this practice in nursing education. Nurses are equipped with relevant information regarding the various dimensions of delivering quality services based on the client needs during education training.

Timely Care: It is evident that US healthcare has not met the aim for timely care. In most cases, this aim is often compromised. However, some efforts such as emergency services have been put in place to foster the achievement of this aim. Nevertheless, most of the patients needing emergency services often find themselves in an overcrowded environment that does not deliver the required immediate attention (Crossing the quality chasm: a new health system for the 21st century, 2003).

Efficient Care: The continued growth of government spending on healthcare system shows the increased effort to foster efficient care to the patients. With sufficient funding, the hospitals can access the necessary equipment that aid in providing efficient care to the patients therein.

Equitable Care: Lastly, the US has not achieved the equitable care aim. It is evident from the existing disparities within the healthcare facilities following the increased discrimination among the various racial-ethnic groups in the United States.

The Role of Patient Care Technologies in Meeting the Six Aims

The adoption of advanced technology has played a significant role in allowing US healthcare to achieve the six aims. Besides, most of the improvements are backed by modern technological appliances such as modern medicine, research, and communication models.

References

Altman, D., Clancy, C., & Blendon, R. (2004). Improving patient safety - five years after the IOM Report. New England Journal Of Medicine, 351(20), 2041-2043. doi: 10.1056/nejmp048243

National Academy Press. (2003). Crossing the quality chasm: a new health system for the 21st century. Washington, D.C.

Tzelepis, F., Sanson-Fisher, R., Zucca, A., & Fradgley, E. (2015). Measuring the quality of patient-centered care: why patient-reported measures are critical to reliable assessment. Patient Preference And Adherence, 9, 831-835. doi: 10.2147/ppa.s81975