Jay Gordon
TuesdayNov 21 at 10:35am
Health Care Systems – Outpatient Care
Outpatient care is a healthcare consultation, treatment, procedure, or other service administered without an overnight stay at a hospital or medical facility (Shi & Singh, 2023). Outpatient care can be administered in various facilities, such as primary clinics, urgent care clinics, ambulatory surgical centers, and community health centers. You can receive outpatient care through colonoscopies, physical therapy, mammograms, diagnostic imaging, and lab work (Shi & Singh, 2023).
The fundamental changes that have been instrumental in shifting the balance between inpatient and outpatient services can be classified under the broad terms of reimbursement, technology, utilization control, and social factors (Shi & Singh, 2023). Reimbursement plays a factor in the switching of balance between inpatient and outpatient services because outpatient care costs less than inpatient care (Shi & Singh, 2023). With the cost of outpatient care being…. in the interest of both the healthcare system and the patient, utilizing these services will lower the cost of healthcare overall. A study compared the cost of Managing complex type 2 diabetes patients at a primary care clinic and a hospital outpatient department. The results showed that the yearly savings for a single patient to receive diabetes management at a primary clinic was $365 and 93.7 percent of the test subjects saw a cost reduction (Donald M, 2021). Technological factors contribute to the shift of balance between inpatient outpatient services with the development of new diagnostic and treatment procedures because they are less invasive and enable the services to be formed in an outpatient location so the patient can go home later that day instead of staying in a hospital (Shi & Singh, 2023).
Outpatient care supports the continuity of care in delivering health services by providing services that historically were only found in hospitals outside of hospitals at a lower cost. Some examples of this are hospital outpatient clinics, mobile diagnostic imaging services, telephone or internet triage, hospice care, and various other services. Having these services in the outpatient setting will cut the cost of healthcare for the healthcare system and the patient. With this cost reduction, the patient has more money to live their life and be a member of society, and the healthcare system can have more funds to run and improve the hospital system where needed. During the health pandemic, telehealth became an essential tool to provide care to those affected by COVID-19. Telehealth can be an approach that can be an effective and affordable healthcare system that aims to facilitate access to care, maintain the quality and safety of care, and engage patients, health professionals, and users of Health Services (Bouabida K, 2022). Healthcare systems have expressed their incredible will to maintain and promote the utilization of telehealth services to ensure patients receive the best patient care possible (Bouabida K, 2022).
Hospital administrators are starting to regard outpatient care as an essential key component of their overall business strategy due to a few factors. One of the main factors is that over the past 20 years, we have seen a decline in the hospital occupancy rates, which means there are empty beds in the hospital, which means lost revenue. With the growth of non-hospital-based outpatient services, there has been competition between hospitals and community-based providers. Healthcare system administrators must be competitive and focus on outpatient care to keep patients and revenue.
Luke 10:34 says, “He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.” (New International Version Bible, 2011, Luke 10:34). This to me shows a biblical reference of a doctor and how they were with the patient, treated the patient, and ensured that they made it home safely all while being under their care. This is what health care is all about, providing care for a patient and ensuring the best financial and physical outcome in this economy.
References
Bouabida, K., Lebouché, B., & Marie-Pascale Pomey. (2022). Telehealth and COVID-19 Pandemic: An Overview of the Telehealth Use, Advantages, Challenges, and Opportunities during COVID-19 Pandemic. Healthcare, 10(11), 2293. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10112293
Donald, Maria, B.A. (Hons), PhD., Jackson, Claire L, MBBS, M.P.H., M.D., Byrnes, Joshua, BComm, BEcon, M. HealthEcon, PhD., Vaikuntam, Bharat Phani, B. Tech, M. HealthEcon, Russell, Anthony W, MBBS, PhD., F.R.A.C.P., & Hollingworth, Samantha A, BSc (Hons), M.P.H., PhD. (2021). Community-based integrated care versus hospital outpatient care for managing patients with complex type 2 diabetes: costing analysis *. Australian Health Review, 45(1), 42–50. https://doi.org/10.1071/AH19226
New International Version Bible. (2011). NIV Online. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+10%3A34&version=ESV
Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2023). Essentials of the U.S. Health Care System. Jones & Bartlet.
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