Health care is the proper management or improvement of health through the diagnosis, prevention, therapy, cure, or recovery of illness, disease, injury, or other mental and physical impairments in individuals. Health care providers deliver health care services to patients in a hospital, clinic, office, and home. The primary objective of health care providers is to take healthy action toward achieving a higher level of wellness. This includes evaluating a patient’s medical condition, making recommendations, implementing a recommended treatment plan, monitoring the patient’s progress, communicating with patients and their families, and ensuring that all staff involved in the patient’s care are fully trained. Health care providers are also involved in the education and guidance of patients and their families.
The field of health care is a rapidly advancing field. It encompasses a range of study areas including epidemiology, public health, geriatrics, nursing, physical therapy, oncology, pharmacology, psychology, physiology, and psychology. Because of these various areas of study, a wide variety of career opportunities exist for health care providers, which include administrators, teachers, researchers, consultants, and technicians. As most professions, health care careers require at least a bachelor’s degree; however, there are a growing number of post-graduate programs that allow graduates to focus completely on the field. In addition, because technology is ever changing, there are a growing number of programs in the school of nursing now offering online education and certification programs to support those who want to further their education and provide health care to the population in an increasingly mobile manner.
The United States has one of the strongest health care systems in the world. However, problems such as long waits for an appointment and low morale due to long waiting periods for doctors and other patients have had a negative impact on the way patients view the health system. As a result, dissatisfaction and decreased patient satisfaction with the health system has led to a negative vote against both medical insurance plans and primary care providers by voters in recent elections. Fortunately, the United States government has taken notice of the problems and has allocated resources to address those problems.
One of the first steps to improve patient care and achieve more efficient health care delivery is to improve the efficiency of the medical home. In particular, states like Arizona have developed a highly beneficial and innovative Medical Home Assurance Program (HAPAP). The program offers financial protection to medical home patients and also enhances the relationship between physicians and home patients. The program works by allowing physicians to quickly refer out patients to outside agencies if they are unable to treat a specific condition or illness. The program is highly effective at reducing the ratio of time that patients spend in the hospital and significantly reduces unnecessary medical interventions.
As another important area to consider for improved long term health care outcomes is the development of long term care policy strategies. Studies have shown that investing in long term health care strategies can improve long-term health outcomes by as much as ten percent. These strategies include investment in nursing homes and other inpatient care services, development of quality patient care guidelines and education about current medical trends and medical treatments. The creation of an information coordinating committee is also an important strategy to enhance patient-provider interactions.
The creation of an information coordinating committee can be very helpful in developing long term care strategies and in addressing specific patient needs. The committee will ensure that all members of the health care team are up to speed on current trends and medical treatments and that a consistent message is communicated to the patient and their family. Health insurance policies designed to encourage primary care physicians to provide a high level of personalized health care for their patients may help to improve the health outcomes of people who receive primary care from a primary care physician.
