Trends in HealthcareUnit One Diversified Health OccupationsPage 14-25

Objective• Identify at least five current trends or changes in health care

Introduction• Most of you have probably heard about AIDS. What do you

know about this disease? What rumors have you heard?

• How has this disease changed and how has it affected health care?

Introduction Continued• Many events lead to changes in health care

• Changes occur almost every day

• Health care workers must be aware of these changes/trends

Cost ContainmentDefinition: trying to control the rising cost of healthcare and achieving the maximum benefit for every dollar spent

Technological Advances

• organ transplants, • artificial hearts• computers to

examine internal parts

• advanced technologies which allow people to live longer

Aging Population

• Increased pharmaceutical products,

• more chronic diseases

• more frequent health services

Other Reasons:

• Increased lawsuits,

• Expensive malpractice insurance

• Unnecessary diagnostic tests or labs

Methods Used to Contain Costs

Diagnostic Related Groups

(DRGs)

Combination of services

Outpatient services

Mass or bulk purchasing

Early intervention and

prevention

Energy conservation

Home Health Care Geriatric Care Telemedicine

WellnessAlternative and Complementary

Therapies

National Health Care Plan

Diagnostic Related Groups (DRGs)• Attempt by Congress to control costs for Medicare and Medicaid

• Payment based on diagnosis

• Certain amount paid for each disease condition

• Agencies providing care for less can keep extra money

• Agencies accept loss if care costs more than payment allowed

Combination of Services• Agencies combine services to avoid duplication

• Share clinics, labs, etc….

• HMOs and PPOs are examples of sharing services

• Care can be provided to a larger number of people at a decrease in cost per person

Outpatient Services• Patients receive care without being admitted to hospital or

other care facilities

• Hospital care is expensive

• Reducing the length of hospital stays or decreased need for hospital admissions lowers the cost of healthcare

• Examples: surgery, XRAY, Diagnostic Tests

Mass or Bulk Purchasing• Buying equipment and supplies in larger quantities at

reduced prices

• Combine purchases of different departments

• Large corporations placing large orders of supplies can be bought at lower costs

Early Intervention and Prevention

• Providing care before acute or chronic disease occurs

• Preventing diseases is more cost effective than treating

• Methods of Prevention include education, immunizations, yearly exams, and incentives for people who participate in certain programs

Energy Conservation• Monitor use of energy to control costs and

conserve resources

• Major expenses: electricity, water, gas, etc…

• Methods: energy efficient facilities, heating/cooling systems, insulation, repairing water leaks, energy saving light bulbs, etc..

Check Your Understanding… • What is an outpatient service?

What are two examples?

• Why should we prevent illnesses, versus treat them?

• What are three methods of energy conservation?

Home Health Care• Rapidly growing health

care career

• DRGs result in shorter hospital stays and therefore patients need to be cared for at home

What would be an advantage of home

health care?

• Cost containment because its less expensive

• All aspects involved: nursing, physical therapy, respiratory and occupational therapy, social services, nutrition, etc…

Geriatric Care• Care for the elderly

• Rapidly growing because baby boom generation and longer life spans

• Will lead to growth of adult day cares, retirement communities, assisted living, and LTC facilities

Telemedicine• Uses video, audio, and computer systems to provide

medical/health care services

• New technology allows interactive services between health care providers

• EMTs at the scene of an accident can transmit medical data to the ER physician who can plan ahead

• Surgeons using a computer robot can guide a remote controlled arm to performs surgery many miles away

Wellness

• State of being in optimum health with balances relationship between physical, mental and social health

• People aware of need to maintain health and prevent disease

• Recognize importance of activities such as exercise, good nutrition, weight control, etc…

Check For Understanding• What is home health care? Identify three types of

services are involved?

• What is geriatric care? Discuss the reason for needing more adult day cares, retirement communities, and assisted living communities ?

• What is telemedicine? Describe a scenario of it’s use

Alternative and Complementary Methods of Health Care

• Most common health care system in the US is the biomedical or “Western” system

• Based on evaluating the physical signs and symptoms of a patient, determining the cause of disease and treating the cause

• Alternative Therapy:• Methods of treatment

used in place of biomedical therapies

• Complementary Therapy:• Methods of treatment

used in conjunction with conventional medical therapies

• Use ancient philosophy to determine a persons body type• Prescribe diet, herbal treatment, exercise yoga, massage, minerals and living

practices

Ayuredic Practitioners

• Use ancient holistic based healing practice that Chi (energy) flows through every living person in a pathway to link the organs and connect them to external universe

• Use acupuncture, acupressure, tai chi and herbal remedies

Chinese Medicine Practitioners

• Believe the brain sends vital energy to all body parts through nerves in the spinal cord• Misalignment of vertebrae places pressure on spinal nerves which results in disease

and pain• Use spinal manipulation, massage and exercise to adjust position of vertebrae and

restore flow of energy

Chiropractors

• Believe in ability of body to heal itself through the actions of the immune system• Use minute diluted doses of drugs made from plant, animal and mineral substances to

cause symptoms similar to disease and activate immune systemHomeopaths

• Help individual obtain trance like state with belief the person will be receptive to verbal suggestions and make behavior changeHypnotists

• use only natural therapies such as fasting, special diets, lifestyle changes, and supportive approaches to promote healing

• Avoid use of surgery or medicinal to treat diseasesNaturopaths

Check For Understanding . . . • Differentiate between Complementary

and Alternative Care Therapies.

• Identify TWO types of CAM therapies. Briefly describe these.

National Health Care Plan• High cost of care and large number of

uninsured have created demand for national plan

• Many have been proposed

• Goal is to ensure that all Americans can get health coverage

• Related problems include the cost of creating system

Pandemic• Exists when outbreak of disease occurs over

widespread geographic area and affects high proportion of the population

• Major concern today is that worldwide pandemics become more frequent

• Possible concern of Influenza Pandemic in the future

• Governments are creating pandemic influenza plans to protect the people

Check for Understanding• Explain how having a national health

care plan might affect a pandemic?

• Which pandemic is a possible concern for the future? Why?

Let’s Apply What You’ve Learned• Will new trends have an effect on your

role as a health care worker? Why or Why Not?

• If salaries were increased for health care professionals, what changes or trends might occur?

Guided Practice… • Lets Look at the workbook page provided…. We will do the

first question together

• Then, try the second question on your own at first. Then we will discuss it