Health Care Reform Has Become A Priority In Politics, Medical Institutions, And Among The General Public.
Introduction
Several studies have been performed on health care reforms to elucidate the strength occupied by health care reforms in society. Politics has played a lot of importance on one hand while the general public and medical institutions have collectively contributed towards the changes in the other one. Both the entities, as mentioned above, have geared towards the collective improvement of the Healthcare provision, which has directly impacted on several aspects of healthcare such as accessibility, quality, and cost. These aspects have also formed a vital basis for efficient operation in the medical sector. Considering the importance of the Healthcare sector, the reforms have significantlyimpacted the Healthcare provision, and the same have directly related to the general population, which has greatlybenefited as a result. This paper will examine several researchers’ work, which has fruitfully facilitated the realization of the three vital elements of medical reforms. For instance, the impact of spatial accessibility to healthcare services has been the turning point on medical coverage across the globe (Shah& Bell & Wilson, 2016). Cost reforms efficacy and the quality reforms are also explored. The conclusive coverage of the areas mentioned above will, therefore, enhance the understanding of the improvements within the medical sector, which also happens to be the most critical sector of the society.
Source one on Accessibility Reforms
Shah, T. I., Bell, S., & Wilson, K. (2016). Spatial accessibility to health care services: identifying under-serviced Neighbourhoods in Canadian urban areas. PloS one, 11(12), e0168208.
This study conclusively provides essential information regarding the beneficial accessibility reforms within the health sector. Spatial accessibility implies access to the nearest health care facility. The improvement of spatial accessibility has acted as a significant goal of healthcare reforms; the desire to improve the level of services accessible by the entire population has served as a fundamental objective of both politics as well as the medical institutions. The floating catchment area method has been the most instrumental tool for evaluating the level of spatial accessibility that exists within the areas. This approachhas been adopted explicitly in primary health care accessibility.Recent advancements in the health care reforms have immensely played a vital role in the two modal spatial floating catchment areas that have had a more significant application for the entire population over a larger geographical area. Besides, the reforms of medical accessibility have greatly improved the selective primary care within a given community; this has significantly enhanced the access and receivership of the medical services within the previously marginalized population. Under this, the general public has been seen to have benefited considerably from such reforms. As a result, they are enhancing their status Healthwise. These reforms play a fundamental role in mainstreaming access to health facilities and minimizing the challenges related to access, such as the inequality of the population in the accessibility due to the unexplainable variables such as financial, educational, and social aspects.
Source Two on Accessibility Reforms
Lu, C., Zhang, Z., & Lan, X. (2019). Impact of China’s referral reform on the equity and spatial accessibility of healthcare resources: A case study of Beijing. Social Science & Medicine, 235, 112386.
This article is a review of the Chinese referral reform in the country’s medical system and the impacts of these reforms on the equity and accessibility of healthcare. The government implemented these reforms in 2015, which led to the adjustment of the rules on medical insurance. This article focuses on the impacts of the healthcare reforms on the equity and accessibility of healthcare before and after the reforms within Beijing.
In accomplishing this study, different referral rates were set, and their impact on accessibility and equity examined. According to this article, referral reforms in Beijing, to a greater extend, improved healthcare access, and equity. Indeed, public hospitals within Beijing started to receive many patients after the reforms as compared to the period before the reforms. However, the reforms were responsible for the aggravated inequality of healthcare resource reach among streets and smaller towns. This article proposes the Chinese government to ensure a balance between the equal chance of access to healthcare and high accessibility.
This study implies that the government needs to address factors that limit access to healthcare, such as financial constraints, social factors, and education. Arguably, this research is vital and has contributed much to the need to strike a balance between access to healthcare and high accessibility. These findings help not only the Chinese state but also the rest of the world.
The strength of this research article is that it used a three-stage two-step floating catchment area method, which is applicable in many situations similar to other states.
Source 1 on CostReforms
Stadhouders, N., Kruse, F., Tanke, M., Koolman, X., & Jeurissen, P. (2019). Effective healthcare cost-containment policies: a systematic review. Health Policy, 123(1), 71-79.
This research article clearly describes the state of Healthcare reform basing on the cost, which has been stipulated by the health authority across the globe, majorly the WHO. The study highlights the effectiveness of cost-containment policies in the health sector. It points out the vitality of considering reforms basing on the cost ofaccess to health care. Thisarticle discusses thevitality of reforms regarding the nature attributed to the benefits of sustainable cost ofaccess to both the health seekers and the medical personnel. The author reiterates the efficiency of cost reduction measures that could be implemented for the general public, such as cost-sharing. Cost-sharing is also seen as the most effective policy to be adopted by the Healthcare industry within the society as it helps minimize the overburdening of approximately one element of the nation.
Furthermore, the study empirically covers crucial elements of cost reforms, which are advocated due to their benefits to both medical institutions, politics, and the general public. The author brings out the aspect of sustainability in the health sector, which requires political leadership to work together with the medical institution and the general public to device reforms that will be favorable to the trio and breed promising results adequately. The cost, which is oftenattributed to the prices of the services, is relatively covered in this study. For instance, high cost renders several individuals susceptible to the diseases as they either cannot afford the services or access only a limited number of services. Evaluation of the healthcare reforms has advocated for the implementation of the free aces to medical facilities and services, especially for the highly marginalized group of the society (Stadhouders et al. 2019). Similarly, this study has advocated for the availability of low-cost services affordable to all members of the community regardless of their income level, just like the post-apartheid period in South Africa which advocated for the availability of the highly affordable healthcare that was entirely acceptable within the society (Stadhouders et al. 2019).
Source two on Cost Reforms
Hermer, L. D., & Brody, H. (2010). Defensive medicine, cost containment, and reform. Journal of general internal medicine, 25(5), 470-473.
This article presents divergent views in terms of cost reduction in healthcare. It presents the physician’s argument that defensive medicine is a crucial cause of healthcare cost inflation. Besides, the article highlights policy analysts’ argument that malpractice reform will have no significant implication on cost reduction in healthcare.
This article rules out that despite the two views on cost reduction, both arguments are inadequate. Arguably, malpractice reforms are indeed necessary, but they are insufficient to address healthcare cost containment. According to Hermer and Brody (2010), defensive medicine has an insignificant but crucial role in healthcare cost reduction.
Arguably, traditional malpractice reforms proposed by many physicians are inadequate to satisfy the pressures that inform healthcare providers to overtreat. However, these reforms are essential in persuading physicians to consider changes in their operation patterns, which can inform healthcare payments and cost containment.
This article implies that the government should not assume the malpractice reforms to be adequate in addressing cost reduction. Similarly, defensive medicine has no significant impact on cost reduction in healthcare.
Arguably, the weakness of this source is that it doesn’t propose appropriate cost containment measures in healthcare. However, its strength is that it highlights the insufficiency of most of the methods proposed to reduce healthcare costs.
Source One on Quality Reforms
Braithwaite, J., Matsuyama, Y., & Johnson, J. (2017). Healthcare reform, quality, and safety: perspectives, participants, partnerships, and prospects in 30 countries. CRC Press.
This article reiterates the effectiveness of the quality reforms in the health care system. For instance, the author brings out the aspect of quality that is directly related to the nature of the services that the health care seekers receive in any given health facility. The author clearly distinguishes between better quality, standard quality, and lower quality services and elucidates the effects of each of them. While having a vital awareness of the impact that might be associated with low quality, the author still emphasizes the link between high-quality improvement and cost minimization. Similarly, cost containment measures are related to the improvement of quality as the core objective of the health care reforms, which also advocates that high quality does not necessarily have to trigger the rise like the cost. Therefore, the aspect of affordability is highly linked to the reforms within the health sector. Politics should converge and contribute towards working with the already existing medical institutions while carefully taking a closer look at the interest of the general public to facilitate the reforms on the cost of health care services. Cost adjustment will directly transform to the quality improvement; as a result, it will enhance the services attainable within the Healthcare facilities (Braithwaite, Matsuyama & Johnson,2017). Primary health care reforms should aim at streamlining access to medical facilities and engage with the general public to ensure the affordability of the access to benefit the entire society effectively.
Source Two on Quality Reforms
Subiyakto, B. (2020). Plagiat Checker: The Government Reform on Healthcare Facilities from The Standpoint of Service Quality Performance.
This article presents the critical move undertaken by the Indonesian government in ensuring reforms in healthcare. There has been a shift from what the article refers to as a norm in the management philosophy of healthcare. Arguably, there is a shift from the norm where healthcare is viewed in terms of the seller’s market to consumers’ demand, thus focusing on high-quality servicing in healthcare to ensure patient satisfaction.
This article emphasizes the growing need for service quality in healthcare in measuring customer satisfaction in healthcare. Therefore, this article seeks to explore the impact of service quality on outpatients satisfaction in public medical facilities within the South Kalimantan province of Indonesia. According to this article, service quality performance (SERVPERF) are accurate in determining patients’ satisfaction. Besides, reliability, assurance and responsiveness are also preferences. Quality of the healthcare according to this article is measured according the patients’ loyalty and repeat culture.
This article in healthcare quality emphasizes the need for quality health care to increase the patients’ satisfaction with the healthcare providers. This study further contributes to the existing body of knowledge in that it clearly emphasizes the need for service quality performance (SERVPERF).
Conclusion
According to utilization management, concerned with the question of how to ensure that patients acquire healthcare without necessarily spending too much such that the cost compromise other social needs. Besides, this concept is concerned with how to ensure that patients obtain high-quality healthcare services and how to discourage inappropriate healthcare services. Arguably, there is a need to revisit policies around healthcare aspects such as cost, quality, and accessibility. These policies, however, have been emphasized recently through healthcare reforms, although in some parts of the world have not fully been entrenched. There is a need for governments to make a follow-up in their healthcare to ensure that people have equal access to affordable, high-quality healthcare services.