The Health Care System Essay -- essays papers

America has a highly developed wellness businesssystem, which is available to all people. Although it bath bevery complex and frustrating at times it has come a longway from the wellness care organizations of yesterday.Previously most health care facilities were a place wherethe sick were housed and cared for until death. Physiciansrarely practiced in hospitals and only those who werefortunate could afford proper care at home or in privateclinics. Today the level of health care has excelledtremendously. Presently the goal of our health care is tohave a continuum of care for the patient, one which isincorporated on all levels. Many hospitals offer a referralservice or realise plan to patients who are beingdischarged. Plans for the patient are discussed with adischarge planner. The discharge planner is a person who istrained in assessing what the patients requirements forhealth care will be after discharge from the hospital. Thisenables the patient to continue their care at a level whichis most appropriate for them. Items reviewed for dischargeplanning include but are not limited to therapies, medicationneeds, living arrangements and acknowledgment of specificgoals. A few of the options that are available for personsbeing discharged from an acute care hospital can includehome health care, assisted living facilities, long term care orhospice Home Health Care According to Growing Old inAmerica (1996), Home health care is one of the fastestgrowing segments of the health care industry (p. 114).Alternatives for home care can meet both the medical andnon-medical needs of a patient. These services areprovided to patients and their families in their home orplace of residence. Home care is a method of deliveringnursing care and other therapies as postulate by the patientsneeds. Numerous alternatives are available for personsseeking health care at home. With transportabletechnologies such as durable medical equipment, oxygen cede and intravenous fluids ther e are countlesspossibilities for treatment within the home coifting. As statedin The Continuum of Long Term Care Home healthprograms range from formal organizations providing skillednursing care to relatively informal networks that arrangehousekeeping for friends (p. 185). This has allowed forhome care to quickly become an e... ...mpanies. The regulating agencies that set the standardsfor hospices are Medicare, the National HospiceOrganization, Joint Commission on Accreditation of HealthCare Organizations (JCAHO) and state hospice agencies. Ihave found that the medical record content in a hospiceprogram contains an extensive amount of identifyinginformation in regards to the patient and their primarycaregiver(s). All aspects of patient care are welldocumented and evidence well-coordinated, continuous care.The medical record acts as a communication tool betweenthe different team members and is used on a continuous undercoat throughout the patients care. Conclusion Althoughther e are many options other than those listed for healthcare after discharge from a hospital, The most importantaspect for a person is to be well informed andknowledgeable about the variety of options available. It canbe very confusing, especially to an elderly person when talkof finances, regulations and cover and non-covered itemsare discussed. It is our responsibility as future health careadministrators to provide adequate information to theperson who is opting for alternatives to health care.