Perspectives of Healthcare
The healthcare delivery system needs to undergo changes in order to ensure that patients receive quality medical care. Researchers have established that increase in chronic diseases, consumers demanding quality and safe medical procedures, high deductible healthcare policies and increase in old age illnesses are the main drivers for the change in healthcare delivery system (Schimpff, 2012). Healthcare financing also needs to undergo a substantial transformation. Increase in medical costs has caused hospitals to incur huge expenses while offering medical services to patients. This essay focuses on how the healthcare discourse has been influenced by the power of the media, research as a political tool, healthcare economics, professional ethics and conflict management.
Power of the Media
Many people have used the media to disseminate information regarding the need for change in healthcare financing and delivery system. According to research conducted by Price Waterhouse Coopers, about forty percent of consumers use social media to find health-related consumer reviews (Perna, 2012). Popular social media sites that consumers use include Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. Patients also use a community site known as Patient Like Me to give their suggestions regarding the changes in the healthcare delivery system that they would like to experience. It shows that the media has a lot of power in causing adjustments in the delivery system.
Research as a Political Tool
Policy makers in the healthcare sector use research findings to implement a particular healthcare policy. It enables them to implement healthcare policies that are in line with the needs of the consumers. Before a particular hospital adopts a new healthcare delivery system, it needs to conduct a study regarding whether patients require a change in particular healthcare delivery system. The researchers should consider utilizing the feedback of patients and interviewing the practitioners before adopting a new healthcare delivery system (Naden, 2009). Research is also very critical when a hospital wants to adopt a new financing policy. It helps in ensuring that a particular hospital chooses a financing policy that covers all the expenses that it incurs.
Healthcare Economics
The concept of healthcare economics is also becoming very popular in many healthcare debates. In the United States, the demand for healthcare services has been increasing. This happens due to the fact that patients have discovered the importance of seeking early treatment for any disease that they may be suffering from. However, the costs for receiving healthcare services have also risen up. One of the reasons that have caused these costs to jump is the rising costs of the goods that are used for patient care. American Medical Association also conducted its research and found out that the cost of medical care increased by 1.3 percent (Grover, 2007).
Professional Ethics
Professional ethics is also influencing the debates on healthcare delivery systems. Doctors and other medical practitioners are emphasizing on the importance of observing confidentiality while dealing with their patients. Doctors are not supposed to disclose any information about the medical history of their patients. They should not be motivated by financial gains while dealing with their patients. All doctors and nurses are also supposed to treat other medical personnel fairly and equally. This helps in ascertaining that medical practitioners give quality medical care to all the patients seeking healthcare services. Recently, doctors from River State were urged to adhere to professional ethics in order to boost productivity in the healthcare sector (Mol, 2013).
Conflict Management
Conflict management has also influenced the debates in the healthcare sector. This has caused healthcare facilities in the United States to train their employees on the process of solving any conflicts that they may be having. Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations has established the process that healthcare facilities should follow while managing any particular conflict that may face them. One of the key steps of managing conflict is dealing with a particular conflict within the environment of mutual respect (Naden, 2009). The process of conflict management should also observe fairness and justice. Hospitals save costs such as legal costs when they manage conflict well.