Health Care Industry

Health Care Industry

How has Health Care changed in the last 10 years?

Over the years Medicare has been amended. In 1977, the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) was established to administer the Medicare and Medicaid programs. In 1982 TEFRA (the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act) made it easier and more attractive for HMOs to contract with the Medicare program. In 2003, the Medicare prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA) made significant changes. It created a prescription drug discount care good until 2006, allowed for competition among health plans to foster innovation and flexibility in coverage, and covered new preventive benefits. By 2006, the changes begun by Medicare in 2003 had been completed (Evolution of the Health Care System in the United States, 2009).

Medicare was amended by adding Part C and D to the original A and B. Part A continues to cover inpatient hospital expenses and helps cover skilled nursing facilities, hospice and home health care if certain conditions are met. Part B helps cover doctors' services and outpatient care. Part D partially covers prescription drugs and Part C supports Medicare Advantage Plans. These latter plans are private, for profit, managed care insurance plans that compete with traditional Medicare by providing Parts A, B and sometimes D in one plan.

However, the government must subsidize private insurers to enable them to compete with traditional Medicare as a result, in 2008; the government spent 13% more than the cost of traditional Medicare to provide this privatized coverage (Evolution of the Health Care System in the United States, 2009).

How has the Health Care changed in the past 10 years?

* Cost of Healthcare increased

o HMO

o Blue Cross & Blue Shield

o Medicare & Medicaid

* Technology has evolved

o EMR (Electronic Medical Record)

o EHR (Electronic Health Record)

o PHR (Personal Health Record)

o PMR (Personal Medical Record)

* The Patients Privacy Act (HIPAA)

The Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) costs less than comparable traditional health insurance, meaning that it has set guidelines under which doctor can operate and restriction for which healthcare professionals the patient can use. Blue Cross/Blue Shield is the largest health insurers in the United States, covering 25% of the nation's population.

Technology has evolved

Healthcare has changed so much in the past 10 years because of the advanced technology, live expectancy has continue to rise and technology must be incorporated as a tool to maximize service delivery and support healthy aging across the spectrum of care. Because of the baby boomers reaching ages 65 they will need access support of healthcare environments for health and medical needs. The senior population in the United States will increase by 36% in the next 10 years (2020) (How Technology Has Changed Our Delivery of Care, 2010).

Baby boomers has increased in the past few years resulting in needs of access support in healthcare environment, assisted living with their continuing medical needs.

On September, 2005 about 1 million people were misplace because of Hurricane Katrina, most of the people did not have access to their medical records. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched a nationwide electronic records system for Katrina evacuees, incorporating records from pharmacy chains and eventually, laboratories, VA Health facilities, and the Mississippi and Louisiana Medicaid programs. It was stated that such a national system of Electronic Health Records (EHR) would be very useful in general as well as for other emergencies such as pandemic influenza (Hurricane Katrina: The Public Health and Medical Response, 2005). An Electronic Health Record (EHR) prevents or help lower incidence of error or duplications on medication, and allows physicians to have quick access to patient's files when needed (How Technology has changed our delivery of care, 2010).

A couple of years ago when visiting my doctor I have noticed the computer in the office, asked my doctor "why the computer" and she stated the hospital was trying something new and wanted to get some input from doctors when prescribing medication for their patients, entering patient health information. Within the visit and entering my health information and placing a prescription through the computer, I was able to pick-up my medication in no time I was most impress, at the time I did not know that this was the Electronic Medical Records (EMR). The EMR is a digital version of the traditional paper-based medical record for an individual; medical record within a single facility, such as doctor's office or a clinic. The Personal Health Record is health related documentation maintain by an individual to which it pertains (How Technology has changed our delivery of Care, 2010).

What do you think will be the biggest change in health care in the next 10 years?

There will be more hospitals and clinics to service the sick, disable and the elderly. The age of the baby boomer generation is growing, some will be taking care