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Index - Major Sections
Site Map
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IntroductionOne vendor wrote that the success (or failure) of a Health system, regardless of its technical merits, is critically dependent on the "acceptance" of the end user. InHCc does not believe this is true....InHCc believes that the success or failure of a Healthcare system can only be judged by wither the System does what it is supposed to do. This is no "popularity contest". If the System does what is supposed to do, it will be used.
However, just because a system is "accepted" or "rejected" by the staff does not mean that the system is worth using! Ensuring that a system is "easy and intuitive" means that the system is designed exactly the same way in which healthcare professionals are now working....Not a very useful feature!
Strategic and Goal setting of Healthcare Organizations Strategic Planning requires that data be evaluated and goals be established. The Core Goals and Priorities for Healthcare System are often defined as:
In some countries/organizations the following are added:
Goals should be measureable. If you cannot measure it, you cannot use it for a goal....(i.e. how would you know if you were attaining your goal?) The first questions is wither healthcare can be sustainably if only "high quality" healthcare is delivered. The second question is wither the last two goals given should be a part of the healthcare goals. These goals are strictly goals of "competitive market orientated organizations". Since there is no definition of the "highest quality" can it really be a "measureable goal" or does that mean the most expensive process? I would assume that if you are effective and efficient you are safe and providing care in a timely manner. I also would assume that if you are caring for the individual you are providing patient-centered care. Equitable? I am not sure that the healthcare in the USA is remotely equitable (maybe if you pay the same amount of money you receive the same amount of care is what this means!). There is absolutely nothing sustainable about the USA system of care and everyone definitely doesn't have access.!
Challenges
Challenges faced by Healthcare Systems may in many cases be more "talk than show". This is because many of the challenges faced by the Healthcare System are politically created. These political problems basically have nothing to do with providing the best of service, manage the organization in an efficient and effective manner, predict trends, minimize risks, or maximizing the returns of invested resources.
Let us look at some of these "Challenges."
The most Important.
Sick Individuals. Many people in our world still suffer with diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, mal-nutrition yet few of the HIS systems available addresses these issues. Prevention and Treatment requires data, and a lot of it, for efficient and effective management. Many healthcare professions are poorly trained to handle this type of care. It must be understood that the HIS systems designed for the "Developed" countries do NOT serve those in developing countries (actually they are not developed even to serve those suffering in the Developed Countries)."Cloud" computing may be the solution.
Privacy of Information. Privacy of Information became an issue when Governments and Certification Organizations started requiring more and more information from providers. Just as any "Business," these organizations first did not want to give up their operating data not only because of economic reasons...this was their trade secrets... but also for fear that if anyone found out what they were doing, it would "Ruin their Business". In fact this is happening. There are now lists of ratings in how well certain hospitals and doctors are doing over a wide range of indicators made public by Organizations as the American Health Quality Associations (AHQA) and HealthGrades, This latest "Challenge" was not created by the consumers of healthcare services but rather by the Providers!
Yes it is an issue, but is it such an issue because it demanded so much money and energy when there were more pressing needs by the healthcare system. It was such an issue that the initial laws almost stopped all research. The issue was not the Privacy of Information but rather the Access to Information.
Interoperability. Much money and time has been put into the Interoperability and Distributive of computer systems....why? The problem really is the "Collecting" of information into one location for data analysis and being able to create an Integrated Health Record of the patient. The Issue was, again, that no one wanted to give up their information. It is easy enough to "Transfer and Transform" this information into a centralized data storage system. Measure specifications that are incompatible with automated data capture and that specifically require human intervention. Evaluation of "standard ICD codes" is a good example of codes that are incapable with automated data capture. Ok what are some of the real Health System Challenges
has been stated to be delivery of high-quality, cost effective healthcare while attracting and retaining competent and satisfied care providers. Overloaded with
Information?
Ability to get
the Information needed Making data available to the user is only the first requirement. Teaching him how to use it is the more difficult challenge. We can even say that the reason that the data has not been available is because the users do not know the value of this data...if they did, then the user would have long ago demanded that the data be made available. Pressure to
provide safer and higher-quality care The question to be asking is really what is the cost benefit of that extra unit of safety or that additional unit of quality. There becomes a point that it may not be a cost-benefit to make this effort. Can we better spend that money providing care of a different type...say, instead of giving a heart transplant to a 80 year old, we use that money to provide preventive care. What about instead of trying to keep an individual alive at any cost....we actually let the individual die with dignity. The point to this is that there really may be a limit to the safety and quality that can be provided. Consumerism |
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