With the current healthcare policy and system in constant debate, one element remains inevitable,
healthcare services are becoming more in demand on a daily basis.
As we have
discussed in other posts there are many contributing factors to the
increased demand in healthcare, not to mention the obvious increase in
insurance that will be offered as a result of the healthcare policy of the Affordable Care Act.
Occasionally it
might be a good idea to listen to our good friends ‘across the pond’ when it
comes to how hospitals might handle the challenge of potentially providing
services to so many new and returning patients. American’s situation of a higher demand to supply (access to doctors) is not unique. Great Britain is also
feeling the pressure of dealing with an increased population demanding
healthcare services. However, Great Britain does not seem to disagree with where
to focus their efforts in confronting this potential crisis as a recent article
in the UK’s Guardian points out.
“Ultimately,
in order to increase efficiency in the National Health System and meet the public's top priorities
of waiting and access, General Practitioners need to be resourced and equipped to do more. They
also need to build teams to perform and complete more episodes of care in their
primary care setting in modern, purpose-built 21st-century facilities. It is
extremely difficult to change the expectations of the general population, but
what we can do is ensure that healthcare practitioners are working in the right
environment to respond to the demands effectively.”
Unfortunately
Americans appear to be reacting to increased healthcare policy pressure and are not incentivized
to see their primary care physicians before an issue becomes a crisis.
Ultimately, if we want to find ways to take care of the healthcare system, we
have to let them, the physicians, take care of us, early, so that it is not too late.
Thank you to Baylor Healthcare MBA for helping their students see how to prioritize healthcare needs in America.
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