Question

• Given what you now know about the development of healthcare in the United States and the roles of various organizations in the delivery of health services, describe one change you think is essential to improve the U.S. health system. Discuss the impact you think it would have.
• Explain how you would use your leadership skills in public health to impact that change

Answer 1

Given what you now know about the development of healthcare in the United States and the roles of various organizations in the delivery of health services, describe one change you think is essential to improve the U.S. health system. Discuss the impact you think it would have. Explain how you would use your leadership skills in public health to impact that change

Transparency is required to improve U.S. health system.

It will come with benefits of free market. Thus it will help the patients to know the right place of spending money for getting health care. The best providers and institutions would be rewarded. Through use of technology, the details / information of patient results, infections cured and treated cases will be accessible for making informed decisions. The ideology of keeping “Patient First” will bring transparency. It will lead to more competition, better reasonable alternative and optimum care.

The leadership skills starts with a formulating a better vision than current status. I will enumerate the evidence of present inefficiencies of US health care to regulators and health care agencies. I will illustrate that the cost-benefit ratio of health care is not promising for patients who actually pay and they don’t get to know for what they are charged. It becomes a high cost for them and reimbursing agencies.

The current fee-for-service payment model releases payment to hospitals on the basis of volume of services. There is no evaluation of the suitability of these services to patient’s ailments and relief. This makes it expensive with low patient outcomes. The current system doesn’t work on economic principles of demand and supply that too makes it inefficient. Thus I would convince them of need to dispense with fee-for-service payment model and adopt model of “pay for value,” that has metrics for measuring suitability of patient care, their progress and satisfaction.

I would get coalition for my standpoint in public support through digital communication on social media and will tie up with NGO. With community backing me, I would put demand of communities for reforming the model to US health administrators.

I would come up with strategy after discussion with all agencies involved in health care and taking care of their concerns. I would suggest the regulators to streamline the legal aspects for adoption of technology (comprehensive electronic health record) in health care that would make it more transparent and relevant for engaged parties and patients. It would bridge the fragmented medical services.

Everyone knows it but is skeptical about application and implementation of better model. I would facilitate in it.