Examples of Strategic Management in Health Care

Healthcare is undergoing many dramatic changes. National healthcare is a fact and there will be more programs to help business owners provide health insurance for their personnel. As more people gain access to heath insurance, more people will seek care from primary care physicians, family doctors and nurse practitioners. There will be a greater demand for physicians who can offer primary care.

More Small Businesses To Offer Health Insurance

• The national healthcare reform program is going to have a major effect on healthcare delivery strategy.

  For one thing, far more people will have health insurance, according to Linda Quick, president of the South Florida Hospital Association. She believes that small employers who provide their workers with health insurance will enjoy a significant tax break, thus they will be more inclined to offering health insurance to their personnel.

  "When a person goes to a doctor, the first question asked is what kind of insurance do you have," said Quick. "If the person does not have insurance, it is harder for that person to get an appointment to see a doctor. As more people have insurance, it will be easier for them to get a doctor's appointment."

  There may be a greater need for primary care and family doctors in the near future. Now and in the past, people would often wait for an emergency before seeking medical care. This meant a greater need for highly trained and highly skilled specialists such as surgeons and cardiologists.

  "What is happening now in medical education is a greater need for the training of primary care doctors as opposed to specialists," said Quick.

Medical Records Systems To Become More Efficient

• Another method of cost containment is to implement electronic medical records at every doctor's office, clinic and laboratory. The goal is to have all medical records talk to each other regardless of the provider, according to Quick. The money to develop this system is coming from the Healthcare Reform bill and it is part of the stimulus bill. The goal is to enable everyone to have electronic medical records.

  "Doctor Jones will be able to pull up records from Dr. Garcia," said Quick. "Eventually we will be able to do better reporting of outcomes data that will provide more extensive information than just the patient's condition at discharge. There will be a greater emphasis on patient discharge and planning. And this will help greatly in the area of rehabilitation."

  Another change that is expected involves bundling payments so that all providers are paid from the same source. This will provide a more cost effective and efficient manner of paying medical providers for patient services, according to Quick. Also more doctors and other healthcare providers will find themselves working directly for a hospital or clinic.

Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants

• Also, more nurse practitioners and physician assistants will be involved in patient care, according to Quick. This will enable care to be provided in a more cost effective and efficient manner. Nurse practitioners are very well trained nurses who provide basic healthcare under the supervision of a physician. In actuality these highly-skilled and well-educated professionals perform many of the same functions as primary care doctors. They are often found in areas where doctors are reluctant to go. They serve rural communities or lower income inner city areas. Physician assistants are also becoming more important. They don't have quite as much training as doctors but are under the supervision of doctors and perform many of the same functions as primary care doctors. They are critical in the delivery of care to areas that may not be served by a medical doctor, according to Quick.