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Strategies to Promote and Improve the Quality of Healthcare

By Ernest Hamilton | Update Date: Mar 30, 2021 10:33 AM EDT
Strategies to Promote and Improve the Quality of Healthcare

(Photo : Strategies to Promote and Improve the Quality of Healthcare)

Heightened medical awareness of previously unknown diseases, couples with escalating healthcare costs and an aging population, has made it necessary for a system overhaul. Creating a more efficient and care coordinated medical industry is required if the US wants to keep helping its patients. The following tips could be the medicine the healthcare system needs.

Analyze Data From Outcomes

It's impossible to fix a problem without knowing where improvements are possible. Instead of looking at the procedure done to detect an issue, see if the quality of care can be improved to avoid an expected outcome. For example, if you notice that money could be spent on another CAT/CT scanner because there is an increase in complex bone fractures, look at the rates of patients who have calcium deficiencies. Since fractures are an outcome of bad bone health, council doctors on issuing more blood tests so the anemia can improve and reduce the risk of broken bones.

Set Goals and Evaluate Constantly

Once you've analyzed patient population data, you can find where improvements can be made, but you likely already have standards that you must meet based on various health organization requirements. You'll probably need to focus on better documentation, increasing revenue, and better billing but, investing in a value-based care model will bring client care as a focus. To ensure you stay on track, evaluate your goals daily, weekly, and monthly. The best goals follow the PDSA model as it helps you plan, enact change, observe, and analyze the results.

Invest in Value-Based Care

It's common for hospitals to value quantity over quality in healthcare as the more people seen by a physician can lead to cut costs, but this isn't true. This isn't to imply that the system is evil, but medical equipment and a larger population have made health care increasingly expensive. However, value-based care, which is where the service's quality trumps the number of people seen, is actually cheaper and creates a more healthy population. A value-based system reduces repeated visits, misdiagnoses and can result in reimbursements from federal officials.

Create an All-Star Team

Your hospital or clinic is only as good as the people who contribute. An effective team should be composed of physicians from different backgrounds, experiences, and skills to stay balanced and efficient. All teams need a leader that provides oversight and advises their other members through a medical problem or patient dispute. Without a capable leader, there won't be someone with the final say for clinical decisions, which will be disastrous for patient care. To truly improve the quality provided, hire a project manager to keep the team on track.

Improve Access to Healthcare

Not everyone lives next to a clinic or has the funds available for a quick check-up with their physician. About 75% of annual health care spending is related to a preventable or treatable chronic disease, but only 8% of Americans access preventative care per year. Many Americans can receive healthcare services through phone or app, but they aren't available for all hospitals or rural homes with no Internet access. By 2040 most hospitals and clinics will go online, so stay ahead of the emerging trend by creating a way for patients to stay connected with their physicians.

Keep Patient Engagement as a Focus

Telling anyone, even a doctor, about our medical issues, can be embarrassing or scary. However, it's vital to encourage engagement from the patient so the doctor can diagnose them appropriately. While it won't be easy to convince some people to speak directly with a healthcare professional, you can set up kiosks presenting common symptoms who want to avoid contact. This will help doctors narrow down to a proper diagnosis. Using technology to see a patient's entire healthcare journey and family history can also improve engagement and communication.

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* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of counselheal.com

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