Introduction
This paper presents article reviews and analyses that deal with healthcare reforms. It also demonstrates how the reforms in healthcare have impacted on the quality, economics and patient safetyin healthcare services in the United States.
Physician Leadership: A Central Strategy to Transforming Healthcare
This article discusses the functions of the physical leaders, which are significant in the transformation of healthcare, and how health institutions and healthcare organizations define the functions. The article introduces us to the ProMedica community based health system providing services in Ohio and Michigan. The facility has 13 well established hospitals with a large number of healthcare service providers, including 2.300 physicians (OosTRA, 2015). The institution’s mission to the local communities is to develop health and well-being, and its vision is to build healthier communities by delivering high-quality services and extraordinary experiences through a deliberately focused, financially stable and participative philosophy for its leaders, employees and physicians.
The organization has developed healthcare reforms among the physician leadership roles. For instance, the leaders have been tasked with the role of leading change. The organization’s new model of physician management, however, is still in its early stages. Nevertheless, it is apparent that customary physician leadership approaches are unmanageable and propagate an incompetent and unproductive healthcare model for patients, physicians and the communities the organization offers services to (OosTRA, 2015). According to the reforms, the new physician is supposed to perform the following roles:
- Transform the existing state of affairs in the organization.
- Be prepared to share leadership roles.
- Manage the command-and-control approach.
- Listen and learn the language of operations, for instance, accept responsibility and accountability.
- Focus on servant leadership by concentrating on the patient and other physicians first.
- Become fully integrated into all system functions.
These reformations will ensure quality services, improved economics of the institution and patient safety in the provision of service delivery to the communities that they serve.
Sustainable Competitive Advantage for Accountable Care Organizations
This article comments on the reforms in healthcare since the year 2011 that have seen a number of Accountable Care Organizations(ACOs) expanse from 23forerunner organizations to more than 300ACOs (Macfarlane, 2014). The swift progression of the ACOstrategy has established the initial benefits of accountable care. Though ACOs have established a market space that has enhanced competition within the present models of healthcare delivery, the reforms have started to validate an aptitude to advance quality health effects and reduce cost, with minimum debate on how ACOswill compete and concur in a similar market.
Therefore, for the ACOs to ensure a competitive advantage in the marketplace, they ought to have the aptitude to fulfill the quality prerequisites of both internal and external clients. As the ACO market develops to be progressively packed, the healthcare facilities and entities that emphasize on providing client value will benefit more than other organizations that shift changes and quality targets set by third-party payers (Macfarlane, 2014). However, sustaining such an advantage demands that ACOs engage customer services. Therefore, by centering on the growth of proficient customer value facets, ACOsconsiderablylessen the waste experienced in the creation of non-competitive products and services.
This satisfaction among clients will in turn allow ACOs to function in steady setups of gratified associates,thus reducing the health facilities experience of losing network partners, for instance,provider groups and acute care networks. These developments will at the end ensure that the communities around receive high valued, economical and safety health services.
Measuring forQuality Improvement
This article addresses the reforms in healthcare quality measurement. Quality healthcare measurement has developed in the past 15 years, resulting in patients being able to get improved, safer and more affordable care. Even though much has been attained, there is a need to put many things in place to harmonize thebest procedures and associated care delivery involvements, which will enhance both patient care and the health of the United States citizens. To attain quality measurement healthcare, there must be safer hospital care. This is because the hospital is one of the most crucial settings, which have a high impact on the manner in which patients get quality care. Due to the reforms in quality measurement healthcare, there have been reductions in the Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HAC). According to this article, in the whole nation, value measures associated with readmissions have made a substantial bearing, assisting extra patients to be able to continue receiving care in their homes. These reforms have enhanced quality services in the healthcare sector in the United States. However, much needs to be done to improve patient care.
Comparatively,all health institutions and facilities are striving to offer quality and affordable healthcare services that are safe to the community (Wilson et al., 2008). Therefore, it is important that for all these to be attained, there must be constant reforms taking place to do away with old and uninfluential practices in the provision of healthcare services. In all the articles above, the main theme is change and transformation, which should be the guiding principle for all organizations in the healthcare sector.
References
Macfarlane, M. A. (2014). Sustainable competitive advantage for accountable care organizations. Journal of Healthcare Management, 59(4), 263.:
OosTRA, R. D. (2015). Physician Leadership: A Central Strategy to Transforming Healthcare. Frontiers of health services management, 32(3), 15-26.
The National Quality Forum. (2015). Measuring for QualityImprovement.
Wilson-Stronks, A., Lee, K. K., Cordero, C. L., Kopp, A. L., & Galvez, E. (2008). One Size Does Not Fit All: Meeting The Health Care Needs Of Diverse Populations. Oakbrook Terrace, IL: The Joint Commission.