Implementation of Patient Centered Concepts to Improve Quality Essay

Implementation of Patient Centered Concepts to Improve Quality Outcomes and Control Cost - Essay Example The model aims at soliciting the input of patients on the support and education they need to make decisions and participate in their individual care. It is therefore an innovative approach used to healthcare planning, delivery and evaluation. The concept can be implemented in any healthcare setting. However, its implementation in the current healthcare system has a lot of potential impacts and many healthcare providers struggle with how to actualize the concept into the daily business of caring for patients and their families. Potential impact of Patient-Centered Concept on the current health system’s finances According to Lorig (2002), the concept of patient-Centered care can impact positively on the business metrics of the current health system like finances, safety, satisfaction, quality and market share. Overall, the model reduces the costs of providing patient care and it is associated with increased efficiency of care. This is mainly seen in terms of reduced number of re ferrals and reduced diagnostic tests. Increased patient participation during visits by healthcare providers reduces their anxiety and perceived need for investigations/diagnostic tests and referrals. However, there could also be a need to increase the financial resources in some hospitals and increased their levels of staffing to match with the level of staffing required to provide continuity of care. Despite these costs of education, support and other interventions, there is usually a general resource utilization leading to a positive financial result. Generally, the model is associated with improved patient satisfaction and improved health status and this has the potential of increasing the demand for services offered by the heath system (Stewart et al, 2000). This can be equated with high sales because of increased market share and the end result of this is increased profits. The model is not about technological innovations or renovations and the acquisition of new equipment. Ins tead, it is mainly about kindness, compassion, empathy and attitude all of which are completely free and their provision require the hiring of new staff. It entails a maximization of the interactions with patients at the current staffing levels present in the current health system. The exact areas of the budget that may be impacted There are two main areas of the health system budget that are impacted by patient-centered care are expenses for referrals and diagnostic tests. As noted above, increased patient participation during visits by healthcare providers reduces their anxiety and perceived need for investigations/diagnostic tests and referrals. Reduced referrals and diagnostic tests mean reduced costs per unit for the health system. For example, it is cheaper both for the family and the health system to attend to a patient at home than maintaining the same patient in hospital. Cost/benefit analysis that would be helpful in assessing this trend One of the ways to achieve a cost/b enefit analysis for assessing this trend is assessing the overall costs of managing long-term illnesses verses patient outcomes. For example, if the costs of managing such long-term diseases have reduced while at the same time, the survival rates have been increased and mortality rates reduced, then is the model is good. Impact on the structure of health systems and organizational dynamics Effective patient-centered care requires a shift of the current healt