The shift in healthcare services
In recent years, more hospitals have been investing in ambulatory or outpatient care services than inpatient hospitalization for various reasons. Outpatient services facilities can be built in regions that are less expensive to operate compared to hospitals. The consumers prefer outpatient services which are cheaper and meet their expectations by being easy to access and ensuring shorter visit lengths. Outpatient services help hospitals stay in competition with other hospitals and makes it easier for hospitals to gain physician support due to partnership with physician groups operating in the outpatient facilities and acting as sources of referrals. The shift is driven by advancements in technology that encourage sharing of patients’ record electronically.
With a rise in the provision of ambulatory care services, hospitals are starting to be thought of as a cost centre instead of being the centre of healthcare. The shift implies that the roles and responsibilities of caregivers are shifting due to the demand to adopt the new forms of care delivery. Today, health care services are accessible to all regardless of whether one is insured or not hence better health for populations in particular geographic regions. Ambulatory services treat certain diseases and do procedures that refute the importance of hospitalization.
The shift from inpatient hospitalization to ambulatory care systems mandated the designing of a prospective payment system for use. The payment system had to be redesigned to ensure that payment is fixed and based on the operating patient’s operating diagnosis costs and ensure that patient care is delivered in a manner that is cost-effective and practical without overutilization of health resources. Compared to the traditional fee-for-service payments, payment systems today discourage the creation of incentives to add unnecessary services.
With a rise in the provision of ambulatory care services, hospitals are starting to be thought of as a cost centre instead of being the centre of healthcare. The shift implies that the roles and responsibilities of caregivers are shifting due to the demand to adopt the new forms of care delivery. Today, health care services are accessible to all regardless of whether one is insured or not hence better health for populations in particular geographic regions. Ambulatory services treat certain diseases and do procedures that refute the importance of hospitalization.
The shift from inpatient hospitalization to ambulatory care systems mandated the designing of a prospective payment system for use. The payment system had to be redesigned to ensure that payment is fixed and based on the operating patient’s operating diagnosis costs and ensure that patient care is delivered in a manner that is cost-effective and practical without overutilization of health resources. Compared to the traditional fee-for-service payments, payment systems today discourage the creation of incentives to add unnecessary services.