transparency in health care

transparency in health care

According to (Wetzell 2014), for a health system to be considered effective and efficient, transparency is a critical aspect. With the growing concern regarding the health care system and affordability in the United States, various stakeholders are scrutinizing the issue of transparency to benefit from health care. The Institute of Medicine (IOM), according to the American College of Physicians (ACP, 2010), defines transparency in health care as informing the public in a manner that is not complicated about the health care system. In informing the public on health care, this entails the provision of information touching on the quality, experience of consumers, including the price and data which is reliable. All these efforts regarding transparency are in an attempt to influence consumer’s behavior so that they (consumers) get a better result. The result can be in terms of health care quality and cost.

According to (P. Groves, 2013), traditionally, the health care system has been left behind by other sectors owing to the low usage of big data. Groves, however, notice that there has been a new trend in the online world of capitalizing on big data for use by consumers from their communication gadgets. Through having information reality available online, consumers are given a golden opportunity to carefully compare health facilities based on provided information and make a decision. The decision made by a consumer will probably entail where one will access medical facilities from an individual health center. To compare health facilities based on information provided in the online platform, this paper analyzes the quality, safety, outcomes, and satisfaction data for ADAMS COUNTY REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER AND ADENA PIKE MEDICAL CENTER  which are critical access hospitals.

Safety

Safety, which is critical in the healthcare system, was also observed for the two medical facilities, and Adena Pike stands out based on the numeric figures provided. The statistics provided relating to the safety of patients touch on emergency care and cancer care, among others. For instance, it was observed that a patient spent about 82 minutes and 54 minutes in Adams County and Adena Pike, respectively. The minimal time spent means that a specific medical facility is well prepared to handle cases better than the other facility. From a general observation of the data provided, it appears on the aspect of safety Adena Pike outdoes Adams County by taking into account the timeliness in response to adequate medical care.

Quality and Satisfaction

Concerning the general information provided through Medicare Hospital Company’s website, in terms of the number of services offered by the two felicities are quite similar. The services provided in both medical facilities include emergency services, receipt of lab results electronically Keeping track of medical reports for patients, was the aspect of general information which differed between Adams County and Adana Pike. At Adams County medical center, there is no provision for records maintenance regarding patients. Touching on the satisfaction of patients, it appears that Adena Pike satisfies the expectations of its clients. Through observation of the patient’s satisfaction rate based on percentage, Adena Pike scores are quite high as compared to that of Adams County. With regards to customer satisfaction, critical aspects such as the cleanliness of the facility and also how the employees handle patients under medical care.

From a managerial and consumer point of view based on the statistics provided for both health facilities, it is evident that Adena Pike will be a choice for consumers. The two hospitals being critical access hospitals make the two facilities comparable. Adena Pike’s medical facility appears to be a choice for many is supported by the facility outdoing Adams County concerning the information obtained. When it comes to the manager’s point of view, however, for the case of Adams County, there appear to be some issues that need to be addressed and implemented. Addressing such medical issues and implementation is by comparing performance with other players in the same field performing excellently.

Adena Pike appears to have capitalized on its response and handling of patients to the extent of maintaining records, which is vital. According to (Marinič, 2015) health records are essential in the treatment of any ailing patient. By maintaining medical records, it appears it has bore fruits for Adena Pike. Since the critical access hospitals have various sections, keeping patients’ information is necessary. This has translated to Adams County being outdone by Adena Pike performance-wise according to figures. An open weakness for Adams County hospital can be the lack of record-keeping, which in turn can make other sections in need of patient’s information perform dismally.

Conclusion

According to (Thimbleby, 2013), dynamics are playing out in the health care system; technology plays an integral part. As a manager for both medical facilities, technology is vital in trying to address data issues for both hospitals. Incorporating technology involving data experts in the interpretation of big data will enhance the performance of the two medical facilities. Technology, concerning medical data, is necessary as it supplements the usage of data in various sections.

References

ACP. (2010). HEALTHCARE TRANSPARENCY—FOCUS ON PRICE AND CLINICAL PERFORMANCE INFORMATION. INTERNAL MEDICINE/ DOCTORS FOR ADULTS.

Marinič, M. (2015). Introduction. The Importance of Health Records, 618.

2. Groves, B. K. (2013). The ‘big data’ revolution in health care, 2.

Thimbleby, H. (2013). Technology and the future of healthcare. Journal of Public Health Research .

Wetzell, S. (2014). Transparency: A Needed Step Towards Health Care Affordability, 2.