4 Dangerous Trends in Healthcare: What You Need To Know

1 What You May Hear: Hospitals are reducing the per capita cost of healthcare by focusing on “value-based care.” What It Looks Like: Hospitals taking on the role of insurers (ACOs) and shifting care outside of the hospitals and into clinics, outpatient settings, home care, etc. What It Means For You: When hospitals take on the role of insurers, there is a financial incentive to provide the least amount of care in the cheapest possible care setting, leading to patients being placed in inappropriate settings for the care needed.

2 What You May Hear: Healthcare systems are integrating to form better coordinated care. What It Looks Like: Integration of various care settings—hospitals, clinics, outpatient, home care, etc. What It Means For You: Advanced corporatization and new payment models in the healthcare industry are driving massive consolidation and partnership deals to increase profits for healthcare industry giants. This means closing hospitals and replacing them w/ pop-up clinics that are not as well staffed, equipped, or regulated.

3 What You May Hear: Hospitals are advancing new and improved healthcare technologies. What It Looks Like: Use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) linked to computer software that allow for diagnosis and treatment decisions to be made using statistical data. What It Means For You: EHRs are linked to computer programs that dictate treatment decisions based on cost, limited patient data, and group statistics. Individualized care is diminishing and skilled caregivers are being replaced with data entry clerks and cookie-cutter care.

4 What You May Hear: Hospitals are improving the patient experience of care (including quality and satisfaction). What It Looks Like: Luxury hospital rooms with resort-like amenities, focus on customer service, telemedicine. What It Means For You: Hospitals are managing patient perception with surface over substance and slick talking points– you are a customer, not a patient. This pushes caregivers to focus on patient satisfaction instead of patient care.

Nurses and Patients Agree on a Patient Bill of Rights Everyone has the right to be cared for under a single standard of quality care. Patients have the right to be admitted to a hospital quickly when in need of nursing care. Hospitalized patients have a right to be cared for until they heal and are well enough to be discharged. Every community has the right to a full service hospital.