Private Health Care Facilities

Health care systems include the many agencies, facilities, and personnel involved in the delivery of health care. According to the U.S. Government, health care is one of the largest and fastest-growing industries in the United States. Most private health care facilities require a fee for services.

Types of Facilities Hospitals Long term care facilities Medical Offices Dental Offices Clinics Optical Centers Emergency Care Centers Laboratories Home Health Care Hospice Mental Health Genetic Counseling Centers Rehabilitation Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO’s) Industry Health Care Centers School Health Services

Hospitals One of the major types of health care facilities. Vary in size and types of services provided. Some are small and serve the basic need of a community; others are large, complex centers offering a wide range of services including diagnosis, treatment, education and research.

Hospitals (Cont’d) Classified as private or proprietary (operated for profit), religious, nonprofit, and government. Some are general hospitals treating a wide range of conditions; others are specialty caring for only special conditions or age groups.

Examples of Specialty Hospitals Burn Hospitals Pediatric Hospitals (or Children’s) Psychiatric Hospitals Oncology (cancer) Hospitals

Other Types of Hospitals Government- operated by federal, state, and local government agencies. Ex. Veterans Administration hospitals, state psychiatric hospitals College or University Hospitals provides services along with research and education.

Long-term care facilities Provide assistance and care for elderly patients, individuals with disabilities or handicaps, and individuals with chronic or long term illness. Some facilities are called nursing homes or geriatric homes. These are designed to provide basic physical and emotional care to individuals who can no longer care for themselves.

Other Long term care facilities Extended care facilities or skilled care facilities – these are designed to provide skilled nursing care and rehabilitative care to prepare patients for return to home environments or other long-term care facilities. Independent living and assisted living- allow individuals who can care for themselves, but services such as meals, housekeeping, laundry, transportation, and basic medical care, are provided.

LTC’s cont’d. Most assisted or independent living facilities are associated with nursing homes, extended care facilities, and/or skilled care facilities. The need for long-term care facilities has increased dramatically b/c of the large increase in the number of elderly people. Therefore, many health career opportunities are available in these facilities.

Medical Offices Vary from offices that are privately owned by only 1 doctor to large complexes that operates corporations and employ many doctors and other health care professionals.

Medical Offices Some Medical Doctors treat a wide variety of illnesses and age groups (ie Family Practitioner, General Practitioner, Primary Care Physician) Others specialize in and handle only certain age groups or conditions (ie Pediatrics (infant and children) Nephrologists (Kidney) Oncologist (cancer)).

Medical Offices cont’d Some medical services obtained in these facilities: Diagnosis-determining the nature of an illness Treatment Examination Basic Laboratory testing Minor surgery

Dental Offices Vary in size from offices that are privately owned by 1 or more dentists to dental clinics that employ a number of dentists. Dental services can include general care provided to all age groups or specialized care offered only to certain age groups or dental conditions

Clinics Aka satellite clinics or centers Composed of a group of medical or dental doctors who share a facility. Examples include Surgical Centers (minor surgical procedures), urgent care, rehabilitation. Health Departments offer- pediatric health care, treatment for sexually transmitted diseases and respiratory diseases (Tuberculosis) immunizations, and other special services.

Optical Centers Individually owned by ophthalmologist (Medical Doctor) or optometrist (licensed, nonmedical practitioner). Or part of a large chain of stores. Provide vision examinations, prescribe eyeglasses or contact lenses, and check for presence of eye diseases.

Emergency Care Services Provide special care for victims of accidents or sudden illness. Facilities: Ambulance Services (both private and governmental); emergency care clinics, emergency rooms operated by hospitals; and helicopter or airplane emergency medical services

Laboratories Often these are part of other facilities but can operate as separate health care services. Laboratories perform special diagnostic tests such as blood and urine tests. Dental Laboratories can prepare dentures (false teeth) and other devices used to repair teeth.

Home Health Care Agencies that provide care in the patient’s home. Frequently used by the elderly and disabled. Examples of services include, nursing care, personal care, therapy (physical, occupational, speech etc).

Hospice Agency that provides care for the terminally ill (persons with life expectancies of 6 mos or less). Provided in patient’s home or hospice facility. Main goal is to make patient comfortable, so it increase their quality of life. Allowing a that pt to die with dignity and comfort.

Mental Health Facilities that treat pt’s w/ mental disorders and diseases. Examples: guidance and counseling centers, psychiatric clinics and hospitals, chemical abuse treatment centers (dealing w/ drug and alcohol abuse)

Genetic Counseling Centers Independent facilities or shared facility Works with couples or individuals who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant. Perform prenatal screening tests, check for genetic abnormalities and birth defects, explain the results of the tests, identify medical options when birth defects are present.

Rehabilitation Facilities located in hospitals, clinics, and/or private centers. Provide care for to help pt w/ physical or mental disabilities obtain maximum self-care and function. Services include: physical, occupational, recreational, speech, and hearing therapy

Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO’s) Provide total health care directed toward preventative health care. Includes: examinations, basic medical services, health education, and hospitalization. Some operated by large industries or corporations; others private agencies.

Industrial Health Care Centers Occupational health clinics found in large companies. Provide health care for employees of the industry or business.

School Health Services Found in schools or colleges Provide emergency care for victims of accidents, sudden illness; perform tests to check for health conditions such as speech, hearing problems; they promote health education; and maintain a safe and sanitary school enviornment.

INFORMATION Government Agencies: I. World Health Organization (WHO)- an international agency sponsored by the United Nations. a) Compiles statistics and information on disease b) Publishes health information c) Investigates and addresses serious health problems throughout the world

Gov’t Agencies Cont’d. II. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS)- a national agency that deals with the health problems in the United States. a.) National Institutes of Health (NIH)- involved in research of disease. b.) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)- concerned with causes, spread, and control of diseases in populations.

USDHHS cont’d c.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA)- a federal agency responsible for regulating food and drug products sold to the public d.) Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR)- a federal agency established in 1990 to research the quality of health care delivery and identify the standards of treatment that should be provided by health care facilities. e.) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)- establishes and enforces standards that protect workers from job-related injuries and illnesses.

USDHHS cont’d f.) Health Departments- (state and local; county and city) provides health services directed by the USDHHS and also provides specific services needed by the state or local community. -Examples- immunizations, inspections for environmental health and sanitation, communicable disease control, collection of statistics, health education

Voluntary or Nonprofit Agencies Supported by donations, membership fees, fundraisers, and federal or state grants. examples: American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, March of Dimes, American Red Cross Many organizations focus on one specific disease or group of diseases.

Health Insurance Plans Offered by several thousand insurance companies. The amount of payment and the types of services covered vary from plan to plan. Deductibles- are amounts that must be paid by the patient for medical services BEFORE the policy begins to pay.

Health Insurance Plan con’t Co-insurance- requires that a specific percentage of your expenses are shared by the pt and insurance company. Co-payment- a specific amount of money a pt pays for a particular service, paid at time of service regardless of the total cost of the visit.

Health Ins cont’d HMO- another type of health ins plan- monthly fee is paid for membership, fee stays the same regardless of cost of services. Total care provided is directed towards preventative type health care. good bc most other ins plans do not cover preventative care Bad bc insured required to use only HMO affiliated providers.

Health Insurance Plan cont’d Preferred Provider Organization (PPO)- another type of health ins plan usually provided by large industries or companies to their employees. Industry contracts w/ certain health care agencies, and employees are restricted to using these specific agencies, but provided at a lower cost.

Health Insurance cont’d Medicare- a federal Gov't program, providing health care to individuals 65 years or older, or any person w/ a disability who has received social security benefits for at least 2 years. 2 types of coverage: Type A- hospital insurance Type B- medical insurance Individual does pay a premium for type B and also an initial deductible for services

Health Insurance cont’d Medicaid- operated by individual states- usually for people with low incomes, children who qualify for public assistance, and individuals who are physically disabled or blind. State Children’s health insurance plan- (SCHIP)- provides health care to uninsured children of working families who earn too little for private insurance but too much for Medicaid.

Health Insurance Plan cont’d Workers’ Compensation- provides treatment for workers injured on the job. It also reimburses the worker for wages lost b/c of on-the-job injury. TRICARE (formerly called CHAMPUS)- provides care for active duty members and their families, survivors of military personnel, and retired members of the armed forces.

Organizational Structure Organizational structure always encompasses a line of authority or chain of command. It should indicate areas of responsibility and lead to the most efficient operation of the facility. It is important for health care workers to identify and understand their respective positions in a given facility’s organizational structure.

Organizational Structure cont’d Health care workers must always take questions, reports, and problems to their immediate supervisors, who are responsible for providing necessary assistance. It is also important for health care workers to understand the functions and goal of the organization.