1. Unit One Diversified Health Occupations Page 14-25
Trends in Healthcare
Unit One
Diversified Health Occupations
Page 14-25

2. Objective
Identify at least five current trends or changes in health care

3. Introduction
Most of you have probably heard about AIDS. What do you know about this disease? What rumors have you heard?
How has this disease changed and how has it affected health care?

4. Introduction Continued
Many events lead to changes in health care
Changes occur almost every day
Health care workers must be aware of these changes/trends

5. Technological Advances
Cost Containment Definition: trying to control the rising cost of healthcare and achieving the maximum benefit for every dollar spent
Technological Advances
organ transplants,
artificial hearts
computers to examine internal parts
advanced technologies which allow people to live longer
Aging Population
Increased pharmaceutical products,
more chronic diseases
more frequent health services
Other Reasons:
Increased lawsuits,
Expensive malpractice insurance
Unnecessary diagnostic tests or labs

6. Methods Used to Contain Costs
Diagnostic Related Groups (DRGs)
Combination of services
Outpatient services
Mass or bulk purchasing
Early intervention and prevention
Energy conservation
Home Health Care
Geriatric Care
Telemedicine
Wellness
Alternative and Complementary Therapies
National Health Care Plan

7. Diagnostic Related Groups (DRGs)
Attempt by Congress to control costs for Medicare and Medicaid
Payment based on diagnosis
Certain amount paid for each disease condition
Agencies providing care for less can keep extra money
Agencies accept loss if care costs more than payment allowed

8. Combination of Services
Agencies combine services to avoid duplication
Share clinics, labs, etc….
HMOs and PPOs are examples of sharing services
Care can be provided to a larger number of people at a decrease in cost per person

9. Outpatient Services
Patients receive care without being admitted to hospital or other care facilities
Hospital care is expensive
Reducing the length of hospital stays or decreased need for hospital admissions lowers the cost of healthcare
Examples: surgery, XRAY, Diagnostic Tests

10. Mass or Bulk Purchasing
Buying equipment and supplies in larger quantities at reduced prices
Combine purchases of different departments
Large corporations placing large orders of supplies can be bought at lower costs

11. Early Intervention and Prevention
Providing care before acute or chronic disease occurs
Preventing diseases is more cost effective than treating
Methods of Prevention include education, immunizations, yearly exams, and incentives for people who participate in certain programs

12. Energy Conservation
Monitor use of energy to control costs and conserve resources
Major expenses: electricity, water, gas, etc…
Methods: energy efficient facilities, heating/cooling systems, insulation, repairing water leaks, energy saving light bulbs, etc..

13. Check Your Understanding…
What is an outpatient service? What are two examples?
Why should we prevent illnesses, versus treat them?
What are three methods of energy conservation?

14. What would be an advantage of home health care?
Cost containment because its less expensive
All aspects involved: nursing, physical therapy, respiratory and occupational therapy, social services, nutrition, etc…
Rapidly growing health care career
DRGs result in shorter hospital stays and therefore patients need to be cared for at home
What would be an advantage of home health care?

15. Geriatric Care Care for the elderly
Rapidly growing because baby boom generation and longer life spans
Will lead to growth of adult day cares, retirement communities, assisted living, and LTC facilities

16. Telemedicine
Uses video, audio, and computer systems to provide medical/health care services
New technology allows interactive services between health care providers
EMTs at the scene of an accident can transmit medical data to the ER physician who can plan ahead
Surgeons using a computer robot can guide a remote controlled arm to performs surgery many miles away

17. Wellness
State of being in optimum health with balances relationship between physical, mental and social health
People aware of need to maintain health and prevent disease
Recognize importance of activities such as exercise, good nutrition, weight control, etc…

18. Check For Understanding
What is home health care? Identify three types of services are involved?
What is geriatric care? Discuss the reason for needing more adult day cares, retirement communities, and assisted living communities ?
What is telemedicine? Describe a scenario of it’s use

19. Alternative and Complementary Methods of Health Care
Most common health care system in the US is the biomedical or “Western” system
Based on evaluating the physical signs and symptoms of a patient, determining the cause of disease and treating the cause
Alternative Therapy:
Methods of treatment used in place of biomedical therapies
Complementary Therapy:
Methods of treatment used in conjunction with conventional medical therapies

20. Ayuredic Practitioners
Use ancient philosophy to determine a persons body type
Prescribe diet, herbal treatment, exercise yoga, massage, minerals and living practices
Ayuredic Practitioners
Use ancient holistic based healing practice that Chi (energy) flows through every living person in a pathway to link the organs and connect them to external universe
Use acupuncture, acupressure, tai chi and herbal remedies
Chinese Medicine Practitioners
Believe the brain sends vital energy to all body parts through nerves in the spinal cord
Misalignment of vertebrae places pressure on spinal nerves which results in disease and pain
Use spinal manipulation, massage and exercise to adjust position of vertebrae and restore flow of energy
Chiropractors
Believe in ability of body to heal itself through the actions of the immune system
Use minute diluted doses of drugs made from plant, animal and mineral substances to cause symptoms similar to disease and activate immune system
Homeopaths
Help individual obtain trance like state with belief the person will be receptive to verbal suggestions and make behavior change
Hypnotists
use only natural therapies such as fasting, special diets, lifestyle changes, and supportive approaches to promote healing
Avoid use of surgery or medicinal to treat diseases
Naturopaths
These are examples of CAM therapies

21. Check For Understanding . . .
Differentiate between Complementary and Alternative Care Therapies.
Identify TWO types of CAM therapies. Briefly describe these.

22. National Health Care Plan
High cost of care and large number of uninsured have created demand for national plan
Many have been proposed
Goal is to ensure that all Americans can get health coverage
Related problems include the cost of creating system
Those with insurance may pay more to cover the uninsured
Lack of freedom in choosing health care providers
Regulations to be created to establish this system

23. Pandemic
Exists when outbreak of disease occurs over widespread geographic area and affects high proportion of the population
Major concern today is that worldwide pandemics become more frequent
Possible concern of Influenza Pandemic in the future
Governments are creating pandemic influenza plans to protect the people
Become more frequent because society is global, individuals can travel readily throughout the world, and diseases can spread more rapidly from person to person
Flu pandemics : killed numbers of people; in 1918 the Spanish flu pandemic killed approx 2% individuals who contacted it =40 million people
Plans include education ( info about the pandemic and ways to avoid its spread), vaccine production (more research directed to producing effective vaccines in larger quantities and shorter pd of time) , antiviral drugs( stockpiled for immediate use), developing protective public health measures ( quick dx, strict infection control methods, first responders and healthcare personnel immunized in order to care forpublic, quarantine measures), international cooperation ( countries must be willing to work with each other to limit spread of lethal viruses)

24. Check for Understanding
Explain how having a national health care plan might affect a pandemic?
Which pandemic is a possible concern for the future? Why?

25. Let’s Apply What You’ve Learned
Will new trends have an effect on your role as a health care worker? Why or Why Not?
If salaries were increased for health care professionals, what changes or trends might occur?

26. Guided Practice…
Lets Look at the workbook page provided…. We will do the first question together
Then, try the second question on your own at first. Then we will discuss it