Health Care: Access to Care, Research Paper Example

Outline

Introduction

• Examination of need in the organization for change.
• Evaluation of organizational and individual barriers to change.

Factors influencing change.

Summary of factors influencing organizational readiness for change.

Theoretical model that related to proposed change.

Conclusion

• Internal and external resources available to support change initiative.

Abstract

This document contains a proposal detailing an evaluation pertaining to changes in the way health care is accessed in institutions across America, with specific reference the my healthcare setting. It encompasses examination of need in the organization for change; evaluation of organizational and individual barriers to change; factors influencing change; a summary of factors influencing organizational readiness for change; a theoretical model that related to proposed change; an examination of internal and external resources available to support change initiative.

Introduction

Examination of need in the organization for change

Questions are often asked exploring the difference between available and accessible health care in the American context of access to care. There have been controversial responses emanating from a political perspective regarding this issue. Despite the motivation for these questions and argumentative responses accompanying them, access to healthcare in America is of great concern to social planners, especially, specialist who advocate equality of health care in this country.

As such, this proposal embraces an evaluation of the assumption that while health care in America is available is not accessible to the entire nation, due to social determinant factors that impose a discriminatory culture upon the process. My organization would be used as a model in exploring this assumption.

Vernellia R. Randall (2013), Professor of Law and Web Editor viewed the phenomenon from the paradigm of ‘Institutional Racism in US Health Care.’ The professor cited lack of economic access to health care; barriers to hospitals and health care institutions; barriers to physicians and other providers; racial disparities in medical treatment; discriminatory policies and practices; lack of language and cultural competent care; disparate impact of the intersection of race and gender; inadequate inclusion in health care research; lack of data and standardized collection methods and rationing through managed care (Randall, 2013).

When applying these paradigms relating access to quality health care as it pertains to my institution there is evidence that social determinant factors hinder accessibility to available health care services within that system. For example, with 48.2 million Americans are uninsured. Here is where the disparity begins because services cannot be accessed without adequate insurance coverage and many patients are denied care much more quality care (Centers for Disease and control Prevention, 2013).

Besides, under managed care even when patients arrive with employer/employee insurance subscription plans the protocol denies the access to care. First their care has to be authorized before being accessed. Again this poses a real concerned regarding execution of available care which exists within my institution. In my opinion the need to change is imminent since citizens are entitled to access available health care. For me it is their constitutional right. If one institution can take a stand and just be an example towards successfully removing socio-economic barriers separating access to health care from its availability society could be more productive with healthier people.

Evaluation of organizational and individual barriers to change.

Barriers affecting organizational and individual perspectives towards change in health care accessibility even though the dysfunction has been identified pertain towards structural inequality within the society. Structural inequality is a sociological concept explaining the situation whereby policies render one category of people less valuable than others. Subsequently, this defines their accessibility to social services and privileges within social structure institutions (Royce, 2009).

This means that if the President of United States of American happens to visit my health care facility seeking health care he must be given privileges above and beyond a citizen who was picked up by paramedics at the side of the road and is uninsured. Two criteria have placed the president in a more privileged position to access care and of a higher quality too; first his social status as President of United States of America and secondly his health insurance, which would contain the higher level of coverage, than any other client. Obviously, this places my institution in a difficult situation morally.

Therefore, the question regarding ethical implications of denying a patient health care of quality due to poverty and low socio-economic status becomes a major concern within my organization. Hence, from the perspective of the organization it is a change barrier, which has to be surmounted.

Factors influencing change.

Major factors influencing change pertain to ethical issues related to disparities in accessibility of health care within my institution and the society as a whole. These include the ability to provide access to the thousands of uninsured who arrive at the facility daily seeking medical attention and fair.ly assess their health care needs for accessing the best quality care

Summary of factors influencing organizational readiness for change.

Bryan J Weiner (2009) summarized factors influencing organizational readiness for change into a theoretical framework, which posits that organizational structures and resource initiate readiness for change perceptions. Essentially, members who may be ready for change must realize the role organizations’ structures play in its readiness for change. For example, to improve accessibility to quality health care, my organization has to enact policies that would remove barriers to change and redesign structures that are preventing clients irrespective of their insurance coverage access to care. Once these preliminary adjustments have not been undertaken then there is no readiness for change (Weiner, 2009).

Weiner (2009) further advances that organizational readiness for change is situational since some organizational features are more receptive to innovation and change. Precisely, the context within which the organization functions would determine readiness for change. While Health care reform is aimed at forced insurance coverage for citizens this in no way means that more poor people will have access to the care that is available within my organization. Hence, my organization would have to first remove that policy and reinvent an alternative payment scheme for the poor seeking access to health care. Since these have not yet been completely revised readiness is not imminent (Weiner, 2009).

Theoretical model that related to proposed change.

Kurt Lewin’s (1947) theoretical model would be adapted for the proposed organizational change towards improving accessibility to health care within my facility. Lewin (1947) theory integrated concepts from Field Theory, Group Dynamics, and Action Research into a three step model of change consisting of unfreeze; transition and refreeze. Its application to organizational development is discrete in emphasizing the importance of group dynamics; identifying existing rules that create the current organizational reality and changing them to create movement (Organizational Development, 2013).

Conclusion

Internal and external resources available to support change initiative

The internal resource supportive of change in access to health care within my organization are administration and staff. Our goal is to deliver quality health care as a private institution to people, in the community who would have otherwise been denied access to quality health care due to inadequate insurance coverage. External resources are funding agencies that are willing to expand health care accessibility ventures to my organization as it functions as health care facility within the community.

Reference

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2013). Health Insurance Coverage. Retrieved May 8^th, 2013 from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/hinsure.htm

Organizational development (2013). Five Core Theories: Lewin’s change Theories Organization Development. Retrieved May 8^th, 2013 from http://organisationdevelopment.org/?p=224

Randall, V. (2013). Institutional Racism in US Health Care. Retrieved May 8^th, 2013 from http://academic.udayton.edu/health/07humanrights/shadow01.htm

Royce, E. (2009). Poverty and Power: the Problem of Structural Inequality. Lanham: Rowman&Littlefield.

Weiner, B. (2009). A theory of organizational readiness for change. Retrieved on May 8^th, 2013 from http://www.implementationscience.com/content/4/1/67