Health Care Policy, Org. and Finance, Research Paper Example

I have identified three key issues that the acute vs. long-term care client satisfactiontaskforce should focus on. These includeidentifying the non-medical demographics of patients that are classified as acute or long-term patients with the goal of identifying unique needs, to calculate the cost differentials of acute and long-term care and determine ways that social workers can assist individuals without health insurance to determine if they are eligible for government aid, and to determine the impact of increased staffing and the reallocation of resources on ensuring patient satisfaction.

It is essential to approach these three issues objectively by conducting relevant research in the field. An excellent way to identify the changes that the hospital or healthcare facility should make is to conduct a literature review to identify the demographics of the patient population that are typically associated with both acute and long-term care. Next, it is necessary to conduct research in the form of retrospective and prospective surveys to track the constantly changing monetary and staffing needs. To identify patient demographics, statistical evaluations should be done that study the patient population overtime. This will identify patient populations who are at risk for both acute and long-term illness. Next, employee retention programs should be initiated to ensure appropriate staffing levels. Lastly, social workers should need to be specially trained to assist the patients in identifying where costs could be cut and reimbursements could be issued (Kaiser, 2007).

To Susan:

I agree that a major issue in assessing the health of the elderly population is its growing numbers. Since people are living longer and longer, there is a clear need to expand upon healthcare facilities. I believe that it is possible for researchers to determine growth and need for these institutions in advance of their need by building mathematical models that account for various characteristics of the population health.

To Elmore:

I think that issuing surveys at the end of a patient’s stay is an excellent way to prospectively measure satisfaction. However, I think this would be more useful for acute patients, as the voice of long-term patients are less likely to be heard because they are released less frequently (Wennberg et al., 2006).

References

Kaiser. (2007). Characteristics of the Uninsured: Who is Eligible for Public Coverage and Who Needs Help Affording Coverage? Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. Retrieved from http://kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/characteristics-of-the-uninsured-who-   is-eligible/

Wennberg JE, Fisher ES, Sharp SM. (2006). The care of patients with severe chronic illness. Lebanon, NH: The Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care.