Lately, there has been a fair share of debate around the safety and quality of the current healthcare system. Shortcomings were detected in many areas be it patient satisfaction, complication rate, or treatment efficiency. An impetus to further development would be goal-setting by government bodies and policy-makers. This essay will discuss the most efficient ways of introducing accountability to healthcare organizations.
Accountability is a complex phenomenon, and while it is attainable, holding healthcare providers responsible involves making meaningful changes and taking numerous measures. Denis (2014) argues that there are three key elements to ensuring accountability: setting relevant, well-defined goals, monitoring progress and revising outcomes, and communicating the consequences for health providers if the goals are not met. The only issue that Denis (2014) points out in his article is the unclear concept of goal-setting: to him, quantitative goals only reflect the volume of care. A more effective approach would focus on the quality of care instead.
Deber (2014) outlines three major approaches toward promoting accountability. First, the author claims the efficiency of financial incentives as they can be both a tool for encouragement and punishment. Second, regulations play a significant role in health care as they standardize the services. Lastly, the researcher reasons that the government should allow the market to decide which providers are the best.
It is assumed that health providers have great potential for aligning their practice with the highest standards of care, which constitutes the concept of accountability. Accountability can be interpreted as responsibility for care quality and awareness of bigger goals. A practical approach toward ensuring accountability would include a set of measures among which are financial incentives, legislation, and information provision to compel customers to make independent choices.
References
Deber, R. B. (2014). Thinking about accountability. Healthcare Policy, 10(SP), 12.
Denis, J. L. (2014). Accountability in healthcare organizations and systems. Healthcare Policy, 10(SP), 8.