Introduction
The health sector has experienced many challenges that threatened to cripple hospitals in the country. Some of the major problems identified by the American College of Healthcare Executives which include: financial challenges, healthcare reform implementation, government mandates, and patient safety and quality (American College of Healthcare Executives [ACHE], 2011).
Challenges facing the health sector seem to increase since the signing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law. So far, implementation of the act poses serious challenges which threaten to cripple operations in hospitals and other healthcare institutions.
Financial Challenges and Healthcare Reform
According to ACHE, “financial challenges again ranked No 1 on the list of hospital CEOs’ top concerns in 2011…” (ACHE, 2011). Increasing the number of insured adults is a good source of revenue for healthcare providers especially after “they backed the president’s sweeping law and agreed to accept $155bn in cuts in government reimbursements over 10 years to pay for it” (Kirchgaessner, 2012).
This left various health institutions with little finances to support their daily operations. As a result, hospitals are now forced to adjust their expenses and renegotiate new contracts with their suppliers.
So far, a number of Republican governors have refused to carry out the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in their states. Limited finances given to healthcare providers lock out uninsured people from accessing health services. This is “devastating for hospitals who are legally obliged to treat these patients” (Kirchgaessner, 2012).
Patient Safety and Quality
Since the government enacted financial cuts in healthcare reimbursement, healthcare providers cannot guarantee patient safety and quality. The situation is becoming worse due to the rising cost of medical supplies. Healthcare providers frequently review contracts with their suppliers as well as cut the number of staff to fit their budgets.
Contract reviews affect the supply of medical products paralyze activities in the hospital. Reducing medical staff increases the pressure on staff to keep up the required patient safety and quality standards. All healthcare institutions aim at providing the highest quality services according to the hospital’s mission and vision. With reduced finances, these institutions are not able to meet their vision
Government Mandate
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act gives everybody medical insurance as part of the broader Medicare coverage. This act aims at increasing the number of insured people in the country. This blanket insurance cover has led to a debate whether the federal government should enact it on all its citizens.
According to a report published by Health Care Management Review, research shows that “mandatory individual insurance coverage in Massachusetts was followed by a significant near-term drop in hospital productivity” (Wolters Kluwer Health, 2012).
The government believes that “individual insurance” is justified to compensate healthcare providers for the cuts in government reimbursements. According to the research, patient safety and quality will drop drastically if the number of insured people increases.
Currently, the Affordable Care Act law poses a major challenge to the government, healthcare institutions and the public due to the standoff in its implementation. A number of governors argue that, “those provisions of the law represented brazen intrusions into the sovereignty of the state” (Kirchgaessner, 2012). In the end, it’s the hospitals which suffer since they are not able to get the necessary finances to give quality services.
Conclusion
Most of the problems facing healthcare institutions are as a result of political differences. If the health institutions are able to receive the required funds, they will give quality healthcare for all. For this to succeed, government and states should streamline their policies to enable healthcare providers give quality Medicare for all.
References
American College of Healthcare Executives (2011). Top Issues Confronting Hospitals. Web.
Kirchgaessner, S. (2012). US Hospitals Face Financial Problems. Web.
Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (2012). In Massachusetts, ‘individual mandate’ led to decreased hospital productivity. Web.