Concept of Hospital Readmission
The quest to deliver quality services is normally the anticipation of several organizations worldwide and these services include health care systems. Noticeably, the concept of Hospital Readmission has continued to take the largest part of health care discussions and this element is currently the criterion being used to measure competence in hospitals (Joynt & Jha, 2013). The higher the readmission rates, the more incompetent a health care organization appears. Giving it a simple meaning, Hospital Readmission may refer to the patients returning to the hospital after they have been discharged. There have been considerable arguments escalating from the aspect of hospital readmission and this scenario has resulted in a skeptical notion against hospitals’ competence. Numerous arguments are rising from hospitals touch in aspects regarding hospital readmissions.
From the course experience, I have noted that as global health care, including the American health care system, undergoes remarkable transformations in healthcare delivery, much is protracting in major health aspects. Troubled with inadequate funding and the high cost of healthcare delivery, health care economics have started to focus on analyzing hospital costs. Given that hospital utilization expenditures involve hospital procedural aspects, medication costs are gradually increasing as their expenditure augments as well (Donze et al., 2013). In a bid to reduce the billions of dollars spent on patients’ hospitalizations, economists in this field have been seeking a solution. Unfortunately, getting rid of hospital readmission rates has emerged to be a controversial solution.
From this point, one would wonder whom to blame for the unfortunate readmission of patients into the hospitals. The motive of reducing expenditures incurred from patient’s readmission is hitting hard on health care professionals and from this aspect, the issue of accountability is emerging. Patient’s readmission occurring subsequent to initial treatment has brought endless arguments and unfortunately, the blame is returned to hospitals as policymakers deduce that readmission is due to hospitals’ incompetence (Donze et al., 2013). Policymakers in the U.S health care system fuelled this issue by devising hospital financial expenditure regulations that involved financial penalties to hospitals encountering high readmission rates. This strategy sometimes becomes risky and tricky.
The notion that in order to improve healthcare delivery within hospitals one has to tackle the issues pertaining to patient readmission can be misleading at times. From the latest statistics, the health care system in the United States approximates that over two million patients are readmitted monthly, which automatically melts down to hospitalization expenditures (Joynt & Jha, 2013). From my understanding, this aspect may bear critical responsibilities on the fate of patients. Patient readmission risks hospitals’ competence, leads to poor service delivery following cases of hospitals overcrowding and increases hospital expenditure as well. 2.6 million Registered nurses are never enough to handle unremitting patients’ demands and cannot even match the patients’ population.
From this concept, I fearfully condemn such readmission regulations, since such laws may somehow prove paramount in enhancing the quality of healthcare in health care systems. Healthcare is a crucial human aspect and deserves great attention. It might sound awkward to support such laws, but a different perspective may brilliantly aid in comprehending the realities behind this notion. There are few qualified nurses, the cost of maintaining health care is augmenting, diseases are becoming complicated, new infections are emerging, and these occurrences are scaring individuals in the nursing profession (Donze et al., 2013). Quality of life is paramount and only patient healing motivates health care workers, as readmissions only form part of the workers’ stress. Doctors need to ensure effective treatments to avoid readmissions and their related costs.
Tele ICU Concept Analysis
As aforementioned, hospitals worldwide are facing an acute deficit of the nursing workforce and the ratio of nurses to patients is considerably asymmetrical. Nurses are having incessant hardships in handling a high patient population and some with complicated health issues. In essence, literal evidence reveals that there is a sizeable lack of certified physicians to provide comprehensive patient care in all hospitals (Ries, 2009). In the United States, technologies are growing even in the health care sector and telemedicine is becoming more competent. Telemedicine literally means the use of telecommunication technologies to proffer clinical assistance from a distance, which allows physicians to offer direct supervision and instructions to nurses. Finding alternative solutions to support the health care workforce in service delivery may prove significant.
The intensive Care Unit (ICU) is a common department within hospitals across the world and it offers significant support to physicians while handling critical patient situations. Tele Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is a modern medical concept that has consumed health care discussions across the world, though it is immaturely articulated in literature and practice as well. For about a decade ago, this science of information sharing in Tele-ICU may refer to distant critical care using modern technologies to avail instructions and share information across the Intensive Care Unit. Telemedicine may typically involve diverse technological applications ranging from online video communication, electronic messages, and other assorted wireless communication technologies (Goran, 2010). Telemedicine can significantly solve workforce shortages in the health care system across the United States.
In the United States and other European nations, there has been reported a significant challenge in demand and supply of Intensivists (physicians with advanced critical care board certification (Goran, 2010). More surprising is that the number of qualified Intensivists is getting considerably low notwithstanding their current demand, with reports indicating that in the entire United States, there are approximately 5500 certified Intensivists expected to provide services to over 6000 ICUs. This realization highlights the need to enhance the integration of telemedicine in the ICUs that may spur and improve health care service delivery. With telemedicine in ICUs, Intensivists can proffer instructions and support several health care systems despite their scarcity.
One would remain to wonder whether poor integration of telemedicine in ICUs is due to resource paucity, ignorance, or merely laxity in the U.S government given the fact that this telemedicine began 30 years ago. Despite the lack of substantial empirical evidence to support the lack of Tele Intensive Care Unit and even lack of operational definition to describe Tele ICU, increasing death cases in ICUs can signify a growing trend (Ries, 2009). Supporting and maintaining a huge workforce in government organizations has ever been a challenge in the US and even across the world and technologies such as telemedicine can prove significant in leveraging service delivery crosswise nations. Tele ICU may increase the effectiveness in treatment outcomes and strengthen competence.
It might sound unambiguous to support Tele ICU, given the unemployment rates, expenses incurred on acquiring and maintaining new technologies, and even inadequacy of skilled workforce to handle Tele ICU, but understanding its relative value is important. Intensive Care Units in hospitals across the United States are flooding cases of unique infections and they normally handle several emergencies that need ICUs (Goran, 2010). In a bid to handle this issue diplomatically, considering few physicians with advanced critical care board certification, ICUs may prove quite significant in improving health care delivery in ICUs. Telemedicine in ICUs may also increase work efficiency and effectiveness over a range of hospital needs.
Reference List
Donze, J., Aujesky, D., Williams, D., & Schnipper, J. (2013). Potentially Avoidable 30 day Hospital Readmissions in Medical Patients. Journal of the American Medical Association, 173, 632-638.
Goran, S. (2010). A second set of eyes: an introduction to Tele-ICU. Critical Care Nurse, 30(4), 46-56.
Joynt, E., & Jha, A. (2013). A Path Forward on Medicare Readmissions. New England Journal of Medicine, 368, 1175-1177.
Ries, M. (2009). Tele-ICU: a new paradigm in critical care. International Anesthesiology Clinics, 47(1), 153-170.