Introduction
In the United States, there are very many challenges that healthcare administrators face. This is because healthcare industry in the United States undergoes numerous changes resulting from modern technology and US healthcare system (Stevens, 2015). These Current issues have both negative and positive effects on the role of administrators since they either help in improving or deteriorating health care system in the US. It is therefore important for Federal Government to take positive measures that can overcome these current issues.
Summary of the new story on Kaiser Health news
The current new story about Kaiser is that it has been accused by the democrats to have increased the price in order to stabilize individual health insurance marketplace since most insurers have decided to abandon the plan. The president Trump has made his strategy clear that all democrats will enter into the agreement on healthcare issues immediately Obamacare is abandoned. They also announced that the American health care will become comprehensive medical home for all the patients so long as obamacare is abolished by the Federal Government.
Current Issues Affecting Roles of health care Administrators in USA
Changes in Health Care System
Currently, US health care face some challenges on daily basis and the decision to resolve these challenges falls upon administrators who have to define strategies to address such issues. They also have the obligation to offer adequate health services despite numerous challenges (Bates, 2015). These challenges that affect the role of health care administrators in the USA include implementation of new healthcare legislation, change in medical technology and change of patients towards specialized health care providers. The administrators have to shift their roles to accommodate new changes in order to meet the patients needs.
Current Health Care Challenges
Currently, US health care faces several challenges due to change in health care system. The effects of these changes increase patients choices when looking for health care professionals. To solve these challenges healthcare administrators have to formulate strategies which can help them succeed at times when patients choice is at the forefront of debate.
Need for Specialization
Another important factor that affects the role of administrators is the increase in the number of specialty facilities that have been increasing in the US. Traditional hospitals, therefore, have to catch up in order to meet current demands of Americans. Specialty hospitals are able to provide high-quality health care (Stevens, 2015). At the time doctors begins to offer their outpatient surgery centers, it is vital for administrators to develop mechanisms that can allow them to respond to specialized care. When examining the kind of track, health cares administrators to assess health officers in surrounding regions and the demographics being served by the facility. Once the administrators have formulated the feasible strategy, they still have the obligation to only employ qualified personnel in order to implement the plan and offer best practices for patients.
Health Care Reforms
Health care reforms also affected the roles of administrators greatly (Bates, 2015). The health care system of US has been under transformation imposed by the Supreme Court decision in order to uphold Affordable care Act. In order to implement these reforms that require hospitals to expand coverage, provide high-quality health services and offer healthcare services at a lower cost require administrators to take up some measures that can allow them to meet the requirement of current health care reforms.
Shortage of health Care Professionals
The US health care industry has few professionals to offer health care services to people. For that matter, there is increased competition for different hospitals to recruit health care providers. Health care administrators have a responsibility to look for qualified and experienced health care providers to treat patients effectively (Shekelle, et al. 2013). Administrators, therefore, have the obligation to create the good work environment, offer competitive remuneration and other employment benefits in order to retain and to attract new health care officers. These kinds of environment will allow hospitals to recruit qualified registered nurses, doctors, and other health experts. All these administrative functions are essential for the daily running of hospitals in the US and therefore administrators must ensure that they conduct effective recruitment process.
Rising cost of Health Care
Currently, the cost, of health care has increased significantly and it imposed a greater challenge to administrators to attract different patients from the different location. The high cost of health care, therefore, makes hospitals not to have many customers because they cannot afford to pay. Health care administrators have to find the way to minimize the cost of health care in order to attract and retain its customers (Bates, 2015). They have to devise strategies and ways in which they can offer quality health services at a lower cost. The cost of health care continues to increase in the USA although it does not match the quality of healthcare services being offered. Hospital administrators therefore also required to do more in order to encourage health care providers to offer high-quality services also in order to meet the patients demand.
Disparate international standards
Every country across the world has its own health policies and standards that it applies when dealing with health issues (Stevens, 2015). There are some countries that have poor health care standards such as Mexico and they makes US to face some difficulties in addressing pandemics in Mexico. USA and other industrialized countries have the obligation to spend more resources to protect them due to poor health care standards and policies of other countries. Health care administrators therefore must ensure that they have sufficient resources in order to protect themselves from pandemics that spread from other countries.
Change in Technology
This is also another important current issue that affects the roles of health care administrators in USA. Administrators must accept to introduce new technology when offering medical practices because they are quick, efficient and cost effective (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2016). Health care administrators must offer training to its staff on current medical technology and also commit additional cost to buy modern health care equipments they require to meet current health care demand. They must also accept to embrace change and device appropriate technologies that help them introduce, mitigate employees resistance and to implement change in the organization.
Conclusion
There are very many current issues that affect the role of healthcare administrators in the USA. The current issues include the change in technology, disparate global standards, rising cost of health care, shortage of health care professionals, need for specialization, health care challenges and change of healthcare system. These issues affect the role of administrators in ensuring that they develop vital strategies to solve such issues. Healthcare administrators have to step up their roles and engage other stakeholders in order to meet current health care requirement. Without formulating new strategies, it will be difficult for healthcare administrators to offer health care best practices when such current issues are not addressed once and for all.
References
Stevens, R. (2015). “In sickness and in wealth: American hospitals in the twentieth century.” Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2016). “Rising health costs put pressure on public finances, finds OECD.” Retrieved January 20, 2009 from the OECD Web site: http://www.oecd.org/general/risinghealthcostsputpressureonpublicfinancesfindsoecd.htm
Shekelle, et al. (2013). Costs and Benefits of Health Information Technology(Report). Evidence Reports/Technology Assessments. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Bates, D.W. (2015). Physicians and ambulatory electronic health records. Health Affairs, 24(5): 1180-1189.
