The Current Role Of Hospitals
Hospitals today are a critical part of the healthcare system. Hospitals help achieve, protect, maintain, promote, and improve population health. This paper presents a history of hospitals in the United States, the major changes experienced in hospitals over the past 20 years, and the impact the changes have had on the delivery of health care in the US. Get in touch with us at eminencepapers.com. We offer assignment help with high professionalism.
The History of Hospitals in the United States
The hospitals in the US developed from almshouses with a tradition of charity. The first hospital was established in 1751 in Pennsylvania by Dr. Thomas Bond and Benjamin Franklin to help and take care of the poor and the sick in Philadelphia (essentialhopsitals.org, n.d.).
From 1860 to 1930, public and not-for-profit hospitals expanded with the civil war and disease outbreaks leading to the provision of specialized care and treatment. The care providers mostly volunteered in hospitals as demand surged. Hospitals and practice for medicine became more regulated with the formation of the American Medical Association (AMA) in 1847 (essentialhopsitals.org, n.d.). The compensations for doctors began around 1920 with a shift from non-profit to for-profit hospitals creating less charitable private hospitals focused on upper-middle-class patients.
From 1930 to 1965, public hospitals focused on indigent care. Outpatient and inpatient patients increased as well as demand for private insurance. Between 1965 and 1980, Medicare and Medicaid were enacted to improve access to care for all. The period from 1980 to 2005 turned hospitals into safety nets enabling access to more health services and outpatient and inpatient services for the poorer populations. From 2005 to 2018, experienced increased hospitalizations and service utilization due to the pandemic of chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases (Salah et al., 2021).
The Major Changes Hospitals Experienced Over the Past 20 Years
US hospitals have experienced some major changes in the past 20 years. One major change is the adoption of technology in hospitals and hospital operations. Hospitals have used technology in communication for health, such as in telemedicine. Hospitals have also embraced technology in health analytics for managing health records, hospital operations, and health planning. Hospitals have made use of health technology, such as the use of advanced health equipment, including X-rays, CT scans, and robotics in surgery.
Another major change has been the appreciation of the nurse practitioner (NP) role. NPs have increased in numbers doubling the available physicians in the last 20 years. Additionally, hospitals have embraced teaching roles to improve the supply of qualified NPs. The last 20 years have also seen a lot of hospitals and medical-focused research as well as further abolishment of the segregated hospital systems on the basis of race and ethnicity.
Impact of Changes on the Delivery of Health Care in the United States
The major impacts are associated with the adoption of technology in hospital operations. For instance, the use of technology in managing health records, especially electronic health records (EHRs), has improved the delivery of timely quality care as well as increasing the utilization of healthcare services (Atasoy et al., 2019). EHRs and telemedicine have also improved the collaboration of physicians and patients in the delivery of health care, even in remote settings. The use of medical equipment, such as assistive technologies in surgery, has improved the safety and quality of care delivered. Additionally, technology use in hospitals has supported the advancement of medical research for improved healthcare delivery.
The appreciation of the NP role has helped combat the physician shortage experienced in the US in the last 20 years. The NP role through independent practice authority has contributed to enhancing care processes such as improved prescription, reduced physician workload, and improved care access in rural care, among others, with an impact on healthcare delivery outcomes (Yang et al., 2020). Additionally, the desegregation of hospitals has reduced racial health disparities in the US and improved overall population health with improved health access regardless of race and income.
References
Atasoy, H., Greenwood, B. N., & McCullough, J. S. (2019). The Digitization of Patient Care: A Review of the Effects of Electronic Health Records on Health Care Quality and Utilization. Https://Doi.Org/10.1146/Annurev-Publhealth-040218-044206, 40(1), 487–500. https://doi.org/10.1146/ANNUREV-PUBLHEALTH-040218-044206
essentialhopsitals.org. (n.d.). History of Public Hospitals in the United States. Retrieved October 23, 2022, from https://essentialhospitals.org/about/history-of-public-hospitals-in-the-united-states/
Salah, H. M., Mannan, A., Minhas, K., Khan, M. S., Pandey, A., Michos, E. D., Mentz, R. J., & Fudim, M. (2021). Causes of hospitalization in the USA between 2005 and 2018. European Heart Journal Open, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/EHJOPEN/OEAB001
Yang, B. K., Johantgen, M. E., Trinkoff, A. M., Idzik, S. R., Wince, J., & Tomlinson, C. (2020). State Nurse Practitioner Practice Regulations and US. Health Care Delivery Outcomes: A Systematic Review. Https://Doi.Org/10.1177/1077558719901216, 78(3), 183–196. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077558719901216
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Write a two to three-page paper describing the current role of hospitals in the United States. In your paper, respond to the following questions.
The Current Role Of Hospitals
Briefly describe the history of hospitals in the United States.
Briefly discuss the major changes hospitals have experienced over the past 20 years.
Discuss how these changes have affected the delivery of health care in the United States.
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