Verified Document

Access To Health Services Essay

Access to Health Services is one of the main objectives of Healthy People 2020. As the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP, 2017) notes, acces to quality health care services is essential for sustaining and promoting healthy communities, preventing the spread of disease, and eliminating unnecessary disabilities and deaths for Amerircans. While insurance coverage has been expanded thanks to the ACA (Somanader, 2016), timeliness of care and access to health services are still issues that keep patients from obtaining the quality care they need. As the IOM (2012) has stated, APRNs need to be able to practice to the full extent of their abilities and knowledge so that more patients can be treated and more quality care can be provided. As there continues to be a lack of care providers in the industry, the role that APRNs can play is considerable. The problem in the state of Florida is that nurses are still restricted by state laws when it comes to practicing to the fullest extent possible. Federal and state laws restrict the practice of nurse practitioners. APRNs must practice under the supervision of a physician. They also do not have full prescription authority. APRNs also have restrictions on insurance reimbursement. There are several proposals in the House and Senate that can advance to role of the APRN to help meet the rise of primary care providers.  This paper will discuss the policy issues related to access to health services and how the current Health Care Access Bill winding its way through Congress may lead to a policy change that helps the industry meet the Healthy People 2020 objective. Currently there is a lack of available services for patients seeking preventive care and treatment, according to ODPHP (2017). Having a usual source of care and continuity of care is very important for patients, as De Maeseneer, Prins,...

(2003) show in their research. According to the CDC (2016), from 2014-2015, there were 17.3% of people between the ages of 18 and 64 without a usual source of care. This percentage increased the younger the population got. For children, more than 10% of them had no health care visits to an office or clinic for an entire year from 2014-2015 (CDC, 2016). The problem is that there are too few providers able to make diagnoses and provide prescriptions or treatments because of state and federal laws that restrict the ability of APRNs to exercise to their fullest ability.
The entire point of having APRNs was so that they could tend to patients in the same manner as physicians—yet legislators continue to be behind the curve and not realize the opportunity that they are letting slip by because of old laws and policies that are still on the books. As Szabo (2014) reports, the incidence and prevalence of untreated patients is very high: Nearly 40% of all adults with severe mental illness like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder fail to receive the care and treatment they need. That percentage is even higher for adults with moderate mental illness. The cost of turning so many patients away is felt in numerous ways: patients suffering from mental illness who do not receive care typically end up on the streets or in jail cells, adding to the burden of tax payers and city managers who must find ways to deal with individuals who really need medical treatment. As many of these patients end up in prison, it is worth noting that the cost of incarceration comes in at $60,000 a year (Szabo, 2014). That is tax payer money that could be used to build roads, schools, and update infrastructure—if only there were enough care givers to treat patients like this. APRNs could help—but they are not permitted in states like Florida because…

Sources used in this document:

References

CDC. (2016). Health United States Report. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus16.pdf#062

De Maeseneer, J.M., De Prins, L., Gosset, C., et al. (2003). Provider continuity in family medicine: Does it make a difference for total health care costs? Ann Fam Med.,1, 144-8.

Hain, D., Fleck, L. (2014). Barriers to nurse practitioner practice that impact healthcare redesign. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 19(2). Doi: 10.3912/OJIN.Vol19No02Man02

IOM. (2012). The future of nursing. Retrieved from http://nacns.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/5-IOM-Report.pdf

ODPHP. (2017). Access to health services. Retrieved from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/Access-to-Health-Services

Somanader, T. (2016). A look at six years of the affordable care act. Retrieved from https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2016/03/23/look-six-years-affordable-care-act

Szabo, L. (2014). Cost of not caring: Nowhere to go. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/05/12/mental-health-system-crisis/7746535/


Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Health Service Marketing for the Future Pest
Words: 2873 Length: 11 Document Type: Essay

Health Service Marketing for the Future PEST Marketing Analysis and value proposition are required in understanding the complexities of marketing in the health service industry. By conducting an evaluation of political, economic, social, and technological factors that affect health services, the process to uncover the future marketing needs can be addressed. Political Political includes the climate surrounding health services such as governance and regulations. In terms of marketing, the health services would highlight

Health Services Organizations Broadly Defined,
Words: 580 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

4% per year for the entire projection period." (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 2009). Sources of Funds The current funding climate on "health spending is fairly evenly split between the private and public sectors, with private health spending accounting for 54% of total health spending in 2007" (Kaiser Family Foundation. March 2009). Taken in totality, health insurance accounts for 71% of all funding sources with a categorical breakdown of: private health

Health Care Reform
Words: 1029 Length: 4 Document Type: Research Paper

Healthcare Economics When considering the ever-changing and highly competitive economic landscape of the modern world; governments, businesses and institutions must remain diligent in their care and compassion for their citizens and staff members. With the current exponential growth and advancement of technology and the computerization of business and learning, voters, workers and consumers have become much more connected to the organizations they patronize (Kurzweil). Accordingly, these important groups are faced with

Access to Health Services in Canada
Words: 2899 Length: 8 Document Type: Literature Review

Determinants of Health Related to Chronic Disease Management of Elderly in Canada It is agreeable that the health of Canada's population is well, particularly in contrast to various developed economies. However, the prevention and management of chronic diseases among the elderly present the greatest challenge to Canada's health care system. Today, the seniors have a tendency to living longer as they are healthier and economically better off compared to the previous

Compare and Contrast China Preventive Health Services and US Preventive...
Words: 1395 Length: 5 Document Type: Research Paper

China Preventive Health Services and U.S. Preventive Health Services The objective of this study is to compare and contrast China preventive health services and U.S. preventive health services. The work of Clarke (2010) reports that prevention "was a prominent feature of the health care reforms that took place in the late 1960s through the early 1970s. During that time strategies such as universal vaccination, promotion f lifestyle changes, population screenings, and

Community's Access Health Care Technology Determine Access
Words: 1194 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

community's access health care technology determine access ( lack thereof) impacts community economically. 2. Assess community's demand health capital determine factors contributing level demand find. Health care access The issue of health care is becoming more and more severe in today's changing society. The need for health care provision increase, but the finances allocated to the effort contract. A new solution could be offered by the more intense integration of technology

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now