Medical Record and Healthcare

Financing the Healthcare Delivery System

Mr. Y is a patient with heart failure and has visited the emergency room twice in the last three weeks for shortness of breath. He is a very nice gentleman with limited literacy and e-literacy. Some of the problems Mr. Y faces include being homeless, difficulty in complying with his heart failure medication regime, and diet restrictions. He gets admitted to the hospital to stabilize his heart failure. Given his current situation and the numerous challenges he faces, there are concerns regarding what will happen to Mr. Y upon discharge from the hospital.

However, Mr. Y's situation is an example of an issue that is addressed by the Patient Protection and Affordable Case Act, which was enacted by former President Obama in 2010 as part of health reforms to enhance the affordability and accessibility of healthcare in the U.S. The provision/title of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that is most likely to impact Mr. Y's situation is Medicaid. Medicaid program is one of the most significant titles or provisions of Obamacare that seeks to expand healthcare coverage to low-income individuals and families. Affordable Care Act seeks to ensure such individuals have access to health insurance despite pre-existing conditions through Medicaid expansion, which means that individuals who could not afford health insurance can now have coverage through the federal funding program. This is primarily because healthcare reform brought by the Act basically finances care services through a mixture of reduced spending in existing public programs like Medicaid (Cutler & Feder, 2009).

Similar to other homeless people, Mr. Y could benefit from Medicaid expansion brought by this health reform legislation. In this case, the patient is likely to receive health coverage or insurance despite his pre-existing condition of heart failure. Access to health coverage will make it easy for Mr. Y to receive necessary care services given his deteriorating condition and the other challenges he faces.

Access to Medical Record

Access to one's own medical record is available in varying degrees. Some access points are called patient portals and some include full access such as to biopsy results and more. The varying degrees of access to one's own medical records are part of an integrated health electronic record that can be shared with an interdisciplinary team. The enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has focused on promoting the use of integrated electronic health records across different healthcare settings as part of enhancing the quality of care through lessening medical mistakes (Hass, 2014). When established and implemented effectively, an integrated electronic health record that allows access to patient medical information in varying degrees enhances the quality and effectiveness of care.

Given the significance of integrated electronic health records in enhancing the quality and effectiveness of care, the access to one's own medical records in varying degrees is beneficial to Mr. Y's situation. Such access enhances the quality of care delivered by different providers or practitioners in Mr. Y's situation. Through this access, it's easy for healthcare providers or physicians attending to Mr. Y to provide appropriate care and avoid mistakes because his medical information is stored electronically and can be accessed easily.