Geographic Maldistribution of The Physicians The term Physician maldistribution is used to refer to the surplus or shortage of physicians in terms of either the number (geographic maldistribution) and/or the type of physicians (specialty maldistribution) necessary to maintain the health status of a defined population (retrieved from Schoology Module 3 interactive lecture). The objective of this paper is to identify the determinants of geographical imbalances in the distribution of physician labor and to assess the strategies developed by U.S Government to correct them. Accessibility of health services is a multidimensional idea which is affected by geographical, economic (affordability), organizational and cultural (acceptability) factors, but I would like to focus on the geographical dimension, the availability of qualified personnel. Geographic maldistribution explained Geographical imbalance of physicians arises when there is inadequate supply to the existing demand in an area. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) (2005) estimates that 20% of the U.S. population lives in rural areas; however, only 9% of physicians practice in these areas. Though U.S has excellent healthcare …show more content…
despite significant growth in the physician workforce and physician-to-population ratios (General Accounting Office, 2003). Maldistribution is influenced by personal, professional, organizational, economic, political and cultural factors. It is necessary to acknowledge the fact that even with certain communities experiencing challenging conditions such as high poverty rates and geographic isolation will continue to need federal and state assistance to attract physicians. We need to think differently and extend the reach of doctors to the community rather than spend their time on a lot of documentation, clerical activities, and tasks that can be handled by other allied health-care
It increases the demand for the services and word spreads of the physicians (Peloso,
Health Care in the US is arguably available to all who seek it but not everybody has had the same experience and treatment when walking through the doors of a healthcare facility. In many cases, people are discriminated against due to their gender, race/ethnicity, age, and income and are often provided with minimal service. Differences between groups in health coverage, access to care, and quality of care is majorly affected through these disparities. Income is a major factor and can cause groups of people to experience higher burden of illness, injury, disability, or mortality relative to another group.
Physicians and Hospitals go hand in hand when it comes to the medical care of patients, and it is this relationship that allows the patients to receive the care they need and deserve. It is also this relationship that we as health care administrators need to understand. In order to fully understand this relationship we need to define the concept of the integrated physician model. We also need to explain the importance of clinical integration in the strategic planning process, and the dynamics of and controversies surrounding accountable care organizations and alternative approaches to the current health system. I will also explain the advantages and disadvantages for hospitals and physician’s models.
The VA is situated to care for veterans in decent size towns and populated cities. However, in remote towns with populations of less than a thousand people the chances of these veterans having access to just V.A health care is not very promising. Understandably the V.A cannot be everywhere, but veterans should not have to drive hours out of the way to seek care or to attend appointments. According to Susan C. Hunnicutt, “ Individuals living in rural areas have traditionally been underserved with regard to health care access… rural populations tend to be in poorer health; in fact , a study by the Office of Health and Human Services estimates that half of the adults living in rural areas suffer from a chronic health condition. (Para 7) ”
For centuries nations have looked for ways to meet military, and public health needs, as well as providing care to rural and underserved areas where physicians did not exist. The coming about of the physician assistant brought with it a way to solve some of these problems in a more immediate way. Originally these men and women’s experience on the battle field had prepared them to work in an
Distance and population results in a unreasonable cost lowering professionals and services accessed on reserves. The low amount of professionals on reserves and the low education levels make early diagnosis and treatment unlikely because of the lack of knowledge actor
1. What does the term health disparities mean? Health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations. Populations can be defined by factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, education, or income, disability, geographic location orientation.
Health Care Disparities Health care disparities are unfortunate and being culturally competent is an essential step toward eliminating these inequalities. In this discussion, I will review what disparities are associated with the Appalachian culture and how they affect health status, employment, and education. I will also identify two nursing interventions that could be taken to help decrease the affect that health disparities have on the Appalachians and review what the biggest challenge would be when implementing the interventions. There are about 27 million people that live in the area defined as the Appalachian region, which spans 13 states.
Many Americans were led to believe that the introduction of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2009 would put an end to disparities in health care access. While it did improve the situation for a small percentage of the population there are still many Americans who lack access to good quality health care. Health care access in America is determined by money and those in lower socioeconomic groups frequently tend to miss out on adequate care. In a recent health care report by the national health research foundation Kaiser Family Foundation, it was noted “health care disparities remain a persistent problem in the United States, leading to certain groups being at higher risk of being uninsured, having limited access to care, and experiencing poorer quality of care” (Kaiser Family Foundation). The current health care
While the doctors in Italy are fighting for a better system, America is experiencing a shortage of doctors and nurses (“13.4 Problems of Healthcare in the United States” np). This is a major problem because physicians are needed to help the patients and if there are not enough physicians, then who will care for the patients in dire need of medical help? One of the main factors contributing to a shortage of doctors and nurses is that emergency rooms, where the majority of patients come to for help, are understaffed (“13.4 Problems of Healthcare in the United States” np). The reason behind this lack of medical professionals is due to the fact that they too are being underpaid which leads them to not want to volunteer for difficult work when they are not receiving enough pay (“13.4 Problems of Healthcare in the United States” np). If America was to begin paying doctors more than maybe more would volunteer to help out in emergency rooms, which unquestionably require an immense amount of medical professionals to treat emergent illnesses.
Population health in conjunction with allied health professionals proposes a shift from individual patient care, to care of the population as a whole. This would entail focusing on the environmental, social, and personal factors of a population. For example, looking at a population of Native Americans on the reservation one would notice an increased number of diabetic patients. The allied health professional would
Also, the solutions to deal with these problems will be provided so that this public health problem will be resolved in the future. Paragraph 1: The injustice of health care distribution appears at the following point. First of all, the problem is uneven distribution of health resources in urban and rural areas. Nationally, 80% medical resources are concentrated in cities, only 20% in the countryside, which means 80% of the rural population has only 20% of health resources.
The healthcare sector is expected to continue with its accelerated growth momentum and by 2020 it is expected to reach $ 280 billion [5]. As per 2015 data, no. of beds to population ratio is just 0.09% and no. of physicians to population ratio is 0.07%. Comparatively bed to population ratio is 0.38% and no. of physician to population is 0.19%. The numbers are similar for US and UK [9].
In addition, there is a shortage of medical professional in rural regions of the country. This will allow many opportunities for new students to practice medicine. As a result, there is an excellent job expectancy for the coming years in countless medical professions. Many individual that have a passion for practicing medicine will have the opportunity to do so. I believe it is so promising because humans will always need medicine and with the population growing, we will need more
In the fall of 2017 I began my graduate career in Public Health at the University at Buffalo. Originally entering with an Epidemiology concentration I soon realized I had a keen interest in Health Services Administration. While obtaining a solid background in all the core public health areas my class Introduction to Healthcare Organization provides a great basis for business administration discussions to arise. In this class we focus on current issues in healthcare and policy level actions that could be used to address the issue. A Master’s in Business Administration can provide a critical aspect of the business and economic forces that drive the ability to implement such policy level actions that are appropriate or suggested by public health