Provision and Reimbursement of Health Care Services

Provision and Reimbursement of Healthcare Services
Student’s Name
Institution
Provision and Reimbursement of Healthcare Services
Some of the current trends in the provision and reimbursement of healthcare services that have had a great impact on the organization I work for include technology and telemedicine and Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. The organization has been affected positively by technology and telemedicine because healthcare providers have been able to manage chronic conditions remotely using various devices and apps. For instance, the organization has been using therapeutic devices to monitor patients with congestive heart failure. As a result, the rate of readmission for these patients has gone down because healthcare professionals have been able to remotely monitor the patients’ vitals. Telemedicine and technology have also helped the organization reduced emergency department visits since most patients with chronic conditions are monitored regularly, thus reducing their need to have a physical visit to the doctor. As revealed by Chen, et al. (2019) technology and telemedicine have greatly influenced the quality of healthcare and improved the delivery of services, especially to an aging population. Also, MA plans have been instrumental in improving the quality of care at the organization, although it has caused an increase in costs to the organization. MA plans usually involve more care management (Brockett, Golden, & Yang, 2018), which is why the quality of care and subsequent patient outcomes have improved. The organization has been intent on providing value-based care because, in MA plans, reimbursement depends on the patients’ health outcomes. However, as a result of the increase in care management, the administrative costs of the organization have increased, which is in line with the research by Brockett, Golden, and Yang (2018) on the effect of MA on healthcare costs.
Technology is one of the current trends that has had the greatest effect on the sector of allied health. First, technology has provided allied health professionals with an opportunity for continuing professional development, especially for professionals in rural settings. According to Berndt, Murray, Kennedy, Stanley, and Gilbert-Hunt (2017), many allied health professionals in rural areas have been utilizing distance learning opportunities for continuing professional development. As a result, many have been able to keep up with current professional and practice trends as well as meet the diverse needs of their patients. Distance learning has been made possible by technology. Also, technology has simplified the work of allied health professionals who are responsible for managing patient information, such as billers and medical coders. Thanks to technology, many healthcare organizations are using electronic health records (EHR). EHRs have made billing and coding more accurate, comprehensive, and with no omissions. Another current trend that has affected the sector of allied health is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA has increased the number of insured patients and subsequently, the demand for healthcare professionals and more so, allied health workers (Niles, 2015). The allied health sector has in turn been able to provide additional help which is very crucial as the healthcare system is struggling to support an aging population. Also, the ACA authorized grants that provide allied health professionals with additional training opportunities. Thus, the allied health sector has benefited from the ACA because more allied health workers have been able to receive the necessary training to offer additional assistance to patients with chronic conditions (Niles, 2015). Given the importance of an adequately trained and educated workforce, it suffices to say that the allied health sector has been a great beneficiary of the ACA and technological innovations.
A key emerging trend in healthcare that has the potential to impact not only organizations but also allied health professionals is artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. At the healthcare organizational level, AI and robotics have the potential to improve value-based care, thus improving the quality of care and health outcomes of patients. As Buch, Ahmed, and Maruthappu (2018) reveal, AI will enable healthcare organizations and providers to save time when extracting crucial information from a patient's electronic health records. This will increase efficiency and allow healthcare providers to concentrate more on improving care management plans. Buch, Ahmed, and Maruthappu (2018) also suggests that in the near future, AI will make it possible for organizations to incorporate specialists in diagnostic into primary care. This is because AI systems have been considered effective in interpreting patient data from various sources such as ultrasounds, scans, and radiographs. Our organization, which has a large volume of patients with chronic diseases will benefit from this eme...