A Gap in Quality Related to Care Coordination for Individuals with Chronic Illness

A Gap in Quality Related to Care Coordination for Individuals with Chronic Illness
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A Gap in Quality Related to Care Coordination for Individuals with Chronic Illness
The healthcare industry in the United States comprises a group of hospitals, clinicians, other care facilities, delivery of care services, and insurance plans. All components function in numerous independent practices, networks, and group configurations. Some function in private entities such as the not-for- or for-private sectors, while others are founded in the public sector (McDonald, 2007). Furthermore, the healthcare sector consists of governmental and voluntary regulators. Although the organizations and individuals are collectively known as "the healthcare delivery system," it comprises of accountability, integration, and order that does not exist. For instance, systems planning, including collaboration and communication among the different entities, is limited to the sector's operation.
The healthcare system has experienced an increase in the number of patients with numerous chronic conditions. According to Boehmer et al. (2019), the number of patients with chronic conditions has increased by 20% since 2000. A chronic condition is identified as that which endures for more than a year, limits the individual's activities, and requires consistent medical care. In most cases, those with chronic conditions usually receive healthcare services from various systems and numerous care providers in each system. As such, the care delivery system for those numerous chronic conditions is multifaceted, and the care is much costly, ineffective, and highly garmented.
Boehmer et al. (2019) explain that chronic illnesses limit an individual's functional capability. Such people experience challenges in performing daily living activities such as mobility, toileting, eating, dressing, and bathing. Moreover, they also experience difficulties in performing instrumental activities such as getting around their homes, paying bills, taking medicines, using telephones, doing house chores, and preparing meals. Approximately three million people in the United States have chronic conditions and require assistance with numerous daily living activities. However, individuals with chronic conditions receiving both support and care services experience uncoordinated care. The provision of uncoordinated care results in adverse interaction of drugs, duplicate of unnecessary procedures or tests, high healthcare expenses, and conflicting information from different medical practitioners.
The issues have affected healthcare providers and policymakers adversely, although the challenges have highly increased recently with changing illness patterns and demography. In the ancient, coordination of care followed different perspectives. For instance, the provision of care was social instead of medical (Institute of Medicine, 2003). Also, it was acute care or short-term episodic instead of long-term or chronic care. Moreover, it was highly accessible than current healthcare services.
Existing Gaps in Acess to Healthcare Among People With Chronic Conditions
The traditional healthcare system of the United States had several gaps in access to healthcare among people with chronic illnesses. For...