Health Care Policy, The Relationship Between Health Care Cost And Quality

By Author: Sherry Roberts
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Previous studies have offered the suggestion that poor quality of healthcare is the primary reason as to why the cost of healthcare provision keeps on going high. The measurement of poor quality entails the damaged and broken lives by the healthcare services. The poor quality is also in the spiraling overspending by the healthcare facilities coupled with poor investments and wasted resources. Matters that deal with the provision of health care resolve the twin pillars which are the quality of healthcare and the cost. The question in regard to the debate posts as to whether raising the expenditures will lead to the provision of better care. The debate further posits the question in regard to whether better outcomes in healthcare services will aid in the containing of the spiraling healthcare costs. The literature that is currently available in relation to the debate holds that there is no relationship that exists between the two elements (Swensen, et al. 2011). As result, the authors in the medical field have ended up concluding that the relationship between the two is typically poorly understood. Evidence available hold that ...
... there has been little research that has been conducted by the medical practitioners as well as the researchers in knowing the relationship. Thus, additional research needs to be carried out to establish the relationship between the allocations of scarce resources in health care and achievement of best results from the healthcare provision (Etchells et al., 2012).
The provision of healthcare makes up one of the biggest debates all over the world. The deficiency of the existence of the effective healthcare leads to the decline in the national overall health as well as a rise in the general healthcare costs. The increased focus being placed on the cost of healthcare, accessibility, as well as the quality of the healthcare, is meant to ensure that there is a general improvement in the provision. The costs that are associated with the provision of the health care services have been on a rise for decades as well as continuing to plummet over the years. Various factors have been blamed for causing the rise in the costs associated with the provision of healthcare. The individuals who are insured privately frequently pay little or nothing from their pockets in order to access healthcare but end up exploring his system. With the little regulation that is present in the market, the provision of healthcare is generally driven by the need rather than demand. The development in the technology use in the hospitals is also contributing to the additional costs in the provision of healthcare (Berwick, & Hackbarth, 2012). Even though, utilization of new technology is generally vital for the diagnosis as well as the treatment of diseases and illnesses, the developing and the testing is frequently expensive. The baby boomers in the various nations managing to attain an elderly age coupled with the increase in the life expectancy has lead to the increase in the cost of healthcare provision. The other factors for the increase in the cost of healthcare revolve around the utilization of the model for healthcare delivery which entails treatment of diseases and chronic illnesses other than the provision of preventive care (Etchells et al., 2012).
The increase in the costs of healthcare commonly results in the difficulties in regard to the access to health care for the individuals in the low social, economic class, the minority groups in the rural areas. The implementation of PPACA in various nations is meant to guarantee that the number of people who are insured increases thus allowing for greater access to healthcare services. The best means of guaranteeing access to health care as well as maintaining the costs within the manageable levels is in the participation in the universal healthcare. The universal healthcare will enable coverage of people in regard to accessing the health care without having to get into their pockets in order to pay for the services. The emphasis on the universal healthcare comes hand in hand with the desire to focus on the quality of healthcare as well as the services that are being provided. The evaluation of quality is normally in regard to the results that the patients have as well as the process for the provision of healthcare. Compensation frequently follows the extents to which the patient is satisfied with the kind of services provided as well as the positive results that they enjoy the access (Berwick, & Hackbarth, 2012).
The growth in the demand for healthcare by the rising population leads to the rise in the cost of provision of the healthcare. On the same note, the desire to maintain the high quality, as well as the safety of the healthcare provision, remains paramount. Thus, the association between the cost and quality of the healthcare upholds the fact that the relationship should be that of efficiency (Swensen, et al. 2011). Evidence suggests that exploration of the new means for the delivery of the healthcare services meant to reduce the costs and at the same time improving the quality as being paramount. The nursing organization should invest in innovative staffs that have the ability to develop the means that the provision of healthcare can be done in a more cost efficient manner. The fact that poor quality of healthcare results in the rise in the costs of provision via waste, variation, and harm put more emphasis on the need to improve the quality. Thus, all healthcare facilities should base the healthcare practice via the elimination of the defects that result in inefficiency and thus raising the costs of the healthcare. They also need to add features in their practice that are meant to reduce the overall cost of healthcare in an effort to increase the access and affordability by the general population. The relationship between the two variables should go beyond the elimination of the defects in the healthcare provision to encompass the attaining value for the amount of money invested in the delivery. The features that bring the necessity to be added to the delivery of the care should be targeted towards making the patient experience better during their access to the services. The healthcare facilities should entail the principle in the reduction of the costs extending beyond the improvement of the procurement practices as well as reducing the inefficiencies from wastages (Etchells et al., 2012).

Although more data needs to be generated order to make the relationship between the two variables clear, the practitioners should evaluate the costs of the services they provide to the patients. The governments should also put support additional funding for the studies that are meant to evaluate how cost effective the various interventions offered in the healthcare facilities are to the patient. The patients should assess the extent to which they can alter the financial risk to the healthcare providers. As a result, the facilities will have an incentive to enhance the quality parameters that they should implement to promote healthcare services supported by evidence thus enhancing the quality (Swensen, et al. 2011).

References
Berwick, D. & Hackbarth, A. (2012). Eliminating Waste in US Health Care, Journal of the American Medical Association, Published online March 14, 2012.
Etchells E, Koo M, Daneman N, et al. (2012). Comparative economic analyses of patient safety improvement strategies in acute care: a systematic review. London: BMJ Quality & Safety Online First, published on 22 April 2012
Swensen, S., Kaplan, G., Meyer, G. et al (2011). Controlling healthcare costs by removing waste: what American doctors can do now. London: British Medical Journal of Quality & Safety 2011 20: 534-537 originally published online February 21, 2011.

Carolyn Morgan is the author of this paper. A senior editor at Melda Research in nursing research paper writing service. if you need a similar paper you can place your order for a custom research paper from custom nursing writing service.

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