Relationships Among Health Services Organizations
As you have learned, health care services are provided through a range of organizations. For this Discussion, you will consider how direct- and indirect-care organizations integrate by examining your own experiences as a health care consumer.
Begin by brainstorming all the health care organizations that have helped to meet your health care needs within the last few months to one year. Consider the settings and providers you have visited, as well as how and when you have decided to utilize their services. Think about referrals and prescriptions you have been given, as well as any medical equipment that has been used for your care. Bring to mind specific individuals with whom you have interacted.
These individuals and organizations may include:
- The health benefits personnel at your place of employment
- Payers/insurers/managed-care organizations
- Providers (e.g., physicians who are generalists, specialists, nurses, physician assistants, dentists, mental health professionals, complementary and alternative medicine providers)
- Settings (e.g., hospitals, assisted living facilities)
- Pharmacies
- Pharmaceutical manufacturers
- Durable medical equipment companies
- Diagnostic laboratories
What do you notice about the opportunities and challenges you have as a health care consumer in your community, and within the U.S. health care delivery system? What conditions, if any, have helped you to receive the health services you needed as efficiently and effectively as possible? Has the lack of a single, integrated health care system created obstacles for you in accessing the continuum of care? If so, how?