One of the primary arguments for a QA Program is that there is a concern for ensuring that health services are both cost-effective and responsive to public needs. However, other health care professionals believe that QA Programs are necessary to protect patients while under care in a health facility.
Which of the two statements above do you believe is the most important for patients?
What can we do to assure that both quality care and cost-effective programs are in place?
Ensuring health services are both cost-effective and responsive to public needs is important. Most patients are unable to afford needed medical treatment/procedures and many struggle with out-of-pocket costs; therefore, there is a need to ensure health services are cost-effective and responsive to patient needs. However, QA Programs are necessary to protect patients while under care in a health facility, in my opinion, is more important for patients. Patients expect to get better after a treatment/procedure. Most patients understand that there are going to be complications, expected complications, for certain procedures. But patients do not expect events like having a foreign object left in them or be operated on the wrong site and so on. But these events do happen. Many believe these events happen more often than what’s considered “acceptable.” Quality Programs are important to improve outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. “This has had a positive impact, as hospitals are paying closer attention to quality by making improvements through education, implementation of technology, and changes to policies and procedures” (Cantrell, 2016). Department service lines and peer reviews are also helpful in assuring quality care and cost effective care are being provided to patients. I believe hospitals that are accredited by The Joint Commission do a great job in ensuring quality patient care programs are in place. The Joint Commission standards are well publicized and implemented/monitored by the departments in each hospital. Thorough inspections by the Joint Commission ensure that QA Programs exist and standards are met. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services standards and inspections are also very beneficial in ensuring that both quality care (Quality Programs) and cost-effective programs are in place for patients.