Introduction
The proliferation of health care centers in the United States is influenced by various factors which can be broadly categorized into political, social and economic factors. Reforms in the health care system have been ongoing for many years. These reforms are concerned with providing the population with cost-effective, high-quality services which are easily accessible. The demographics are changing with people recognizing the importance of health, and the demand for health care services has influenced the growth and the rise of health care centers. Quality is a major concern in the health care sector and measurement of performance is crucial. Quality can be enhanced through a technologically advanced information system. The rising demand for cost-effective, high-quality health care services which is influenced by social, economic and political factors has enhanced the growth and increase of health care centers as well as integration of performance measurement systems in the healthcare sector.
Social factors
There is a close relationship between social movements and the demand for universal health care services. These social movements comprise of ordinary people who are looking for reforms in the health care sector. The second-class citizens who form the largest population are embracing the need for health care services and are actively participating in reform campaigns and joining health insurance programs (Hoffman, 2003). Health reforms are gaining a lot of support from members of the society as social workers are allowed access to health insurance programs. People at the grassroots are becoming more actively involved in these reforms. Unlike most campaigns which were mostly political, social movements such as women's health groups and feminists have joined the fight for health reforms (Hoffman, 2003). The AIDS epidemic also fueled the need for easily accessible health care centers.
Political factors
Health care reforms have also attracted a lot of attention from politicians over the past years. The health insurance program was supported by politicians as a plan to eradicate poverty in the United States. Politicians have come up with many proposals and legislations supporting health care reforms in the United States (Hoffman, 2003). These politicians have organized themselves in professional groups which participate actively in health campaigns. American health politics have become more active and have continued to advocate for health reforms in the United States.
Economic factors
The economic status of most citizens in the United States has continued to hinder their ability to gain access to health care services. Economic security which is associated with employment remains a big obstacle to the people’s ability to access health care services (Hoffman, 2003). The cost of health care services has continued to go up while unemployment remains a major concern. The economic status of people in the United States has continued to improve in the recent years, which means more people can afford health care services.
Mission of the clinic
The mission of the clinic is to improve the health of the community by providing our clients with high-quality services by ensuring ease of access to health care services at the best possible price, and adding value to our employees, shareholders, and other stakeholders. The clinic intends to achieve this by hiring the best medical practitioners and ensuring that the welfare of our clients comes first (Mosadeghrad, 2014). The clinic also intends to improve the number of services available at the clinic and creating more ties with other stakeholders to enhance collaboration and ease of access to all health care services.
Direction that the clinic will take to grow business
The clinic intends to form relationships with other stakeholders in the health care sector to improve patient satisfaction at the clinic. These stakeholders include pharmacists who will make drugs available at the hospital. The hospital also intends to make contact with insurance providers so that individuals from the community with insurance programs can access medical services at the health care clinic. The clinic will also liaise with one of the acute hospitals, at the center so that patients in need of further medical attention can be referred to the hospital. The hospital can also refer patients for aftercare services such as dressing and chickpeas instead of traveling back to the acute hospital. The clinic has been offering primary health care services, most of which are outpatient services. The clinic intends to start offering inpatient services such as maternity services at the clinic. This will require an expansion of the clinic as well as increasing the number of professional medical attendants at the clinic (Suter, Oelke, Adair, & Armitage, 2009). The clinic will also need to acquire more advanced equipment to accommodate these services. For this to become a reality, the hospital will need to get investors who are willing to invest in the project so that the hospital can acquire the needed funds.
Determining factors
The clinic will focus on the needs of the clients at the hospital to determine which services will be offered in-house and which services will be outsourced to other institutions. One of the determining factors is the socioeconomic status of the population. The population comprises of middle income-earners and another section of the population, which is low-income. An improvement in the economic status of the population means that more people are likely to seek for health care services (Hoffman, 2003). The clinic will open a maternity wing, which will offer delivery services as well as a nursery for children. Most patients who are brought to the clinic are children, and the clinic intends to open another wing for children. Children are delicate and the acute hospital is far, not forgetting that children need constant attention from their parents and the distance makes it difficult for the parents to visit their children frequently.
Performance measurements
Performance systems are important to measure the quality of service at the health care clinic. These systems rely on indicators to determine the outcomes at various levels of the health care center. The outcome of care and processes is important since it indicates the level of cost-effectiveness at the health care center. Ongoing management and reporting often take care of the quality of services at the clinic. Reward systems are often used to encourage performance and the delivery of cost-effective, high-quality services by the medical practitioners. A state-of-the-art information system will be acquired to enhance performance measurement (Suter, Oelke, Adair, & Armitage, 2009). The highly computerized system will collect data both extensively and intensively to keep track of performance. The information system will also enhance communication by making communication pathways at the clinic easier. Records will be stored electronically to make this information easily accessible to patients, payers, consumers and providers (Suter, Oelke, Adair, & Armitage, 2009). This data will be accessed remotely from anywhere to facilitate communication. The highly integrated information system will enhance registration, scheduling and the management of data. Clinical and financial information will be integrated to enable the assessment of cost-effectiveness and facilitate service planning at the clinic (Mosadeghrad, 2014).
Opportunities for improvement
The population at the center is expected to grow in the next couple of years. The growth has been already visible with residential areas starting to develop in the area. Education centers are starting to develop as well as new employment opportunities. These factors are expected to improve the economic status of the residents which will increase their demand for health care services. The clinic intends to tap this new market by expanding the facility to accommodate more services until the clinic reaches its full capacity. The clinic is currently a family-owned business venture. The clinic intends to integrate its leadership system to accommodate other stakeholders in the leadership system. The new leadership system is expected to focus on the motivation of employees as well as retention of labor at the clinic (Suter, Oelke, Adair, & Armitage, 2009).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the health care sector in the United States is experiencing a lot of growth which has been fueled by the demand for cost-effective, high-quality health care services. This demand is influenced by social, economic and political factors. People are becoming more actively involved in issues that affect their well-being such as health. The overall improvement in the economic status has made it possible for people to afford health care services. Politicians are becoming more actively involved in health care with legislations and campaigns to encourage reforms in the health care sector. The health care sector is making use of professional medical practitioners and technologically advanced information systems to measure the quality of service and keep track of cost-effectiveness.
References
Hoffman, B. (2003). Health Care Reform and Social Movements in the United States. National Center for Biotechnology Information, 75-85.
Mosadeghrad, A. M. (2014). Factors influencing healthcare service quality. National Center for Biotechnology Information, 77-89.
Suter, E., Oelke, N. D., Adair, C. E., & Armitage, G. D. (2009). Ten Key Principles for Successful Health Systems Integration. National Center for Biotechnology Information, 16-23.
