Services in the healthcare services have changed from inpatient to outpatient in the past few years and it is expected to increase in the coming years. More and more people today are using the outpatient and ambulatory services, and it has been attributed to the evolution and inclusion of technology in medicine. Procedures have become less evasive and routine due to innovations that allow for much quicker recoveries at home without admission into a hospital ward. (Barker and Huber, 2016). There are Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) all over the country now that offer services that allow a patient to have their procedures wherever they feel the most comfortable. (Advanced Surgical Care, 2016). These ASCs are well-equipped to perform even relatively complex examinations such as X-ray, childbirth, minor surgeries such as appendectomies, eye care, and cosmetic surgery. (Fierce Healthcare, 2016).
The world is fast paced, and the healthcare industry has had to catch up because people do not have the time and patience to be on long waiting lists for routine procedures which would even take them longer to recover. Many hospitals have responded to this shift as the inpatient numbers continue to dwindle, and they have now invested in state-of-the-art facilities and highly-skilled professionals to provide these procedures away from the hospital. Hospitals now have wings dedicated to outpatient care that is fully-serviced and separated from the inpatient services. (Zaino, 2014).
Another reason for the trend has been both the patients and the healthcare systems trying to cut down on their hospital expenses and outpatient care provides them this solution. The American healthcare system devised this solution as a way to reduce the unsustainable costs of only offering inpatient services. Not only does it save on finances it also saves on time allowing patients to resume their normal life as quickly as possible. Regarding space, less is required, and thus there is maximum utilization of all available resources and maximize profits as well.
Finally, large party investors have called for the healthcare system to devise ways to ensure that their investments are properly utilized. They include hospital funders and insurance companies. The latter seek to offer their clients the best but affordable medical care while the former are interested in increased monetary returns that had been lacking due to the burden of inpatient services. (Fierce Healthcare, 2016).
More than 50% of all surgical procedures performed in the US are ambulatory/outpatient showing the rise in this trend and inpatient admissions have been falling drastically. The healthcare system is ever-changing to come up with ways to leverage technology to their advantage to offer their patients the highest level of care at competitive prices. Medicine is a practice that is constantly changing to address new problems that arise in the present times. The challenges may not be necessarily in terms o f new infections but include policy changes rolled out by law and policy makers in government. Such policies as the Affordable Healthcare Act lead hospitals in directions in which they can comply with them. It is paramount that healthcare is affordable in today’s world and available to all people.
Conclusion
Hospitals now offer specialized outpatient services that are simple to conduct to reduce their expenses and provide their patients with the timely and safe services allowing them to resume their normal lives. Ambulatory services are accessible and have become possible due to technological innovations in the healthcare industries. Hospitals also have to comply with policy changes and have to change their practices to do so. Outpatient healthcare has the advantages of maximizing on limited resources while providing the safest and affordable services in today’s fast-paced world.
References
Advancing Surgical Care Association. (2016). ASCs: A positive trend in healthcare. Retrieved online www.ascassociation.org
Barker, J. and Huber, C. (2016). The future of ambulatory care. American Institute of Architects. Retrieved online www.aia.org
Fierce Healthcare. (2016). Ambulatory Care. Retrieved online www.fiercehealthcare.com
Zaino, J. (2014). Changing priorities shift hospital focus to outpatient strategies. Healthcare Finance. Retrieved online www.healthcarefinancenews.com
