Effective Health Care: A Working Model May Be Closer Than You Think

Conversations about the changing health care system in America tend to focus on tools and obstacles: technology, tele-health, universal insurance, finances, politics, medicine and advanced specialized education for nurses and home health aides, but hidden behind all the noise is a serious effort to design "real life" health care models that deliver on some "real people" needs. Key among these needs are safety, independence, aging at home and less time in emergency rooms and hospitals. There are currently about 50 million Americans over age 65 on Medicare, and two-thirds of these individuals are dealing with multiple chronic medical conditions. The physical and financial well-being of our nation rests on our ability to find new ways to help this population "age in place" in a safe and healthy fashion. Interestingly, the most successful innovations in this regard involve taking a fresh look at the delivery of basic healthcare services, including new approaches to managed care and other health plans that are based on one of the traditional cornerstones of good health: community based, patient-centered care. By doing a better job of coordinating the various elements of an elderly person's care -- access to their doctors; home care services provided by visiting nurses, therapists and home health aides; the support of family caregivers and social workers; and the self-care practiced by patients themselves -- we are finding that even the sickest elderly patients can be stabilized ...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news