Quality of Healthcare in the USA

The international measurement of the quality of health care between countries involves the analysis of the population health status, patient safety, and experience with healthcare services and other factors. In this regard, the comparison indicates that each country performs best or worst in certain categories. The analysis of quality of health care among industrialized nations indicates that the US performs relatively better life expectancy and infant mortality rates comparing to other developed countries. Under the analysis, it relates to the cost incurred in health care and the medical care quality. Despite the fact that most industrialized nations offer uniform health systems, the US does well with regard to insured people and the delivery of medical services (Harrington, 2008).

In order to provide high quality healthcare system the government must invest heavily into this sector. . This entails everyone’s accessibility to health insurance covers and best medical services. In this regard, the government should allocate adequate funds for the industry and adopt standardized regulation in provision of the medical care. In addition, the country should engage in research and development that leads its health system to optimum levels (Schneider, 2011).

The provision of data such as patient outcomes, compliance with national standards for preventive and chronic care and comparative costs to the public should be an acceptable measure in healthcare delivery outcomes. This will highlight the quality indicators regarding medical care practices. In this regard, the country can benchmark its healthcare performance. In addition, it allows policymakers and clinicians to identify areas that require improvement.

Despite the argument that physicians are vital for the rating of the quality of hospital medical care, the concern was dismissed based on the lack of validity to the desired objective. The main reason in this regard included the fact that physicians measure medical care quality based on the processes of medication facilities available in the hospital and success in medical treatment (Shi, 2010). In this regard, some of the factors that are related to patients` needs include insurance covers, satisfaction of medical services received and uniform access to professional quality healthcare. In addition, physicians feared the subjection to law due to malpractices.

The National Committee for  Quality Assurance (NCQA) evolved from a managed care organization credentialing to an independent organization credentialing. With this change, many pros emerged which outweighed the benefits. Initially, independent organizations provide cost-effective plan accessible to a majority of people who demand the maintenance services. In this case, citizens’ accessibility to healthcare improves the health care system`s standards (Merino, 2011). Similarly, independent organizations would assist physicians to participate fully in the provision of services without a risk of being subjected to lawsuits based on selective discrimination or uncompetitive behavior. In addition, independent organizations allow for even distribution of medical practitioners, which facilitate the delivery of services in all parts of the country. On the contrary, one of the demerits of independent organizations credentialing involves the physicians` influence on service delivery. Additionally, it does not address fully of the patients’ needs.

Medical technology plays a significant role in the communication between healthcare providers and patients. With the advancement in the technology utilized in hospitals, there has been considerable improvement in healthcare services delivery. In this regard, healthcare providers can keep and refer to the data relating to patients’ medical details. This will facilitate the improvement of service delivery. In addition, technology improves the manner in which patients can communicate with healthcare providers regarding any of their concerns (Shortliffe, 2006).

As a result, the utilization of technology improves the level of services delivery through increase efficiencies. In this regard, resources and the time used to conduct communication significantly decline. This minimizes the healthcare operation costs while improving its quality. Generally, all citizens are supposed to have equal accessibility to quality healthcare service.