NHS FPX 6008 Assessment 1 Identifying a Local Healthcare Economic Issue

NHS FPX 6008 Assessment 1 Identifying a Local Healthcare Economic Issue

Student name

Capella University

NHS-FPX6008

Professor’s name

Submission Date

Identifying a Local Healthcare Economic Issue

Economic problems are the challenges in the healthcare system that involve a high social cost, either at the community or regional level. Among the actual problems in the health sector are increased health costs, unequal access to healthcare, resource waste, or inequality in health outcomes across socio-economic groups.

The economic problem that will be evaluated in the context of this assessment is the increased costs of healthcare, which is a limiting factor to access to physiotherapy services among the low-income elderly in the USA (Twardzik et al., 2023). It will also look at the circumstances leading to the issue and their impact on the performance at the workplace, and the healthcare system itself. The gaps in insurance coverage that lead to this health problem will also be discussed in the assessment.

The Impact of Economic Issues

The Rationale for Choosing the Issue

The first economic problem, which justifies itself, is the increasing healthcare costs in the field of physiotherapy because it is connected with the economic inequality and access to necessary rehabilitation services among older adults in the USA. It is an issue that demonstrates that financial constraint is an obstacle to accessing physiotherapy, which is required to manage chronic conditions, enhance mobility, and overall improve quality of life (Palstam et al., 2022).

Older adults are usually exposed to various health issues that demand continuous attention, and the high prices of physiotherapy services add to the existing health inequalities (Braaten et al., 2021). With this demographic, we understand a vulnerable demographic that is in dire need of accessing healthcare due to its effect on quality of life. This issue can be addressed so that the cycle of poor health outcomes, reduction in healthcare expenses, as well as the community feels improved.

• Personal Experience

My personal experience is the economic burden of access to physiotherapy services in various healthcare settings, i.e., among older people. Specifically, it is a highly vivid example of a chronically lower back pain patient who failed to afford regular physiotherapy sessions due to the lack of finances to do so (Gleadhill et al., 2022). The situation aggravated the condition of the patient and their capacity to carry out everyday activities, making them more dependent on medication.

The experience demonstrated the importance of health insurance and the availability of affordable physiotherapy resources in the treatment of chronic ailments, since it helps to avoid the further worsening of health (Crawford et al., 2022). It impacts not only the families, but also people who tend to take care of their aged uncles and ultimately assume the emotional and financial burden of the same. To illustrate the point, these experiences have still led me to believe that in the provision of physiotherapy services, there are no longer issues of mere good health of individuals, but also a moral obligation to relieve an equal and fair healthcare system.

Healthcare Economic Issue Effects on the Organization and the Community

The problem of the increase in healthcare costs in the field of physiotherapy affects me, my organization, my colleagues, and society in general considerably. This is one of the key obstacles to providing full care to elderly patients who cannot access physiotherapy services and/or lack high-quality insurance (Crawford et al., 2022).

Other such patients are old and unable to receive treatment regularly (because of the condition of mobility issues or due to persistent pain), which encourages the deterioration of the conditions and avoidable hospitalization. Healthcare providers can be in a state of frustration, whereby they cannot effectively intervene because of financial constraints that are imposed on the patients.

The increased physiotherapy costs impose financial burdens on an organization because most older adults either postpone or deny treatment, and their health conditions become more serious and demand costly medical procedures (Gleadhill et al., 2022). It contributes to the pressure on the healthcare systems and therefore leads to a redistribution of resources and, as a result, to a decline in the quality of care. It also instigates debates in the institution regarding the need to change the policy to enhance the availability of rehabilitation services to vulnerable populations. It is an advocacy concern for my colleagues, who assist in emphasizing the need for the provision of physiotherapy services and put these services in standardized health care plans.

At the local level, economic constraints to physiotherapy services have been identified to worsen the health outcome of older people. With the increasing lack of mobility of the affected patients and the beginning to feel chronic pain and inability to do without, families of the affected patients will face the massive financial and emotional load of caregiving. The failure to pay the good rehabilitation services, on the contrary, reduces the total well-being and, subsequently, predisposes to falls, hospitalization, and persistent disability. (Heeb et al., 2021).

Additionally, the problem indicates a larger economic inequality since lower-income older people are disfiguratively impacted, which worsens health differences. The resolution of this would imply that we would improve equity in healthcare delivery and all persons (including the older generation) would have the physiotherapy services that they require to maintain their health and independence.

The Gap that Contributes to the Need

Most elderly citizens seek house autonomy under the name safe aging in place (SAIP), yet over time, this objective is difficult to fulfill, which makes them request assistance in staying safely at home. Fall risk is the key barrier to the achievement of SAIP. The cost of healthcare services provided to elderly patients who fall increases because they end up going to the emergency care and staying in hospitals and nursing homes, thus putting a lot of strain on the healthcare services across the globe.

Various studies have reported that a third of older adults aged 65 years and above will have fall incidents annually (Wilson et al., 2022). However, the consequences of such falls can range from death and no injuries. Other fall issues and reduced confidence in the ability to perform their daily activities pose more risks of falls in the future. Effective strategies to prevent falls and fall risk among aging people should be instituted due to the predominant high fall rates and medical treatment needs that extend to 38% (Wilson et al., 2022). The fall associated with a step would impose a personal cost and a medical bill of up to $3,038 when the patients are taken to emergency departments and $38,412 when the patient is required to get hospitalization (Wilson et al., 2022).

Although it is evident that fall prevention methods need to be implemented, the lack of emphasis on equitable access to physiotherapy services by the healthcare management is a major gap that has led to increased healthcare expenditure, especially in the elderly population. Inequality in the access of various socio-economic groups to rehabilitation services may block the ability of older adults to access the necessary physiotherapy that is crucial to improving their mobility, chronic condition management, and overall quality of life (Heeb et al., 2021).

Most of the aged patients do not have adequate health insurance cover, which covers physiotherapy, and this continues to cripble their capacity to get the required treatment. The elderly are also at a higher risk of falling without the need to be rehabilitated and supported with their mobility, which results in expensive visits to the hospital and long-term healthcare dependency. Sealing these disparities in physiotherapy access might be essential in preventing the risk of falls, improving the level of independence, and mitigating the associated cost on the healthcare sector.

Experts like the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) have emphasized the role of physiotherapy in enhancing functional outcomes in older people (Criss et al., 2022). Nevertheless, most of the existing practices enforced policies that impose coverage restrictions such as session limits and exorbitant out-of-pocket expenses, which are impeding the care. The limitations especially encumber the low-income older adults and strengthen health disparities. Further, any particular policies are not aimed at extending the coverage of the physiotherapy services.

This disparity should be eliminated to allow the elderly population to receive the necessary physiotherapy services and achieve health equity. One of the solutions to this disparity would be to introduce holistic policies, wider coverage of insurance, and promote a more equitable healthcare system that will enhance health and overall well-being among the elderly population.

Conclusion

The increase in healthcare expenditure on physiotherapy services in the USA has a great impact on the low-income elderly population, restricting access to the necessary rehabilitation care and exacerbating health disparities. It is an issue between individuals and between healthcare organizations and communities, meaning that it is time to reform policies. Health outcomes can be minimized through increased insurance coverage, less out-of-pocket expenses, and fair access to the elderly members by encouraging the well-being of older people through reduced healthcare costs.

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