Here is a list of common mistakes that people make all the time when choosing a health care plan. They are in no particular order, and all are important to consider, carefully and completely. If you are not conversant with all the terminology or are finding it difficult to make the decisions, you should ask for help from a neutral third-party such as family member or friend. Don’t ask a health insurance company unless you want to hear a sales pitch!

Common mistakes
- You don’t check out your doctor, or any others – Although some healthcare plans require you to use a physician in their own network, other plans are more inviting. If you already have a physician, and are buying your own insurance, check with the doctor to see what plans he is a member of. If you do have to choose a new doctor, you should look into the health plan doctors’ credentials by contacting the AMA.

- You forget “location, location, location” – The location of your doctor or clinic, and the travel time required, are other factors you should consider when considering health care plans. Find out where the doctor is located and also look into the regular and emergency hours of the facility.

- You don’t consider specialists – If you already need specialist care, or think you may need to in the future, you need to know the health care plan’s procedures on using them. Some plans require you to contact a primary care physician, while others allow you to make specialist appointments directly.

- You don’t consider your own specialist – You should definitely find out if your current specialist is in the health care plan you are considering. If not, perhaps your specialist can refer you to one who is.

- You forget to check the policy on “pre-existing conditions” – Even though this should be a “no-brainer,” people forget to ask about the policies on pre-existing conditions. Coverage for pre-existing conditions varies widely among health plans. Some exclude them entirely, and will not even consider coverage, while others cover them fully. Many health care plans fall somewhere in the middle, offering coverage after a certain amount of time, or for a certain amount of time or expense. Rules promulgated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act guarantees you coverage for your pre-existing conditions if you join a new group plan offered by your employer after being insured the previous year. Do your research to make sure you know what your policy covers.

Less common oversights
- You don’t ask about physicals and health screenings – Again, it seems an obvious thing to ask, but if you appreciate getting regular physicals and health screenings you should ensure that they are covered. Most “managed care” plans do cover these types of procedures, usually on an annual basis, but there are some plans that do not cover them. If you have children, make sure to ask if “well baby” check-ups, physicals and immunizations are covered.

- You forget about additional services – Everything, from prescription drug coverage to mental health care, is an important consideration. You need to consider which of the various additional services that you may need are, in fact, covered when you are comparing health care plans. Other examples of these additional services that may be important to you are drug and alcohol counseling and treatment, home health care, nursing home or extended care, hospices, experimental treatments, alternative and complementary medicine, chiropractic care and physical therapy.

Bottom line considerations
- You don’t price things out correctly – Once you know what you want in your health care plan you need to compare costs, and you need to do it right, which means covering all the bases. You will need to know exactly what deductibles must be paid first before the health care plan coverage starts paying, and don’t forget to ask if the deductible needs to be met before certain services can be utilized. Find out about “out of network” charges if you anticipate having to go beyond your plan facilities or physicians. Finally, there are co-payment, cap amounts and total-care limits you need to know about. Some plans have lifetime limits, some have lifetime and annual limits, and others have mixed formulas for making this determination. Get all the facts.

- You don’t check the exclusions – If you don’t read the exclusions list, you will not know what is not covered. You need to see if any condition you currently have, or that you expect to contract in the future, is included. This is an important bottom-line consideration since, if you don’t get this settled and dealt with up front, you will likely spend a great deal of money down the line to treat excluded conditions.

It is a difficult thing to look at your health in a dispassionate, dollar-oriented way, but that’s life. As we age, more of our energy goes into thinking and planning against death and disability, but the subject need not be morbid or depressing. Do your best to get a health care plan that covers what your particular needs are, and remind yourself that you are worth the trouble – and the expense.

Medicare.com provides coverage information that is simple and straightforward. We give you the medicare basics, as well as provide practical information and tools for making informed decisions on your coverage needs.

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Health care is an immediate issue that concerns all of us. We all experience it and need it. Let’s serious ask ourselves if the current health care system is satisfactory and available to everyone. Should health, medicare and treatments be available to only selected groups? Many people are voting for the presidential candidate who can restore the present health care system or who can pioneer a better healthcare distribution for our country. Personally, I hope to see a change that health care is available and affordable to everyone.

Being able to receive basic health care is a fundamental need of all people. Fulfilling this fundamental need makes people feel secured, and it makes sense that people with better health can contribute more to the society. A realistic and reachable standard of health should be set for all people. This effort needs a non profit driving entity to establish and to maintain it. People’s life and health should not be compromised for the profit of few organizations.

Before moving to Japan, I was covered under my parents’ insurance policy in the United States. Their policy covered children of the family until the age of twenty-four. Upon graduating from university, I moved to Japan and started my first job there. I joined the Japanese national health insurance through the company I worked for. There are basically two types of health insurance in Japan: national health insurance and employer-sponsored health insurance. Usually, under employer sponsored insurance, the insurance premium is calculated according to income, number of dependents, and the company’ subsidies. For someone who is self-employed or unemployed, the national health insurance costs a minimum of 13300 yen, or about $110 per month plus a small percentage of income for those who are self-employed. In other words, everyone can get insurance from around $100 dollars a month. Unlike the Medicaid program in the U.S. which is only available to certain low-income groups with specific requirements for eligibility, the Japanese health insurance is available to every citizen and legal residents. There is a ceiling to what the Japanese National insurance covers, but it covers all the basics and beyond.

In most cases in Japan, patients choose their doctor and hospital. There is no limitation to the doctors or hospital they can visit. This is a true competition among the clinics, hospitals, and medical practitioners, not for profit, but for quality. The same insurance that people have in Japan gives them the freedom to get second opinions and naturally eliminates those doctors whose practices are in question. The doctor visits, treatments, and medicine are not free; one is responsible for thirty percent of their medical bills. Japanese health costs are much lower than the costs in the United States. Thirty percent of the medical bill is still a reasonable amount one can afford. There are also special cases or categories of illness for which the insurance would give more coverage. If one is late on his payment, his insurance will not automatically be invalid. The insurance will still cover the person as long as he makes up the missed payments. After all, some people do run into difficulties in life at one point or another. Sounds to good to be true? Well, It’s real.

Taiwan, a place with no world recognition politically, has one of the top public health care system in the world. After moving to Taiwan due to my husband’s transfer a year a go, I learned and appreciated the system where universal or national health care is available to all more than ever. When speaking of universal, national, or pubic health insurance, people often turn their attention to the well-debated and discussed health care system in Canada. There are those whose views are negative, claiming that the medical service in a single-payer insurance system may not perform at its ultimate, and those whose views are positive, saying that they do not live in fear of ever having to face bankruptcy for outrageous medical bills. From my informal inquiries, more Canadian I came across favor their national health care system. Most of those who favor their national health care system commented that people of Canada are more secured in having their basic physical and psychological needs met.

In Taiwan, there is also government-sponsored universal health care for not only their citizens but also for foreign residents who live in Taiwan. Foreign residents can apply for the government-sponsored insurance after proving their legal status of residing in Taiwan. The insurance fee starts from the basic 600NT, or around $18 a month. For people in higher income brackets, their insurance is calculated based on a percentage of their income over the 600Nt. Fees are waived for retired soldiers, those who are physically challenged, and people who have economic disadvantages.

Interestingly, Taiwan’s national health insurance has only been established for little more than two decades, since 1985. The government policy-makers studied health care system from different foreign countries and composes the first Taiwan national health care from the ideas and methods of the system of other countries. It was said that Taiwan’s national insurance system is like a completed puzzle made from pieces of which fit its country and people. This insurance now covers the entire population, including foreign legal residents. According to research funded by Taiwan’s National Health Research and Taiwan’s Bureau of National Health Insurance, the cost of health care did not rise after the universal coverage was established (Jui-Fen & Hsiao, 2003.) What does that tell us?

A basic health care program can greatly reduce the consequences of illness left untreated. Basic health care does not mean free of charge or mindless spending without control. To build a healthy nation, we should take a closer look at the current U.S. health insurance. After all, a sound nation starts with the health of its people.

Writer’s Information:
The writer is a Chinese-American. After graduating from Queens College, New York, she moved to Japan and started teaching English as second language. In the 15years of living in Japan, she became a wife, a mother and a university lecturer. She continued her education after giving birth to her daughter and is now pursuing her ph.d in education. She is a positive person who is always looking forward to challenging new things. In Japan, many friends and students were affected by her words and encouragement, especially women. Using herself as examples, she encourages women to be a life time learner, open minded and to have self confidence. Now she is temporarily residing in Taiwan with her family.

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Even in the era of doctor making house calls, people had confidence in their doctor, who, back then, represented the health care system. Confidence was based on trust, that the doctor was offering the best treatment and advances possible.

Today, patient trust is dwindling. Yet, there is still a great deal of trust in doctors and nurses. In a recent poll, the professions that were most greatly admired and respected by the public, second to firemen, were doctors and nurses.

Lack of confidence stems not from the health providers themselves, but from the system that the doctors and nurses work for.

Let’s examine some potential areas eroding public confidence in our health care system:

1.) Speed: Our system has always moved quickly, but the current pace is nothing short of phrenetic. Oh yes, a doctor or nurse could move slower, but the price would be at the expense of patients who would not be seen or cared for that day. Quietly, health providers talk about feeling like they are part of a “conveyor belt” that treats paperwork more than it does people.

Indeed, the amount of paperwork has increased exponentially and the “system” doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Insurance companies, particularly managed care, has heavily contributed to this additional layer of bureaucracy taking time away from patient care. At the risk of offending managed care companies, this is the truth. Managed care was originally designed to contain costs. But the impact on care of patients is one that has yet to be determined.

2.) Commercialiazation of health care: commercials etc….erodes public confidence. Patients regularly verbalize an overwhelmed and distorted image of the role of medication from watching television commercials. This is not the patient’s fault! And it works both ways, commercials can be suggestive, or implant resistance in patients who might genuinely benefit from a trial of medication. Patient’s decisions are influenced by marketing, rather than medical facts, and that just doesn’t make good clinical sense.

3.) “Pill popping society” – stems in part from commercialization but also from a stressed society looking for ways to make it easier to cope

4.) Conventional health care has yet to accept natural modalities as part of its treatment regimens. Yet, public opinion on this matter is very evident. Annual spending on Complementary/Alternative modalities exceeds ______/year. Yet, a large reason for this lack of integration into conventional health care remains lack of scientific research. Without large funding sources like pharmaceutical companies, natural treatments have been left largely to a word by mouth market.

And the word has spread like wildfire. And most often from people with chronic health challenges whose health has been restored. Yet why haven’t these potentially life-saving remedies been studied? In fact, for many health providers in conventional medicine, caring for people suffering with these chronic health challenges, it is heart wrenching not to be able to offer people more hope.

5.) The U.S. Health care system is rated 37th in the world according to the World Health Organization. Clearly these dismal results becry the need for health care solutions and transformation for the sake of our people.

Health: not simply the eradication of disease but the concept of healing, restoration and rejuvenation, particularly for those with chronic health conditions. Included in this is the incorporation of preventative health care into mainstream medicine.

Transformation of health care = Hope for all

Rebuilding confidence in the health care system with less not more [http://www.healthynutritionsite.info/]

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However, the idea of universal health care is backed by several ideas as to how it can be carried out. Universal health care should in fact be administered via a series of insurance policies that are controlled by the government of any given time. In this way, universal health care will give everyone access to health care whenever they need it at very little personal cost, thus ensuring that every single person can actually call a doctor out whenever necessary. Universal health care may also be administered through a series of clinics and other medical establishments to ensure that lower class individuals that cannot afford private health care can just drop by.

Universal health care could actually be administered by any number of schemes in effect, but at least there are ideas in place to ensure that it could work if governments in power at the moment changed their policies. The ideal behind universal health care are valid as preventative as well as remedial because it would actually encourage everyone to have regular health checks to ensure that they stay in the best of health. This would include testing g younger people for STIs and monitoring their progress as they grow up via a series of vaccinations against diseases that may cut their lives short. Similarly, under universal health care would actually allow older people to be tested for ailments like diabetes on a regular basis too.

Universal health care could provide treatment for every individual, whether they could afford it on paper or not. This would provide great positives for all of humanity and make for a much better world. There is so much more resting on universal health care than just health care alone. If we want a better world, we have to take the chance whenever we can. Universal is one of the chances we should take.

You can also find more info on Health Care Plans and Health Care Providers

Tophealthcarehelp.com is a comprehensive resource to know about Health Care.

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Genesis health care is located in the quad city area and is accessible to everybody there. There are three specific locations that an individual can find it. Genesis Medical Centre is in Davenport and is actually a hospital with full facilities to treat individuals with any condition or disease, no matter how serious. The more persistent illnesses are obviously treated there, including both children and the elderly. There are a number of individual clinics located on this site too that offer specialist care for individuals with illnesses like diabetes, cancer and obesity. These are all valid conditions requiring long-term treatment rather than a few days in hospital on a one-off basis. There is also a centre that individuals suffering from chronic pain can go for treatment to relieve it when necessary.

The second Genesis health care centre is located in DeWitt. This is more of a community centre than a hospital, although it still has the same highly trained staff that the Genesis health care site at Davenport has. This one actually caters for more persistent problems that are not necessarily regarded as illnesses. For example, if an individual is suffering from sleep deprivation, then it is likely that he or she will stay at this centre for a few nights to try and resolve the problem.

The final Genesis health care is actually at the Illini campus and is a teaching hospital so that the future health care practitioners can be well trained and ready to help the world. There is a trauma centre at this Genesis health care centre too.

In fact, it is fair to say that Genesis health care provides every aspect of care for the local community. It does provide the best medical care going and everyone living there can benefit. That, at the end of the day, is all anyone asks of a health care system.

You can also find more info on Health Care Insurance and Health Care Plans. Tophealthcarehelp.com is a comprehensive resource to know about Health Care.

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Aurora Health Care provides a service for both registered patients and those that are no registered as well. If you do register with them then you can request emergency and same day appointments as well as simply asking for advice from time to time. However, non-registered patients have to wait for appointments, although they can still make them as and when necessary. They cannot ask for emergency service, and so should actually call an ambulance if needed.

All Of Your Health Care Needs

Aurora Health Care does not stop at simply providing appointments. It can in fact take care of all of your needs, including providing convenient pharmacies. There are many Aurora Health Care pharmacies located around the country, thus making it easier to request a prescription or a refill as and when you like. You may find one on a high street, in a clinic or hospital, or even at your local supermarket if it is big enough to include several independent stores.

Aurora Health Care may host women’s services at a clinic or pharmacy too. Obviously women have more specialist problems than men do as a result of reproduction and so Aurora Health Care has quite rightly provided a specialist service that is dedicated to the health care of women as a result. Alongside that is a specialist service for seniors too. In old age, everybody’s health will dramatically decline over a period of time. This service deals with cancer, arthritis, mental degeneration and a whole host of other ailments that a senior may need from time to time or as a part of ongoing care.

Aurora Health Care also specializes in cancer care because the care for individuals with cancer is often neglected by health insurance companies. It can be so expensive and so draining on a family’s income that it is better to invest in health insurance that does cater for that eventuality.

Of course, Aurora Health Care is not just limited to the elements set out above but they are often the tings that individuals look for in a service. It is definitely worth considering Aurora Health Care because they cater for so many needs, including any that you may have right now!

You can also find more info on Health Care Insurance and Health Care Plans. Tophealthcarehelp.com is a comprehensive resource to know about Health Care.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wade_Robins

What’s the Business Model in Health Care?

Let’s look at a typical business model (Yes, health care is a business). Companies are in business to make a profit in exchange for products or services that improve people’s lives. Whether it’s a lawn mower company making it easier for you to care for your yard or an airline company getting you where you need to go. The basic premise is the same. They help you in exchange for payment. If they don’t provide a quality product or service they quickly run out of people to sell to.

There are only three ways that a business can increase it’s profits. 1. Get more customers or clients. 2. Increase how many times existing customers or clients buy products or services. 3. Increase the profit margin on each transaction. That’s it. All business growth fits into one of those 3 areas.

Now let’s look at those in the context of the health care business. Presumably, health care is supposed to improve your health, which makes you less likely to need health care in the future. So how do health care businesses grow?

Health care companies cannot really use strategy #1. In order to get more customers there would have to be more sick people in need of health care services. That would mean that companies could not promote prevention because that would reduce the number of sick people.

They can’t really use strategy #2. In order to increase the number of times sick people need to buy there products or services they would have to keep from truly getting better.

They can’t really use strategy #3 either. In order to increase their profit margin on existing products or services they would have to charge the insurance companies more, who would have to pass those costs onto the consumer, who are already over-stressed with regard to medical costs.

So how do health care companies grow without using the strategies of business growth? Surely, they don’t deliberately shun prevention strategies, keep people from fully recovering, or over-charge for their services?

Who really supports the Health Care Industry?

A couple of recent articles in the New England Journal of Medicine had some interesting perspectives on the relationship between the government, health care providers and pharmaceutical companies.

The first report detailed a survey of over 3,000 doctors that explored their relationship with drug companies. The study found that 94% of doctors have some relationship with drug suppliers. About 4 out of 5 physicians admitted receiving free food for themselves and their office and free drug samples to try out on patients. Drug companies paid for business trips for more than 1 out of 3 doctors and about 1 out of 4 in the study were actually on drug company payrolls for consulting, lecturing or enrolling patients into clinical trials.

Now getting some free coffee and bagels might not be that big of a deal. Most people would not feel incredibly loyalty to a company for that favor. Besides, getting some free samples might actually save the patient money (assuming they needed the drugs in the first place). But getting business trips covered and receiving paychecks for ’services’. . . that’s a different level of conflict. This does not automatically translate to unethical behavior. Some physicians may truly stick to their morals, but how many will not?

The second study from the New England Journal evaluated the relationship of the Food and Drug Administration with the pharmaceutical industry. Back in the early 90’s the FDA was completely supported by congress – but the agency wasn’t big enough to do their job. So the 1st Bush administration encouraged relationships with the private sector, which translated to support from the pharmaceutical industry.

Today more the 50% of the FDA’s budget comes from drug companies. This means that FDA doctors, who evaluate new drugs, are paid by the very companies that produce the drugs they are evaluating. Is there a possible conflict of interest there?

In 1992 the $126 million FDA budget came solely from congress. In the first year of drug company support industry kicked in about $8 million or about 6% of the total budget for that year. By 2004 drug companies were paying $232 million, greater than 50% of the total budget. The upside is that some useful drugs, like AIDS and cancer medications, are able to get through the bureaucracy faster and get out to the public. The down-side is that so are drugs like Vioxx, blamed for the death or disability of hundreds of thousands of people.

Current legislation is under review to change these laws. But don’t assume that the change will be for the better.

Is there a better Way?

The question really becomes, ‘How do health care companies grow and help people improve their lives at the same time?’ The answer is very simple. Focus more on prevention strategies.

The US government estimates we could save over $71 billion and prevent 14% of all premature deaths through lifestyle strategies. Focus on these strategies is a truly sustainable business model.

Living a prevention lifestyle is a life-long process, and therefore means repeat customers. It’s like taking a shower. You don’t take one shower and expect to be clean for the rest of your life.

This is where nutrition companies, exercise gyms and health education companies focus their efforts. They are truly helping people improve their lives and are growing a successful business. This is the true ‘Health Care’ industry. What most people think of as health care is really the ‘Sickness Industry’. One has healthy people as customers, the other caters to sick people.

This is a business model that is good for individuals and good for the economy. But the only way this will take hold is when people start to vote with their dollars. Vote for health food instead of junk food, vote for treadmills instead of big-screen TVs, vote for tennis shoes instead of gas to drive 1 mile to the store. This is the only way that we will really secure a future of life-long health for our kids and our grandkids.

Train your Brain for total Brain Fitness. The Brain Code is the key to unlock your maximum potential. Dr. Simon Evans puts together the right ingredients in right amount to create the recipe for success. Visit us at http://www.thebraincode.com

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Baby boomers are voicing their concerns about better health, more than prior generations. However, many do not know where to find information and options, other than Traditional Western Medicine (TWM).

Few people research the plethora of side effects for prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) drugs-not to mention that prescription and OTC drugs are formulated to take over and hijack your body’s biochemistry. Prescription and OTC drugs force blood pressure to be lower/higher or force the liver to stop manufacturing healthy cholesterol. In fact, prescription or OTC drugs interfere with normal human metabolism, and that is one reason why prescription drugs are killing people. Yet, conventional medical doctors rely on propaganda about the unknown side effects of holistic health care to convince people that only prescription or OTC drugs are safe. It is NOT that they are terrified about the side effects of holistic health care-they are terrified of people being well and they won’t have their business of prescribing life-long pills and potions. Western Medicine is profit driven.

If everyone knew they could prevent any disease with plant extracts, medicinal herbs, natural vitamins, minerals, and supplements, as well as having peace of mind-the pharmaceutical and medical industry would collapse overnight.

o The World Health Organization, estimates that between 65 to 80 percent of the world’s population (about 3 billion people) rely on naturopathic or homeopathic medicine as their primary form of health care.

o Worldwide, only 10 to 30 percent of people use traditional medicine, 70 to 90 percent use naturopathic and homeopathic health care.

o 74 percent of the American population desires a natural approach to health care.

o Of the one out of three Americans who say they have used natural techniques, 84 percent said they would use it again.

o Traditional Chinese Medicine has been chosen by the World Health Organization for worldwide propagation to meet the health care needs of the twenty-first century.

o The U.S. government sponsors the use of acupuncture in drug rehabilitation programs.

o “In a [Mayo Clinic] study of 50 patients, six acupuncture treatments given over two to three weeks significantly improved their symptoms of pain and fatigue.” Time, 2005

o “Americans make more visits to holistic health care providers (some 600 million a year) than to M.D.s and spend more money out-of-pocket to do so about $30 billion a year by recent estimates.” Newsweek, 12/2002

o “A recent study performed by the American Massage Therapy Association revealed that 28 percent of people received a massage from a massage therapist in the past five years, up from 17 percent in 1997. Eighteen percent said they had a massage in the past 12 months. That’s 10 percent higher than was reported in 1997.” American Massage Therapy Association, 8/2002.

Holistic health care practices include:

o Acupuncture

o Aromatherapy/flower essences

o Ayurvedic medicine

o Bio-feedback

o Chelation therapy

o Chiropractic

o Essential Oils

o Guided imagery

o Herbology/Herbal remedies

o Homeopathy

o Hydrotherapy

o Hypnosis/self-hypnosis

o Iridology

o Massage

o Meditation/visualization

o Mind, Body, Spirit healing (using the unconscious mind)

o Movement and exercise therapy

o Naturopathy

o Nutrition therapy

o Osteopathy

o Reiki/energy medicine

o Relaxation response

o Reflexology

o Therapeutic touch

o Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

Every community has resources: Natural food stores, natural vitamin and supplement stores: Hi Health, Vitamin Shoppe, Whole Foods, Wild Oats Market, Trader Joe’s, AJ’s Fine Foods, The Internet directories.

o Holistic Health Care provider directory – New Holistic Health Care Products Directory. http://www.holisticseek.com/

o Holistic Junction: Business Directory
Holistic Junction, your pathway to Holistic Practitioners, Massage Therapy http://www.holisticjunction.com

o Holistic Healthcare online: A search directory for reputable practitioners by state, country, city, http://www.holistichealthcare.com

o Florida Health & Fitness Directory … Holistic Health Care: Natural Healing and Preventative Medicine Acupuncture, Chinese Herbs, Homeopathy, Shiatsu, … http://www.floridasmart.com/business/health/index.htm

o Holistic health links and new age links from Share Guide. … Healthlinks.net – Healthcare portal and directory with over 70200 unique links. … http://www.shareguide.com/links.html

o American Holistic Health Association (AHHA) – Resource Lists. Members who work in partnership with their patients, and encourage a holistic approach to wellness. …

o Metaphysical Healing-Mind, Body, Spirit, Genesis Consultants, Inc.

Last, but not least do not allow traditional medical doctors, pharmacists or your family and best friends to intimidate you into believing your life is in jeopardy if you use holistic health care remedies or practitioners.

The Journal of the American Medical Association Vol. 284 July 26, 2000, published an article documenting the tragedy of Traditional Western Medicine (TWM) paradigm. The author, Dr. Barbara Starfield of Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health describes how the U.S. health care system may contribute to poor health. Doctors, she stated, are the third leading cause of death in the U.S., causing 250,000 deaths every year.

This information is a follow-up to the Institute of Medicine report December, 1999, but the data was hard to reference as it was not in peer-reviewed journal. Now it is published in JAMA which is the most widely circulated medical periodical in the world.

DEATHS PER YEAR:

1. 12,000 —–unnecessary surgery

2. 7,000 —–medication errors in hospitals

3. 20,000 —-other errors in hospitals

4. 80,000 —-infections in hospitals

5. 106,000 —non-error, negative effects of drugs

250,000 deaths per year from iatrogenic–death induced in a patient by a physician’s activity, manner, or therapy, especially of a complication of treatment causes–is outrageous!! Yet, the majority of people continue to trust the medical profession to ‘cure’ them, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary.

Of 13 countries in a recent comparison, the United States ranks an average of 12th (second from the bottom) for 16 available health indicators. The ranking of the U.S. on several indicators was:

o 13th (last) for low-birth-weight percentages

o 13th for neonatal mortality and infant mortality overall 14

o 11th for post neonatal mortality

o 13th for years of potential life lost (excluding external causes)

o 11th for life expectancy at 1 year for females, 12th for males

o 10th for life expectancy at 15 years for females, 12th for males

o 10th for life expectancy at 40 years for females, 9th for males

o 7th for life expectancy at 65 years for females, 7th for males

o 3rd for life expectancy at 80 years for females, 3rd for males

o 10th for age-adjusted mortality

The poor performance of the U.S. medical profession was recently confirmed by a World Health Organization study, which used different data and ranked the United States as 15th among 25 industrialized countries.

Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, Life Coach, Hypnotherapist, Author, “101 Great Ways To Improve Your Life.” Dr. Dorothy has the unique gift of connecting people with a broad range of profound principles that resonate in the deepest part of their being. She brings awareness to concepts not typically obvious to one’s daily thoughts and feelings. http://www.drdorothy.net

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Home health care is allowing the patient and their family to maintain dignity and independence. According to the National Association for Home Care, there are more than 7 million individuals in the United States in need of home health care nurse services because of acute illness, long term health problems, permanent disability or terminal illness.

Home Health Care Basics

Nurses practice in a number of venues: Hospital settings, nursing homes, assisted living centers, and home health care. Home health care nursing is a growing phenomenon as more patients and their families desire to receive care in their homes. The history of home health care stems from Public Health Nursing where public health nurses made home visits to promote health education and provide treatment as part of community outreach programs. Today academic programs train nurses in home care and agencies place home health care nurses with ailing individuals and their families depending on the nurse’s experience and qualifications. In many cases there is a shared relationship between the agency and the academic institution.

Many changes have taken place in the area of home health care. These include Medicare and Medicaid, and Long Term Care insurance reimbursement and documentation. It is important for the nurse and nursing agency to be aware of the many factors involved for these rules and regulations resulting from these organizations. Population and demographic changes are taking place as well. Baby boomers approaching retirement and will present new challenges for the home health care industry. Technology and medical care in hospitals has lead to shorter inpatient stay and more at-home rehabilitation. Increases in medical outpatient procedures are also taking place with follow-up home care. This has resulted in the decrease of mortality rate from these technologies and medical care has lead to increases in morbidity and chronic illness that makes the need for home health care nursing a greater priority.

Home Health Care Nurse Job Description

Through an array of skills and experience, home health care nurses specialize in a wide range of treatments; emotional support, education of patients who are recovering from illnesses and injury for young children and adults, to women who have experienced recent childbirth, to the elderly who need palliative care for chronic illness.

A practicing nurse must have the skills to provide care in a unique setting such as someone’s home. The nurse is working with the patient and the family and must understand the communication skills for such dynamics. Rapport is evident in all nursing positions, but working in a patient’s own living space needs a different level of skill and understanding. There is autonomous decision making as the nurse is no longer working as a team with other nurses in a structured environment, but is now as a member of the “family” team. The host family has cultural values that are important and are different for every patient and must be treated with extreme sensitivity. Other skills include critical thinking, coordination, assessment, communication, and documentation.

Home health care nurses also specialize in the care of children with disabilities that requires additional skills such as patience and understanding of the needs of the family. Children are living with disabilities today that would have resulted in mortality just twenty years ago. Genetic disorders, congenital physical impairments, and injury are just a few. Many families are familiar with managing the needs of the child, but still need expert care that only a home health care nurse can provide. It is important that a home health care nurse is aware of the expertise of the family about the child’s condition for proper care of the child. There are many complexities involved, but most important, a positive attitude and positive reinforcement is of utmost importance for the development of the child.

Medication coordination between the home health care nurse, doctor, and pharmacist, ensures proper management of the exact science behind giving the patient the correct dose, time of administration, and combinations. Home health care nurses should be familiar with pharmacology and taught in training about different medications used by patients in the clinical setting.

Many advanced practicing nurses are familiar with medication regiments. They have completed graduate level programs. Home health care agencies believe that a nurse should have at least one year of clinical experience before entering home health care. Advanced practicing nurses can expedite that training by helping new nurses understand the home health care market and teaching.

Employment and Salary

According to the United States Department of Labor, there were 2.4 million nurses in America, the largest healthcare occupation, yet many academic and hospital organizations believe there is a gross shortage in nursing staff. The shortage of nurses was 6% in 2000 and is expected to be 10% in 2010. The average salary for hospital nursing is $53,450 with 3 out of 5 nursing jobs are in the hospital. For home health care, the salary is $49,000. For nursing care facilities, they were the lowest at $48,200.

Training and continuing education

Most home health care nurses gain their education through accredited nursing schools throughout the country with an associate degree in nursing (ADN), a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (BSN), or a master’s degree in nursing (MSN). According to the United States Department of Labor, in 2004 there were 674 BSN nursing programs, 846 ADN programs. Also, in 2004, there were 417 master’s degree programs, 93 doctoral programs, and 46 joint BSN-doctoral programs. The associate degree program takes 2 to 3 years to complete, while bachelors degrees take 4 years to complete. Nurses can also earn specialized professional certificates online in Geriatric Care or Life Care Planning.

In addition, for those nurses who choose to pursue advancement into administrative positions or research, consulting, and teaching, a bachelor’s degree is often essential. A bachelor’s degree is also important for becoming a clinical nurse specialist, nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners (U.S. Department of Labor, 2004).

All home health care nurses have supervised clinical experience during their training, but as stated earlier advanced practicing nurses hold master’s degrees and unlike bachelor and associate degrees, they have a minimum of two years of post clinical experience. Course work includes anatomy, physiology, chemistry, microbiology, nutrition, psychology, and behavioral sciences and liberal arts. Many of these programs have training in nursing homes, public health departments, home health agencies, and ambulatory clinics. (U.S. Dep. of Labor, 2004).

Whether a nurse is training in a hospital, nursing facility, or home care, continuing education is necessary. Health care is changing rapidly and staying abreast with the latest developments enhances patient care and health procedures. Universities, continuing education programs, and internet sites, all offer continuing education. One such organization that provides continuing education is the American Nurses Association (ANA) or through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

Conclusion

There are many rewards to becoming a home health care nurse. Some rewards include the relationship with a patient and their family, autonomy, independence, and engaging in critical thinking. The 21st Century brings with it many opportunities and challenges. We must meet these challenges head on – there is an aging baby boomer population, a growing morbidity factor due to increased medical technology and patient care, and the growing shortage in nursing care.

Becoming a home health care nurse today is exciting and an opportunity to make a difference one life at a time. With clinical experience and proper education, a home health care nurse will lead the future of medical care.

By Michael V. Gruber, MPH is a contributing author to My Nursing Degree Online, providing articles and resources for nurses looking for continuing education online. With a Masters of Public Health and two years of medical school, Michael provides a unique perspective on the current nursing shortage crisis on the Nursing Career Blog as well as comprehensive articles about nurse education and advancement.

Find more information about becoming a Home Health Care Nurse including certification and job openings at My Nursing Degree Online.

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