Chasm In Healthcare

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The healthcare industry in the US is at a crossroads. The cost of healthcare in the US has increased substantially with the Federal health care cost reaching $950 billion in 2011, to make it the single largest contributor to the national debt (Arroliga 2014). U.S. healthcare costs currently exceed 17% of GDP and continue to rise. When compared to other countries, there is a distortion in relation to healthcare spending and healthcare outcomes. Despite the investment, the US ranks in the lower quartile of the countries in the developed world for quality and access. Many explanations to the increased spending have been set forth, including the aging of populations, the development of new treatments and a care delivery system that is fragmented and disorganized. According to Kaplan, Perverse incentives also contribute: Third-party payers (insurance companies and governments) reimburse for procedures performed rather than outcomes achieved, and patients bear little responsibility for the cost of the healthcare services they demand (Kaplan 2011, pg1). …show more content…

The IOM report was forward thinking in design and prompted further research into improving delivery of care in the United States. The report declared that in order to cross the quality chasm, improvements were needed that would make our health care system Safe, Timely, Equitable, Efficient, Effective, and Patient centered (STEEEP) (Footracer 2012). In 2011 the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was passed. Increasing the reimbursement to primary and preventive care was one of the goals in this