Across the decades, policymakers have strived assiduously to produce improvements pertaining to the metaphorical three-legged stool of health care quality, access, and cost. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 came into effect in March of that year. It represented a highly comprehensive approach of dealing with a wide range of defects and deficiencies in health care that continued to persist in the first decade of the 21st century.
Until several weeks ago, efforts to reform health care have proceeded in incremental and uncoordinated ways. The sudden appearance of a new communicable disease in the form of a pandemic has resulted in an explosion of new initiatives launched through a combination of coordinated federal and state interventions. Such new efforts continue at a rapid pace, but they do so in a time of considerable uncertainty. Some essential issues that continue to call for a clear resolution involve the following considerations: the best way of slowing the spread of infection, accurately determining how many individuals continue to circulate freely as their infection goes undetected, understanding how long the current appearance of the disease will last, and even if it apparently disappears, what the likelihood is that it could resurface later in the year. Also, if an appropriate vaccine becomes available, it remains to be seen whether it will result in any untoward hazardous side effects.
Role Of The Health Workforce And Challenges It Faces
A steady accumulation of new cases of COVID-19 in both the U.S. and in other countries that occurs as diagnostic testing for the presence of this disease increases, means that much greater stress is being placed on the capacity of the network of health care services to deal with this situation. Apart from the basic question of whether there are sufficient numbers of many kinds of health professionals in appropriate venues, such as hospitals to meet patient demands for care, there is the matter of the increased risk of disease exposure these personnel must confront when providing treatment. Not all of these individuals have the protective equipment needed to prevent infection. Logistically, more effort is needed to increase the supply chain and ensure that effective masks and hazard protection clothing are distributed rapidly. Otherwise, a serious problem becomes even more threatening if front line health care practitioners are sidelined because they also become seriously ill.
The Left Hand Giveth While The Right Hand Taketh Away
Many actions taken with the best of intentions, unfortunately often are accompanied by unintended negative consequences. For example, according to the Congressional Research Service, the current COVID-19 outbreak may pose significant challenges for the United States’ blood supply. Mitigation strategies to prevent the spread of this disease, such as closures of schools and workplaces, have led to blood drive cancellations, resulting in a critical blood supply shortage in the Pacific Northwest (specifically, western Washington and Oregon). School closures, event cancellations, and other mitigation strategies in other areas of the country may provide challenges for maintaining a sufficient blood supply. The management and distribution of the supply in this nation is coordinated largely by private organizations (e.g., Red Cross), with some oversight by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Congress may need to consider how best to address critical shortages, such as through HHS or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) authority over blood safety and donation guidance.
The VA Health System Within A Nonexistent System
Calling U.S. health care a system is a misnomer. Rather than a single unified entity, it is a collection of various systems that include government providers (e.g., Veterans Health Administration and Medicare) and non-governmental providers (e.g., private sector employers and private insurance). At a time of COVID-19 crisis, the Veterans Administration is of special interest. Because of their age, patients who served in Vietnam, Korea, and World War II are an important part of a demographic group designated as being at high risk for this disease. The VA currently administers the provision of health care services for more than nine million beneficiaries. Having served their nation in time of need, every effort should be made to ensure that these individuals receive the kind of care they need in this period of crisis.
More Articles from March 2020 TRENDS
SOME REFLECTIONS ON A PANDEMIC
Indicates improvements that have been made in health care services in the four centuries that have elapsed since Italy had to deal with an outbreak of plague. Read More
PRESIDENT’S CORNER
ASAHP President Phyllis King discusses the Higher Logic platform established by ASAHP as a benefit where its members can share online questions, concerns, announcements, best practices, and many other items. Read More
RISING TO THE OCCASION
Depicts coordinated actions by various levels of government to cope with the health and economic challenges posed by the appearance of COVID-19 in the U.S. Read More
HEALTH REFORM DEVELOPMENTS
Points out some challenges in resolving essential uncertain infectious disease issues, provision of care for military veterans, and unintended negative consequences of beneficial actions implemented. Read More
DEVELOPMENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Describes governmental assistance for the education sphere in response to the spread of coronavirus and higher education accreditation in the context of this disease. Read More
QUICK STAT (SHORT, TIMELY, AND TOPICAL)
Trends In Alcohol-Induced Deaths In The United States, 2000-2016
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder And Learning Disabilities Among U.S. Children Aged 3–17 Years
Lab-On-Chip Ultrasonic Platform For Real-Time And Nondestructive Assessment Of Extracellular Matrix Stiffness
Brain Reading Technology And Development Of Brainwave-Controlled Devices Read More
AVAILABLE RESOURCES ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONICALLY
Characteristics And Health Status Of Informal Unpaid Caregivers: 2015-2017
2020 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts And Figures
Critical Analysis Of Existing And Emerging Patient Safety Practices Read More
TEETH, EARLY-LIFE ADVERSITY, AND MENTAL HEALTH RISK
Mentions how dentistry, anthropology, and archaeology on human tooth development potentially could be instrumental in producing an actionable new tool capable of achieving key primary prevention goals to offset physical and mental risks associated with early-life adversity. Read More
REPORTING OF RACE AND ETHNICITY IN THE MEDICAL LITERATURE
Refers to the extreme variability of reports on race and ethnicity in professional literature and the desirability of improving the collection, reporting, and publishing of such data. Read More