HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
Read the passage and answer the given questions:
1. America has a highly developed health care system, which is available to all people. Although it can be very complex and frustrating at times, it has come a long way from the health care organizations of yesterday. Previously, most health care facilities were a place where the sick were housed and cared for until death. Physicians rarely practised in hospitals and only those who were fortunate could afford proper care at home or in private clinics.
2.Today the level of healthcare has excelled tremendously. Presently the goal of health care is to have a continuum of care for the patient; one which is integrated at all levels. Many hospitals offer a referral service or discharge plan to patients who are being discharged. Plans for the patient are discussed with a discharge planner. A discharge planner is a person who is trained in assessing what the patient’s requirements for healthcare will be after discharge from the hospital. This enables the patients to continue their care at a level which is most appropriate for them. Items reviewed for discharge planning include but are not limited to therapies, medication needs, living arrangements and identification of specific goals. A few of the options that are available for persons being discharged from an acute care hospital can include home health care, assisted living facilities, long-term care or hospice.
3.According to Growing Old in America (1996), “Home health care is one of the fastest growing segments of the healthcare industry. Alternatives for home care can meet both the medical and non-medical needs of a patient. These services are provided to patients and their families in their home or place of residence. Home care is a method of delivering nursing care and other therapies as required by the patient’s needs. Numerous alternatives are available for persons seeking health care at home. With transportable technologies such as durable medical equipment, oxygen supply and intravenous fluids, there are countless possibilities for treatment within the home setting. As stated in The Continuum of Long-Term Care, “Home health programmes range from formal organizations providing skilled nursing care to relatively informal networks that arrange to housekeeping for friends.” This has allowed for home care to quickly become an essential component of the health care delivery system in the United States.
4.In a home health care situation, the primary caregiver is usually not the physician. The physician is communicated with by phone and with documentation from the caregivers. The primary caregivers are usually the nurses and other team members who are involved directly with the patient’s care. But, the original order to begin home care must be initiated by the physician if skilled care is to be obtained. According to the 1995 Guide to Health Insurance for People with Medicare, “Medicare pays the frill cost of medically necessary home health visits by a Medicare-approved home health agency.” This coverage must meet specific criteria, but it can be a relief to family members to know that their loved ones can be taken care of at home without worrying about the expenses.
5. Unfortunately, if the care to be given within the home is termed “not medically necessary”, the expense is not covered. This can include items such as meal and medication delivery, a percentage of necessary durable medical equipment, personal care and homemaker services. Health care services that are not included can become quite numerous. It is often difficult for family members to understand why specific services are not covered especially when they appear to be necessary for the care of the patient. These costs can add up quickly and the impact of the cost can become quite distressing for family members and patients on a limited budget. In these cases, a social worker is usually provided to help the patient and family explore other avenues which may enable them to cover their health care costs.
6. Assisted living is an arrangement to residents of a facility that enables them to complete certain daily activities while remaining independent. The services provided enable the resident to achieve the maximum function of their activities of daily living. The services of unskilled and non-specialized personnel provide the activities essential to the care of the resident. These services help assist the aged, blind, disabled and other functionally limited individuals with necessary daily activities which they require help with or are unable to perform on their own. Examples of some of the services which may be available are light housekeeping, meal preparation, medication reminders and personal care. The personal care does not include specific health-oriented services which would require the services of a certified or licensed professional. It is stated well in Aging, “Although the level of services provided may vary, assisted living communities all to share a common goal, enabling people to live an active and independent a life as possible.”
On the basis of your understanding of the passage answer each of the questions that follow with the help of the options that follow:
(a) By saying that ‘it has come a long way from the health care organizations of yesterday’ the writer implies that
(i) health care services in America have not evolved over the years
(ii) health care services in America have deteriorated over the years
(iii) health care services in America have improved slightly over the years
(iv) health care services in America have shown a lot of improvement over the years
(b) The main duty of the discharge planner is to
(i) assess the requirements of the patients after discharge from the hospital
(ii) to enable the patient to carry on the treatment effect after discharge from the hospital
(iii) to provide the medical facilities needed by the patient at home
(iv) to plan and organize the medical treatment needed by the patient after discharge from the hospital
(c) Home health care has become possible because of
(i) Technology that can be transported from the hospital
(ii) Nurses who can be hired by patients
(iii) Availability of help to do the housekeeping
(iv) The organizations that can take care of both medical and non-medical needs of the patient
(d) Homecare for the patient cannot be started unless permitted by the
(i) Nurse (ii) Family members (iii) treating doctor (iv) hospital authorities
Answer the following questions briefly in your own words:
(e) What does the writer imply when he says that today patients in the US can continue their treatment at home?
(f) Mention one advantage of home health care?
(g) Who are the people who generally help the ailing patient at home apart from the family members?
(h) What does the word ‘hospice’ refer to?
(i) Why is it important for an Insurance agency to visit the patients being treated at home?
(j) How does the social worker help the patient?
(k) Pick out a word from the passage which means the same as the following:
(i) annoying/ upsetting (para 1)
(ii) range/variety (para 2)
ANSWERS:-
(a) (iv) (b) (i)
(c) (i) (d) (iii)
(e) That they still need care but don’t need to stay in the hospital for it.
(f) It meets both medical and non-medical requirements of a patient, who can recover in familiar surroundings.
(g) The nurses and therapists usually help the patient. There may also be people for personal care and housekeeping.
(h) Hospice is a place for the long-term care of terminally ill patients, till their death.
(i) To make sure that the services required by the patient are medically necessary, as only those services are covered by insurance.
(j) Social workers help patients learn about different options to help cover medical costs that are not covered by insurance.
(k) (i) Frustrating; (ii) Continuum
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