The Relationship Between Managed Care And Prevention

In the fast and blanket(a) changes that come with the evolving health- perplexity systems in the unite States, Managed bursting charge organizations argon viewed as the in the buff actors in infirmity prevention and management. There argon several reasons wherefore Managed do by organizations should and are complicated in infirmity prevention and management. First, managed care organizations arrive at become the primary source of health care two for beneficiaries of familiarly and employer-funded health programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.Statistics show that Managed pull off registration has jumped from 6 million people in 1976 to 51 million in 1994 (Bektas, 2000). Since Managed bursting charge plans are radicalally set up as health care insurance policies, this rapid enlarge that is prevalent even in the present means a greater risk of financial injustice due to members getting sick with all kinds of disease. It thus becomes an imperative for Managed Care or ganizations to provide programs for disease prevention and management in value to downplay potential loss. Second, Managed Care plans become historically include prevention.This is embedded in the systems performance measure as such organizations insist and develop systems that aim to improve service quality. Thus, a god public figure of Managed Care organizations use internal performance-measurement and quality-improvement systems like Continuous Quality feeler (CQI) for system oversight and enhancement. Since the primary goal of Managed Care organizations is the health eudaemonia of its clients, it falls incumbent upon them to provide measures for disease management and prevention (Bektas, 2000).Previous cautionary measures that Managed Care organizations were involved with include vaccinations, cancer and cholesterol screening, mammography, retina exams for diabetics and prenatal care. Third, since Managed Care organizations are basically representatives of organized care systems, they should take due responsibleness for the populations they service. They are accountable to plan purchasers and individual consumers as well as to federal and state regulatory agencies for outcomes desired of all stakeholders which includes disease prevention.The chase are the current measures that Managed Care organizations provide for disease prevention and management. complaints and health Care Information Drives Information drives aim to use public sensory faculty to prevent possible undesirable outcomes from occurring. This activity involves tie-ups with business and government institutions where the drives could be launched. Some information drives are launched in public schools while opposites are held in business districts or company buildings.For its part, The Group Health joint of Puget Sound (GHCPS), a Managed Care organization with 486,000 members in Washington and Idaho continues to have information drives on the dangers of weed, depression light up onion and management, stress management, and bicycle sanctuary tips for children (Gordon, 2003). Such moves have led to an 8% decrease in smoking prevalence from 1985 to 1994, a 44% increase in the use of seemly bicycle safety gear among children from 1987 to 1992 which is cited as the main reason for the 67% decrease in bicycle-related injuries in the same dot (Gordon, 2003).Disease Screening Disease screening involves offering free services for routine examinations for common diseases. GHCPS has been involved with launching breast cancer screening programs in the past 12 years and continues to be involved at the present. The programs have yielded a 32% decrease in late-stage breast cancer. This is primarily because the program was able to detect breast cancer in early stages. This led to a 27% increase in survivability of breast cancer patients (Gordon, 2003). join Health plan in Los Angeles is also funding a similar program, they have also included lung and skin cancer screeni ng as well as cholesterol and sugar level monitoring. United Health has reported positive results regarding these disease screening programs. They determine several cases of abnormal cholesterol and sugar levels on a daily basis which help clients avoid further health risks. immunization political platforms Immunization programs require the procurement, delivery, and administration of necessary vaccines in fix to prevent common diseases.These often necessitate tie-ups with pharmaceutical companies and local government. The GHPCS, United Health, and several other Managed Care organizations continually launch immunization programs for childishness and adult vaccinations. The vaccines are for diseases like chicken pox, influenza, hepatitis, typhoid, mumps and measles. Similarly, the National Immunization Program has formed tie ups with several Managed Care organizations to improve preschool childrens vaccination status. The dynamics of this alliance have individual organizations wor king with public health agencies in conducting CQI initiatives in immunization areas.The main objective is to increase vaccination rates in children up to 24 months of age. The program involves data collection and patient database management, parent education and incentives, and partnerships with both public and unavowed entities for community outreach and immunization education. Implementation of the program over a 5-year period resulted to the standardization of vaccination records, various information seminars for medical staffs and childrens parents, and a vaccination completion rate that increased to 73% from 55% since the scrawl of the program (Gordon, 2003).Satisfied with the programs initial success, the National Immunization Program continues its partnership with Managed Care organizations at the present. Breastfeeding Seminars and Pre-natal care Previous studies have shown that breastfeeding significantly increases infants immune system and body resistance. This is why United Health also implements a breastfeeding sensation and seminar program that seeks to make women who have just given birth or are currently large(predicate) aware of the advantages of breastfeeding their babies up to two years of age.These seminars also discuss and confound common misconceptions about breastfeeding and include illustrations on proper breastfeeding in order to minimize discomforts and maximize milk output. These programs have helped increase the prevalence of breastfeeding from alone 7% in 1988 to 30% in 1990. Currently, breastfeeding programs have collectively back up 65% of American pregnant women to breastfeed for at least 6 months after giving birth (Gordon, 2003). Public Service ClinicsPublic service clinics are situated in key locations within the coverage area of designated Managed Care organizations. Their primary task is to service the immediate communitys basic health care needs. Their objectives include preventing disease outbreaks, providing a v enue for other programs such as screening and immunization drives, and administering immediate remedies regardless of health care insurance status. Of the 100,000 people under United Healths public service clinics, only 65% are Medicaid or Medicare beneficiaries (Gordon, 2003).Conclusion Managed Care organizations have genuine, industry based concern regarding the immediate and long-term disease prevention and management status of the areas that they operate in. This has led them to venturing into a transition of action plans that include information drives, screening and immunization programs, health awareness seminars and public service clinics. These projects show that managed Care organizations are standing up to their responsibility of not merely insuring but also ensuring the health of the American society.ReferencesGordon, K. (2003). Corporate Responsibility in Managed Care Providers. Howard & Sons New Jersey.Bektas, Y. (2000). An Analysis of Trends in American Health Care s ince World War II. Prentice Hall.