Recommend How Ambulatory Services Should Be Funded

Recommend how ambulatory services should be funded

Ambulatory services are valuable in today's day and age. Ambulatory care is given out in various ways. The advances in technology allowed many procedures to be performed in outpatient or ambulatory facilities. As a result, there has been an influx in ambulatory care facilities, which have allowed more patients to receive treatment outside acute care hospitals. Many ambulatory care centers, such as outpatient and community health centers, have expanded to include surgery centers, mental health clinics, diagnostic-imaging centers, and many other associated facilities. There is a "historic shift away from hospital inpatient surgeries toward outpatient settings. This shift, combined with technological advances like laparoscopic surgery and improved anesthesia with quicker onset and faster offset, contributed to the significant ambulatory surgery center (ASC) growth over the last 40 years" (Mannino, 2012). Some are for-profit and/or are operated by chains, while others are non-profit hospitals organizations that have extended their services to provide ambulatory care as part of an integrated and cost-efficient method to provide care. There are several mediums that can be taken to ensure proper funding of ambulatory services. These mediums include the utilization of medical insurance coverage by the patients, funding from government and private sectors, and other public organizations. Since there are various ways to ensure funding, it's more imperative to view funding for ambulatory services as a social responsibility rather than an individual responsibility. Almost everyone will utilize ambulatory services at least once in their lifetime. The federal, state, and local governments should fund ambulatory care services. Health care costs are significantly rising due to inflation, medical technology advances, health care reform, and many other facets. It would be sensible to lessen the strain on the health care system by adding a line of funding for ambulatory services, which is generally cheaper than state hospitals. Ambulatory care services (ASC) are significantly cheaper than hospitals, which mean lower copays and out-of-pocket expenses. In fact, a "procedure performed in an outpatient surgery center costs 30-60% less than the identical surgery performed in an inpatient hospital setting" (Advameg, 2013). It is estimated "the reduction in health-care spending is $2.6 billion a year, and an additional $2.4 billion in savings could be wrung out of the system annually if just half of eligible surgeries moved to the ASC setting, according to the most recent statistics from ASCA" (Mannino, 2012). A significant portion of funds can be freed up if state governments relayed their funds to ASCs more than state hospitals. Another advantage of having federally funded ASCs is the superior level of quality and specialty they provide. The smaller settings at ambulatory care centers help physicians "develop better relationships and trust with patients" (Mannino, 2012). That sort of relationship encourages patients to relay any concerns in real-time to their physicians. Overall, the advantage in having a personalized connection with a physician provides satisfaction to the patients and appreciation for the care center. To sum it all up, ambulatory services are cheaper and provide better quality to patients; therefore, it should be funded federally to alleviate health care costs and increase quality.

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