Twenty five percent of the American population reside in rural areas, these areas are mainly agricultural areas. For many of these residents accessing quality healthcare has become exceedingly difficult. First of all, people living in rural areas face unique challenges, that the urban community do not necessarily face, lack of transportation, and lack of communication skills for instance illiteracy and being non English speaking. Secondly, the Federal government has implemented a program to aid people residing in these areas, Healthcare Professional Shortage Areas, or HPSA. “Boosts your underserved area with monetary stimulus to retain and attract new physicians, supporting your medical personnel and programs” (hpsa.us). While this program
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Twenty two percent of the rural population fall between the lower and lower middle annual income rates making $37,500 or less a year, so even with the passing of the Affordable Care Act, many rural residents still cannot afford healthcare coverage. (rural.palegislsture.us) another issue that stops residents from accessing healthcare when it is needed is the means to get to a healthcare facility. Public transportation is not readily available to rural areas , the distance to a facility is usually greater than some are willing to travel unless it is an emergency situation , and taking the time off work to see a physician when most residents work for an hourly rate and cannot afford to miss the time . Along with these issues rural residents might also face communication issues such as illiteracy and being non English speaking, leading to confidence issues (raconline.org). Another obstacle people of rural America face is a poorer general status than those living in urban areas. Those living with chronic disease, hypertension, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are thirty percent higher in rural areas over urban areas. There is also a forty four percent higher rate of work related fatalities in rural areas (U.S. department of Health and Human Services). With only ten percent of healthcare professionals practicing in rural areas, the people who call …show more content…
The Pay 4 Performance incentive program provides incentives to healthcare providers and facilities to achieve ideal patient outcomes. Pay 4 Performance is broken down into four general topics process, structure, outcome, and patient experience. While Pay 4 Performance has had mixed results, the hope of the program is to increase the quality of care patients receive. For example, health insurance companies like Medicaid no longer reimburse hospitals for ailments patients acquire while in the hospital’s care, such as bed sores and urinary tract infections from catheter use. Harvard Medical School Researchers found that in the first year of the program facilities who participated in Pay 4 Performance saw “reduced medical spending and improved quality of patient care relative to a comparable group of providers paid through the traditional fee-for-service approach.”(healthcareaffairs.org). In conclusion, the healthcare shortage has hit the U.S. healthcare system hard but for those living in rural areas it has added complications to the difficulties they already faced in accessing quality health care. The Federal government has executed various programs to aid the rural population in receiving the healthcare they need, mainly the Healthcare Professional Shortage and Pay for Performance. While these programs have had mixed results, they are a step
Twenty two percent of the rural population fall between the lower and lower middle annual income rates making $37,500 or less a year, so even with the passing of the Affordable Care Act, many rural residents still cannot afford healthcare coverage. (rural.palegislsture.us) another issue that stops residents from accessing healthcare when it is needed is the means to get to a healthcare facility. Public transportation is not readily available to rural areas , the distance to a facility is usually greater than some are willing to travel unless it is an emergency situation , and taking the time off work to see a physician when most residents work for an hourly rate and cannot afford to miss the time . Along with these issues rural residents might also face communication issues such as illiteracy and being non English speaking, leading to confidence issues (raconline.org). Another obstacle people of rural America face is a poorer general status than those living in urban areas. Those living with chronic disease, hypertension, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are thirty percent higher in rural areas over urban areas. There is also a forty four percent higher rate of work related fatalities in rural areas (U.S. department of Health and Human Services). With only ten percent of healthcare professionals practicing in rural areas, the people who call …show more content…
The Pay 4 Performance incentive program provides incentives to healthcare providers and facilities to achieve ideal patient outcomes. Pay 4 Performance is broken down into four general topics process, structure, outcome, and patient experience. While Pay 4 Performance has had mixed results, the hope of the program is to increase the quality of care patients receive. For example, health insurance companies like Medicaid no longer reimburse hospitals for ailments patients acquire while in the hospital’s care, such as bed sores and urinary tract infections from catheter use. Harvard Medical School Researchers found that in the first year of the program facilities who participated in Pay 4 Performance saw “reduced medical spending and improved quality of patient care relative to a comparable group of providers paid through the traditional fee-for-service approach.”(healthcareaffairs.org). In conclusion, the healthcare shortage has hit the U.S. healthcare system hard but for those living in rural areas it has added complications to the difficulties they already faced in accessing quality health care. The Federal government has executed various programs to aid the rural population in receiving the healthcare they need, mainly the Healthcare Professional Shortage and Pay for Performance. While these programs have had mixed results, they are a step