Archive for category Health Care Services

The Home Health Care industry is growing at a tremendous rate. Even with America’s ever slowing economy Home Care is still in high demand. Workers in the field of Home Health Care see this happening first hand. Instead of having Certified Nurses Aides come in home and do hourly care, Home Care sees an ever growing need for Home Health Aide Live In Services. This puts outstanding stress on Home Health Care Agencies to fill not only the clients physical and mental needs but also the financial needs as well. Not all Home Health Care Agencies can support these demands of Live In Services. This kind of valuable service gives the client a companion for care twenty four hours a day, seven days a week at virtually half the cost of hourly Home Health Care Services.

Home Care Agencies are a dime a dozen, finding out which one is ready to help you out can be a daunting and stressful task. For Home Care Services on a Live In basis there are things to look for and specific questions you can ask to help you decide if a particular Home Health Care Agency is right for your loved ones. For instance the differences between a 1099 agency and a w-2 agency are night and day to how services are brought to the client/s. Below is a comparison between a 1099 Agency and a w-2 Agency.

1099 Agency -

1). Works like a temp agency by sub contracting out caregivers that register with them.
2). Charges either the client or caregiver (sometimes both) a “finders fee”
3). All taxes (Workers Comp, Unemployment etc.) are left to the client and caregiver to pay.
4). If caregiver has an emergency and needs relief, it is the client/caregivers’ responsibility to find coverage.
5). Has a typically lower rate than w-2 agencies and often can be negotiated with a caregiver.
6). 1099 Agency has no responsibility to the client after caregiver is selected and fees are paid.

W-2 Agency -

1). Works as the employer to all caregivers that register with the agency.
2). No fee for finding caregivers to work for the client.
3). All taxes are paid by the agency, none are left to the caregivers/clients to pay.
4). Time off taken by the caregiver is covered by the agency or any replacements for caregivers are also done by the agency at clients discretion.
5). Has typically a higher rate than 1099 agencies. Usually because they are paying all state and federal taxes.
6). W-2 Agency works directly for the client and their families.

There are many health services and a proper range of health care services needs to be provided under a proper healthcare system. The United States does not have the best health care services in the world but it can be said that it has the best emergency care system around the globe. The fact behind this is that America is having highest level of poverty and income inequality among all the rich and developed nations and it affects the reach of the people to the proper health services.

Health systems are designed to fulfill the needs of the health care of some targeted nation or population. Health care planning and its proper system implementation are much more necessary for any country or government. According to the World health report 2000 “Improving performance are good health, responsiveness to the expectations of the population, and fair financial contribution.” Duckett (2004) proposed a two dimensional approach to evaluation of health systems: “quality, efficiency and acceptability on one dimension and equity on another.”

To have a best health care facilities UNICEF advises that there must be three primary steps which can then systematically improve the health services and to complete a health system.

1. Standards
2. Assessment and Accreditation
3. Support Materials

Seven years ago World Health Organization made the first major effort to rank the health systems of 191 nations. The following parameters were taken in consideration for the best care services;

· Insurance Coverage
· Access
· Fairness
· Health Lives
· Quality
· Life and Death
· Patient Satisfaction
· Use of IT
· Top of the Line Care
· Walk in clinic

Health is a state of well being, physically, mentally, socially and psychologically. Health services are fundamental part of any community, therefore financial stability and proper coverage of medical through insurance or some other way is very much necessary for a human to live and stay normal. There is a proper process oriented structure is required, implemented by the government to provide the health services to each and every of their citizen. The health care industry is responsible to provide the proper health care services to the people with their arm namely health services providers. These health services are paid and could be paid by the patient, by insurance plan, or by the government. Charities and volunteers also play their role to provide the health services to those who are unable to afford. There could be various ways to provide health services to the patient, normally can be categorized into two main;

· Face to Face:

This is the most common way, where the provider, interacts with the patient physically and after having the checkup and understanding of the issues, diagnoses the problem or suggests some tests or medication.

· Non -Face To Face:

Telecommunication is the latest emerging facility, which is now in use to provide healthcare services as well. The practitioner can interact with the patient using, phone, email, text message, or video conferencing and then can provide further suggestions to him / her.

Health services are also provided at schools where the children could be taken care of. UNESCO has published a set of tools to provide the guidance to school healthcare services providers. Following are the basic parameters which must be catered;

· HIV/AIDS
· Food and nutrition
· Helminthes and hygiene
· Malaria
· Violence
· Drugs, tobacco and alcohol

In any health services providing system there could be the following three types of health services.

1. Primary Health Care Services:

Whenever someone needs a health care service in normal and routine life, who could be a family doctor, nurse, nurse practitioner, physiotherapist, pharmacist, etc. Primary health services often include prevention and treatment of common diseases and injuries.

2. Secondary Health CareServices:

Whenever someone needs a special care he/she is referred to a specialized care unit, like hospital, or nursing home to provide secondary level of health facilities.

3. Additional / Supplementary Health Care Services:

The services which are normally provided to the senior citizens, children or to whom which do not have their proper medical coverage or paying capabilities and the expanses are covered through government funds or through some volunteer or charity organization.