Homecare is a major component of the healthcare sector, which is comprised of hospitals and homecare, as well as healthcare professionals and other related medical services. The healthcare sector provides four essential roles in the healthcare of a community through the cooperation of financial and non-financial linkage. For the past few decades, the healthcare industry has generated significant earnings which directly show that healthcare is indeed an important sector of the economy.
In addition, transfer payments related to medical services such as Medicare and Medicaid, provide a considerable amount of a state’s income. Homecare services are comprised of several resources, including healthcare professionals such as the doctors and nurses, as well as services such as homecare for the elderly. It has been observed that the healthcare industry has substantially grown in the last two decades and this is mostly due to the entire growth of a particular city or state.
The steady increase of a population in the city or state also influences the growth of the healthcare industry of that particular area because it generates income from transfer payments related to medical and retirement services. In fully developed states and counties, homecare services are highly improved and it is pertinent to consider the provision of these services as a business regimen. Analysts have observed that when homecare services are available in a particular area, the community also experiences twice the amount of benefits of their existence.
Firstly, the availability of homecare services improves the health of its elderly residents. Secondly, local homecare access significantly increases the economic standard of the community. The function of the healthcare industry in economy is founded on the financial and non-financial associations that were created with a particular city or county. A financial linkage pertains to a relationship between the expenses of a healthcare provider and the cash outlay of other local companies in the area.
This setting provides an ideal venue for mutual support through the employment of operations such as sales and purchases, which in turn result in a greater local market. On the other hand, non-financial linkages are related to the responsibility of maintaining physicians in that particular local area in order to encourage a more valuable healthcare workforce in the locale. This condition both attracts and maintains the functionality of the healthcare industry.
The relationship between homecare services and its linkages is generally measured through the amount of revenue the healthcare sector generates, yet there are also other indirect methods in determining the influence of these linkages. In terms of financial linkages, there are three influential methods are further promote the strength of the healthcare sector. The concept of keeping the revenue within the locale has been an effective way of supporting the healthcare sector.
This approach includes the provision for private insurances for the local residents of the community which influences the out-of-pocket expenses of the consumer, as well as payment transfers for Medicare and Medicaid members. If the healthcare services availed by a consumer come from another country or state, this will be translated as a loss of work in terms of healthcare and income to the residents of the county or the state (Chanda, 2002). It is thus recommended that local healthcare services be requested within a consumer’s county, in order to maintain the economy of that particular area.
It should also be noted that not only healthcare professionals are affected by out-of-county homecare requests, but the employers and employees of the healthcare facility are also affected because these individuals purchase healthcare products and provide services that support the local economy of the county. The members of the healthcare facility include the physicians, nurses, technicians, pharmacists and dentists, who are instrumental in generating revenue in the county.
The revenue they generate indirectly influences the rest of the members of the county, even those who are not related to healthcare services, such as restaurants, housing development and other retail businesses (Simpson et al. , 2005). The presence of a healthcare facility in a county positively influences other services and business of a county, including laundry services and waste management. The healthcare sector also influences the increase in the amount of people that could be included in payrolls and taxes.
Hence the strengthening of the healthcare sector’s workforce significantly influences both private and public business in the locale. Another linkage that is associated with the homecare sector is the exportation service, which pertains to the attraction of patients from other counties or states to avail of the service (Cormack, 2002). This appeal of a healthcare sector to bring in additional patients other than their local residents is directly related to the quality of healthcare or homecare services that they provide.
Such positive feedback is usually spread throughout the state or country by word of mouth or through testimonies or reports from healthcare professionals and previous patients. The influx of patients for homecare and other healthcare services results in more revenue to the county or state’s economy, which in turn allow the healthcare sector to buy more products which will further improve their facility as well as their services (Cortinois et al. , 2003). The greater revenue may also provide a way to create more positions in the healthcare sector so that additional manpower can be hired.
Other linkages that may influence homecare services include recruitment firms that work on the promotion of the services to the local residents of the state or county. Recruitment firms play an important role in increasing the number of patients for healthcare services because these provide value-added services such as therapy and yoga and other relaxation activities for the members (Wenger, 2007). It is a general sight to have retirees choosing a healthcare home or facility based on the quality of services that they provide.
The health status of the residents of the locale is also an important linkage for the healthcare sector because aside from providing actual medical services, the healthcare sector also has the capability of providing preventive care for the residents of the county. More importantly, preventive care will benefit the elderly members of the communities because these particular individuals are expected to experience changes in their physiological functions during the aging process.
The homecare needs of a community are commonly determined through the application of three basic questions that should be answered by a particular county or locale. The strategic healthcare planning thus includes the query of where the community is located and what are the conditions of this community at that particular moment. The specific description of the community and its available healthcare services will thus determine the kind of facilities that may be put up at that particular place. In addition, strategic healthcare planning also involves determination of where the county wants to go in terms of development.
This includes whether there is a need for a healthcare or homecare facilities within its premises. Of course there is a less likely chance for a homecare facility to be established in a community that already harbors three facilities. Another factor that has to be considered in designing the homecare strategy of a local area is to determine what approaches or methods are needed in order to establish the healthcare sector within the locale. The healthcare sector linkages thus play a critical role in the success of a healthcare strategy of a county.
Efficient planning is needed in order to complete such endeavor. In addition, the participation of the members of the county or residents of the locale as well as their local leaders is also essential in the success of the healthcare sector in a particular county. It should be taken into interest that if a certain locale shows resistance to the strategy of establishing a healthcare facility in an area, then it is not surprising to know later that the healthcare facility has actually lost in its business.
It is therefore important that the community offer its commitment in providing linkages and support to the healthcare sector in order to establish a well-founded facility with the county. When a resource group facilitates the design and establishment of a healthcare sector, the facility thus flourishes and ultimately the community benefits from such success, directly and indirectly. The healthcare sector is thus an important component of a productive economy, comprised of hospitals and homecare, as well as healthcare professionals and other related medical services.
The healthcare sector provides four essential roles in the healthcare of a community through the cooperation of financial and non-financial linkage. The healthcare industry has generated significant earnings which directly show that healthcare is indeed an important sector of the economy. In addition, transfer payments related to medical services such as Medicare and Medicaid, provide a considerable amount of a state’s income.
References
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