Health System Integration

Over the past few years, the desire for a better and efficient health care system that promotes worldwide improvement in the healthcare sector has given birth to the integrated health systems (Marmor, & Wendt 2011). These systems have been widely supported because of their capability to provide better quality healthcare services and stupendous patient satisfaction through favorable costs of treatment. They may be vertically or horizontally integrated.
A vertically integrated health system involves unification of entities that are different stages of health care production process with the aim of improving efficiency of the services they provide and to improve patient or consumer satisfaction (Marmor & Wendt 2011). The UC Davis health system is one example of such a system. Located in the heart of the most populous state in the United States; California, it is home to a number of institutions comprising; the institute for population health improvement and the cancer center; not forgetting the institute for regenerative cures. Given the above mentioned institutions, the system is quite large as it also encompasses a teaching facility and provides further training opportunities for its employees. A one-thousand-member physician group is also incorporated in the system.
By virtue of offering training to its employees, the system has fueled the attempts to promote efficiency in service delivery as well as heighten the general growth of the health sector. Some of the services that are rendered through this system are: a faster access to health care through the Tele health and Tele medicine services which target patients who are at a greater distance and whose access to faster health care is constrained by their geographical location and the availability of forty medical specialties which are at the drop of a hat accessible to hospitals and clinics (Marmor, & Wendt 2011). This plays a huge role in promoting access to care and patient satiety.
These services are just but a few of some of the services that are rendered through this system. As a matter of fact, it has performed so well in the past to the extent that it has been has received many good reviews from its patients and employees, some citing that the patient care is top priority to the system and that it works to ensure that they make a difference to the patients (Griffith 2008). It has positively impacted on the access to care for its patients through their network of Telemedicine and Tele health which have brought health services to people living at greater distances to their doorstep.
The management has made mandate to provide better quality care to the patients through conducting some studies with the aim of improving quality of care and preventing pathogens (Griffith 2008). Through offering training to its employees, it has contributed to employee motivation ultimately leading to an improvement in the human resource which in turn, has promoted efficiency in the work place. Coworkers are without a doubt trained to be team players.
The other type of health system integration is horizontal integration which has been defined by different scholars as the conjoining of units which are at the same stage of healthcare production activities into one unit that lies under one management. The Sutter health program is one exemplification of this system. Its base of operations being Sacramento, California; it has seven medical foundations, some number of united hospitals and several outpatient technology care centers (Griffith 2008).
Orthopedics, cancer care, diabetes care, mental health care and heart care are some of the services areas that are provided through this system (Griffith 2008). How is the good quality of these services attained and upheld? This is met through the participation of health care givers in volitional and mandatory practices that uphold consumer satiety and promote high quality care giving services at the most affordable prices.
In 2014, Sutter care launched a system that ensured a great deal of financial aid for those who were not financially stable or rather those were undergoing a financial crisis. Through establishment of platforms whereby the charity foundations would embark on giving back to the society, it helped to alleviate the pain that would be endured by patients due to the lack of the ability to access medical care. Some of these patients were those who lacked access to health insurance and to them, they were offered the services at discounted prices and also the money raised through charity created a funding system for their future need for medical attention. The system in some other instances, cut back on the charges they were laying so that people could get better access to treatment and other care giving related services (Griffith 2008). This also, reduced the costs that the patient would foot.
In conclusion, the integration confers certain benefits to the associated parties. However, there exists some cons associated with this including: locking out of the small thriving institutions by such systems, increase in costs associated with improvement of technology and it may prove to be overwhelming to the management due to the high level of attention and care that is required for the system to run as required. The flexibility might actually be reduced when units integrate. The possible solution to these problems would be finding ways in which they would be minimized considerably.

References

Griffith, J. R. (2008). Designing 21st century healthcare: Leadership in hospitals and healthcare systems. Chicago, Ill: Health Administration Press.
Marmor, T. R., & Wendt, C. (2011). Reforming healthcare systems: Vol. 1. (Reforming healthcare systems.) Cheltenham: Elgar.