FUTURE CHALLENGES FOR HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT (Essay Sample)

FUTURE CHALLENGES FOR HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT Name: Course: Date: Introduction Healthcare management is very necessary for the development of any country. It provides leadership and direction to organizations that deliver health services to the society, and encompass the use of both clinical and information technology to ensure optimal delivery of healthcare. The healthcare industry is very expansive and ranges from preventive care, rehabilitation, to emergency services, just to name a few. It is essential that individuals involved in healthcare management possess specific skill sets and experience. The skill sets may include program and project management, flexibility, budgetary oversight, and the ability to lead staff. These skills come in handy for efficient execution of healthcare management functions and adaptability to future trends. Healthcare management faces potential challenges due to the growing health care industry. Some of these challenges are cost fluctuations, and changing healthcare policies. Costs fluctuations Healthcare costs impact every component of the healthcare delivery system. Healthcare costs have continued to increase due to the increased demand for medical care; advent of new medical equipment, with high maintenance costs, and an ever increasing population leading to high demand for medical services.The rise might pose challenges in the future in terms of medical affordability and service delivery. Also, there is an impending shortage of doctors and the lack of qualified personnel to curb the emerging new diseases which also manifests in terms of high medical costs. Health care policies Medicare has multiple policies. Over the recent past, these policies have been subjected to change for the betterment of future healthcare management. Some of the policies include raising the medical eligibility age from 65 years, and the means testing of medical care benefits. In America, for instance, the limited availability of private health care led to the formation of medical care in 1965. At that point in time, the retirement age was 65 years, as well as life expectancy. Currently, life expectancy has dramatically increased from 78 years in the year 2008 to 78.2 in the year 2009, and the increase has been greatly attributed to improved technology. The high prospect of technology advancing in the future will allow the life expectancy to continue rising too, and thus, it would be prudent to increase the healthcare age requirement for an all-inclusive healthcare management for the elderly. Means testing, on the other hand, involves an investigation into a person’s financial stability for the determination of eligibility of help from the government. There is a massive crisis of entitlement spending in America. In the coming years, say seven years from now, government debt will be greater than the nation’s entire gross domestic product, and the main driver of the debt will be due to entitlement programs. Because of the aging population and rising health care costs, Medicare has been pushed to the limit. The range of possible solutions has been restricted by depressed federal revenues, budget deficits, just to name a few. The incremental slow and steady increase of the retirement age and the minor mo...