With ObamaCare yet to be implemented, there are sweeping changes in the health care field that are occurring irrespective of new legislation. This article will demonstrate just a few of the ways in which health care is entering into the 21st century.
-The Hospitalist: Traditionally hospital workers have been separated into two categories: doctors and nurses. Doctors prescribe and diagnose, nurses administer and treat. But today, a new breed of doctor has emerged from this traditional dichotomy. The hospitalist is a medical doctor who can do all of the things normal doctors can, but instead of operating or seeing patients all day, he makes rounds through the hospital, talking to patients and asking them what can be made better, from their pain (which he can prescribe medication for) to the efficiency of the cafeteria food (although some areas of the hospital he can affect more easily than others).
-ER: In some hospitals, you can now buy a spot in line at the ER. This area is now the most common entry point in a hospital and has ballooned in terms of numbers of people waiting. They are mostly older people, and poor people who can't afford doctor's visits and who wait until a problem is an emergency. Also, more people are on Medicaid, and believe it is easier to see a doctor by waiting in line for some hours rather than making an appointment and being turned away.
-More primary care doctors: The need for more primary care doctors and fewer specialists means that people are waiting in ER lines to get checked up. More people need cheaper and easier access to good care. But it seems that the only way this is happening is by spending money in the old fashioned way of getting good medical care. While ObamaCare will make it so that everyone has health insurance, the overall quality of treatment decreases. The rich will always be able to afford the best treatment. The poor will have access to basic treatment, which is better than no treatment at all.
-Medical waste disposal: Reusing medical supplies is an option for many hospitals, especially those attempting to recover from enormous debt obligations. It used to be that sterile medical supplies on an operating table were discarded after an operation. Today, there is not enough money to do that anymore. Medical waste services make medical waste management faster and more cost efficient.
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