“Healthcare is growing–in some ways more like a new industry than like a long-standing one” (Moore, Eyestone, & Coddington, 2014, p. 3).

I agree with the statement above and here is why:

Healthcare is indeed a state of continuous growth.  Everyday someone discovers a new technology that healthcare providers are able to utilize to change/safe someone’s life.  Recently, one of my coworkers told me of a procedure where healthcare providers are utilizing herpes virus cell to combat melanoma.  The FDA approved the injectable drug back in 2015 which has been shown to shrink tumors in 16 percent of patients.  As recent as 2017, the drug has been shown to reduce cancer by 50%.  Herpes is a virus, so the body’s immune system assist in combating the disease because it recognizes cancer cells as threat that needs to be destroyed (Holmes, 2017).

The healthcare industry has undergone many changes in the 21st century alone it has implemented Lean Principles and aimed at reducing wasteful practices.  Moreover, the healthcare industry has implemented the utilization of electronic records making it easier for physicians and patients alike to have access to a patient’s information at their fingertips. In addition, with the implementation of the electronic records, researches and physicians can confer with other colleagues on test studies and ongoing research to find the best treatment possible for their respective patients.  These changes have been necessary and beneficial not only for the providers but for the patients as well for the aforementioned reasons.  The changes have assisted the healthcare industry should nursing, and physician shortages as well as the over utilization of resources such as ORs.  The Affordable Care Act has drastically assisted in positive changes for healthcare organizations by making affordable insurance available for millions of Americans.  Previously, patients were forced to go to Emergency Rooms for non-emergent care due to the fact that they did not have health insurance; needless to say, this routine was a waste of resources and money for hospitals. The restructuring of healthcare has mandated changes for hospitals so that they get recompenses from Medicare/Medicaid by meeting specific standards set forth by CMS (Novack & Brown, 2014).

References:

Holmes, J. (2017, May 11). Injecting herpes to fight cancer? Orlando doctor says it works. Retrieved September 1, 2017, from http://www.wftv.com: http://www.wftv.com/news/local/injecting-herpes-to-fight-cancer-orlando-doctor-says-it-works/521630433

Novack, J., & Brown, K. (2014, October 7). Like It Or Not, Obamacare Is Reshaping The Healthcare Industry. Retrieved September 1, 2017, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/janetnovack/2014/10/07/like-it-or-not-obamacare-is-reshaping-the-healthcare-industry/#163c3e07f068: https://www.forbes.com