Forms of Healthcare Delivery

            Healthcare delivery systems are rapidly changing significantly in the United States, with the core objective of improving service quality and clinical outcomes. As a result, there are various forms of healthcare delivery. This essay highlights two of these systems.

           One of the common forms of healthcare delivery is managed care. This involves an agreement among a network of doctors, facilities as well as healthcare providers. The networks, which are often predetermined, are often designed to offer healthcare services to citizens at relatively lower costs (Taylor & Lynn, 2011). The second form of healthcare delivery is self-care-directed services. This strategy mainly applies to Medicaid and gives room for patients to make individualized care-related decisions. Based on this method, patients can choose the facilities from which they can obtain specific forms of medical attention. The freedom to make medical choices offers the patients a wide array of options. Hence they can pick on what they deem best depending on their conditions.

           The advantage of managed care is that it enhances the accessibility of healthcare services to people due to the lower costs. Self-directed care is patient-focused and hence improves clinical outcomes, especially those that are related to client experiences. These methods also improve the ratio of contact between doctors and patients while creating an environment where healthcare services are available to all, irrespective of class, age, gender, or economic abilities.

           On the other hand, these forms of healthcare delivery may minimize quality explorations since the services are standardized across the networks. At the same time, giving too much space for patients to make their own decisions may encourage wrong steps, especially when there is a lack of guidance from healthcare professionals. These forms of healthcare delivery are funded mainly by the government, with the primary source of these funds coming from taxes.