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Show I N T E R 0 M II N TAIN en IT H E A A. H C R A E sm aw providers to find more innovative ways of delivering quality care at a lower cost. Delivering more care in outpatient settings has been one result. 1 i:t Steve Koiii Vhj. I'kivik.vi Where is IHC in all this?' Si vii w I.VII K.H AI.V lllAI III (AM: Many excellent physician clinics and outpatient centers exist in the Intermountain West. IHC is affiliated with several. We have developed a concept called the IHC Health Center. These centers include physician offices, treatment rooms, and facilities for screenings and health education. IHCs plans call for building such centers in a number of areas of the changes you One likely to experience health care is lhai increasingly more of your care will be provided outside the hospital in outpatient centers and clinics. Although the concept of outpatient care is not new, it is becoming more common as hospitals and health net works focus on making care more affordable and more convenient. Outpatient care also matches society s expectations that health care shift from sick care to health maintenance and kMM&w II. - II systems must also be available in the event outside services are interrupted. All of this infrastructure, technology, and staff are necessary to care for hospitalized savings and less hassle. Thanks to laparoscopic technology, a surgery that traditionally required nearly six QUALITY. Outpatient care makes sense in today's managed care environment and is an advantage to consumers for several reasons: By contrast, outpatient facilities and clinics are far less costly. Most outpatient centers do not operate 24 hours and have fewer costs in everything from building size and design to stafT, Finally, outpatient care means the same high-levquality that health care consumers have come to expect in other settings. The same new processes and procedures that are reducing cost also get patients back to work sooner. And as managed care plans seek to maintain the lifelong health . COST. paperwork, and administrative costs. of members, neighborhood physician clinics and health prevention. First, outpatient care typically means lower costs. In the past, hospitals have been the hub of health care activity. However, hospitals, . by their nature, are expensive places to operate. Hospitals are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Some hospitals are like small cities some have more than 100 departments and - - more than 3,000 employees. Hospitals are built to very stringent codes. Emergency J) patients. CONVENIENCE. 4 The second advantage offered by outpatient care is greater convenience. Outpatient care lends itself to decentralized care sites, as care moves away from hospitals and . back into neighborhood physician offices and clinics. By bringing care closer to where people live and work, customers enjoy greater time el centers' make it easy for people to obtain the regular ventive care and health education they need. What has made this evolution of outpatient care possible? Several factors: Medical advances. Diagnostic and surgical . tech- niques have been improved; new medical technology has led to 70 percent of surgeries in Utah being done on an outpatient basis. One of many procedures that has shifted largely to outpatient is gallbladder surgery. days' hospitalization now currently under-serve-d primary care. is a same-da- y procedure that costs the amount of ? the inpatient Two of these cen- ters opened this spring in Layton and North Ogden. Future centers are one-thi- rd procedure. High-power- by planned along the Wasatch Front, and more may follow in ed pharmaceuticals have revolutionized care. For example, a kidney infection that used to require several other areas. - In the ongoing effort to provide appropriate .care in the most appropriate setting, outpatient centers offer a convenient, affordable alternative to patients. days of hospitalization can now be treated with an antibiotic administered in a clinic under physician ' supervision. Information systems are eliminating the constraints of time and distance. Now, thanks to new computer and telecommunication systems, a patient's medical record, lab reports, and billing information can be conveniently accessed by the patient and r. the . Please call or write if you would like to see other issues addressed in this column. Ktm&XCNIEALnfCCE 36 South State Street Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 care-give- Consumers' demands for more affordable care have challenged health care Intermountain IHC Healthcare |
