Alegent Health Hospital Case Study
Hayley Renshaw
2/20/12
Problem Statement Proposal
Issue/Problem
The population within the United States is growing every year. Not in the sense of the overall population but instead focused solely on the older demographic, specifically those 65 years and older. In 2009 the population represented 12.9% of the U.S. population which is one in every eight people. This number already seems very high; however it is expected to approximately 19% of the population by 2030. This is a very substantial growth in a respectively short period of time. (AOA) This means that many businesses are going to have to refocus the services in order to accommodate this newly expanded demographic. This holds true for Alegent Health Hospital in Omaha …show more content…
Hospice is not a curing system but instead a caring system. They try to make the last few months of ones life as comfortable as possible and can do this in the hospital, nursing homes, or the patient’s home. Hospice does not apply strictly to the senior population, however it is the most common patient and the demand for this certain demographic is also suppose to growth substantially as the baby boomers enter their senior years. Taking on more patients then accustomed to can cause many problems if they are not prepared for such a change and this is something Kleine is worried about. She wants to be prepared for the increase in demand before it is upon them, this way they can provide the best service possible. Since this is not yet a current problem it is hard to tell what the total impact will be and in what areas they need to adjust their current system. Also, since Hospice is not only for the senior patients they also need to maintain their service for the other patients as well and make sure that they don’t slack in any areas that they provide …show more content…
Hospice care is traditionally funded primarily by the patients insurance. However, in the many cases where the patient does not have insurance Medicare and Medicaid cover hospice care in most states. This system works very well for the hospice care providers and for the patients, this may not be the case in the very near future. With the Medicare fund running low and the aging population growing the likeliness of the funds being around to take care of this large population is very unlikely. This leaves both parties left with a very hard problem to deal with and a very hard decision to make. Does the care provider not provide the service if the patient does not have insurance or do they find an alternative solution to pay for these patients? And, if they choose to find another way to pay for their patients, what will that solution
2/20/12
Problem Statement Proposal
Issue/Problem
The population within the United States is growing every year. Not in the sense of the overall population but instead focused solely on the older demographic, specifically those 65 years and older. In 2009 the population represented 12.9% of the U.S. population which is one in every eight people. This number already seems very high; however it is expected to approximately 19% of the population by 2030. This is a very substantial growth in a respectively short period of time. (AOA) This means that many businesses are going to have to refocus the services in order to accommodate this newly expanded demographic. This holds true for Alegent Health Hospital in Omaha …show more content…
Hospice is not a curing system but instead a caring system. They try to make the last few months of ones life as comfortable as possible and can do this in the hospital, nursing homes, or the patient’s home. Hospice does not apply strictly to the senior population, however it is the most common patient and the demand for this certain demographic is also suppose to growth substantially as the baby boomers enter their senior years. Taking on more patients then accustomed to can cause many problems if they are not prepared for such a change and this is something Kleine is worried about. She wants to be prepared for the increase in demand before it is upon them, this way they can provide the best service possible. Since this is not yet a current problem it is hard to tell what the total impact will be and in what areas they need to adjust their current system. Also, since Hospice is not only for the senior patients they also need to maintain their service for the other patients as well and make sure that they don’t slack in any areas that they provide …show more content…
Hospice care is traditionally funded primarily by the patients insurance. However, in the many cases where the patient does not have insurance Medicare and Medicaid cover hospice care in most states. This system works very well for the hospice care providers and for the patients, this may not be the case in the very near future. With the Medicare fund running low and the aging population growing the likeliness of the funds being around to take care of this large population is very unlikely. This leaves both parties left with a very hard problem to deal with and a very hard decision to make. Does the care provider not provide the service if the patient does not have insurance or do they find an alternative solution to pay for these patients? And, if they choose to find another way to pay for their patients, what will that solution