Healthcare has many faces in today’s changing economy and patients lend themselves

Healthcare has many faces in today’s changing economy and patients lend themselves over to the physicians in those facilities who are more technologically equipped and sophisticated now than ever before (Griffin). Depending on a patient’s needs, an inpatient or putpatient facility is equipped to meet them, though they differ in many ways. What can be expected is a team of professionals who have the capability to provide their consumers with the best care and treatment available and a facility that will continue to improve due to the advancements that will inevitably remain a constant. Inpatient and outpatient facilities are structured smilialrly with many layers of management overseeing specific areas. Inpatient facilities are governed by a Board of Directors while a Chief Executive Officer supervises officers assisting him or her in their respective departments. Outpatient facilities are headed by a medical director who oversees all clinical aspects of the facility, and a practice administrator who is responsible for the day-day operations (Lucas). Both types of facilities have high-tech equipment and trained professionals that are able to meet their needs to the best of their ability given the advancements available. An inpatient facility provides a variety of services, mostly aimed at serving patients who have been admitted to the hospital and may have a lengthy stay and therefore is comprehensive in care. It is comprised of several units in which a patient can be placed based upon their needs and will be thoroughly monitored by a team of nurses. The two major departments are intensive care and nonintensive care. An intensive care unit is broken down into medical, surgical, coronary, neonatal, and pediatric typically. In non-intensive care units, one would find orthopedic, oncology, pediatric, and a stepdown unit, to name a few. Each unit has a charge nurse who supervises the nursing staff and doctors likely move throughout all of the units depending on their expertise or individual patients. Other departments found throughout an inpatient facility include, surgery, radiology, pathology, respiratory, pharmacy, and the emergency department. When admitted, patients are observed around the clock. Their testing, whether it be X-rays, ultrasounds, nuclear medicine scans and a plethora of others, are done in the same facility and possibly without the patient leaving their room as portable devices can be utilized by technicians. Admission as an inpatient means leaving their life but insodoing, they can fully focus on their recovery. An outpatient clinic is aimed toward treatment of a patient and release to their home in a short amount of time, not requiring admission to the hospital and at least one overnight stay. A range of services are provided that will not require a patient to undergo a lengthy recovery, typically those include departments of radiology, endoscopy, rehabilitation, women’s imaging center, and a clinical laboratory. Services provided here almost always cost less than the same testing done as an inpatient (Peonic). Outpatients also enjoy the ability to return to their lives, though focus on recovery dwindles. One trend that will remain prevalent in healthcare is the advancement of technology. Technology is constantly and exponentially improving making way for more accuracy and prediction in medicine and treatment. It touches almost every aspect in a healthcare facility, from radiological imaging and robotic-assisted surgeries to record-keeping. IT is also putting healthcare in the hands of patients as eHealth technologies and devices can be used at home and provide physicians personalized data and possibly prevent future medical ailments and diseases (Griffin). Capitalizing on these advances in technology will provide a facility with growth and satisfaction among clinicians and patients as treatment will improve and recovery time will rdecrease while also providing more data on the patient on a wider scale (Dykes). Doctors like David Nash, MD, aware of further advancements in software systems, are utilizing Information technology to develop software that make technology like the da Vinci surgical system outdated as the Raven, oppositely, allows coding to be altered, improving robotic-assisted surgeries (Nash). Innovations are also making way for home-based care as e-Health systems allow patients to transfer information to their physicians and other agencies through the use of cloud technology (Gandrillas). Handlheld devices or watches that track a patoenmts’ activity and diagnostics throughout their daily life serve as a plethora of data to physicias. Many patients view a helathcare facility as a place of unanswered questions and anxiety, but new technology is providing engagen=mtn in their own treatment and empowerment that comes with knowledge (Prey). With the creation of an electronic bedside communications center (eBCC), patients have more access to information regarding their care team and stheir schedules, medication list, testing results, as well as tailored educational content (Dykes). The downsides to such technological advancements is the cost of procurement and maintenance as well as it’s reliability. Robotic-assisted surgery, for examply, can cost a facility millions of dollars to purchase, aside from renovations to the building and training of staff causing some to forego its acquisition though they acknowldge the risk of not (Tedesco). Equipment like an eBCC could be unappealing to older generations as it could be dificult to understand or use. The risk of flaws or glitches are another possibility that can add to the frustration of patients and staff alike. To mitigate these drawbacks, a facility could aim to promote its outpatient facility to the community and the benefits of such sophisitcated technology. By increasing outpatients, inpatient admissions rise increasing revenue. By hiring a separate staff of highly-trained and qualified technicians to moniter such equipmet, probability of technial malfuctions could be minimized. Despite their differences, inpatient and outpatient facilities will continue to provide patients with care that they can find comfort in by observing technological trends and capitalizing on the advancements. With clinicians well-equipped to treat them and technology that allows them to feel involved in their treatment, consumers can feel more satisfied an less uncomfortable in seeking care. Their confidence can lie in the fact that as an inpatient or an outpatient, there is a team of clinicians prepared to give them the best treatment available and will continuously aim to find better.