Week One Discussion Question 2 What challenges does the industry face now and how will impending factors cause the industry to evolve in the next 5 years Please read the Week One discussion question above this question is also posted in the Course Materials Forum Develop your thoughts and post your response into the Main Forum following this thread Please do not start a new thread for this discussion question As well you may find it helpful to review the requirements for posting a response which can be found within your syllabus You are required to post a response to two 2 DQ each week in the Main Forum Each response is to be 100 150 words The health care industry faces many challenges right now Many of these challenges consist of monetary issues Can your patient afford insurance If not how will they afford the care you will provide Also if they default and do not pay how will you recoup your losses It can be very difficult to run a medical facility right now with the economy in ruins as it is You have to protect your asset which is your business be it medical or otherwise and if you do not see a future income from an insurance payment or patient payment your business will falter I think that these factors have causes a virtual standstill of medical advancements as far as treatments A doctor will be less likely to use a new and costly treatment when a patient s insurance will only cover the old form of treatment The medical community will only be able to make changes for the betterment of their patients if the economy gets better in the next 5 years and into the future In the nursing home industry the current challenges are financing and changing populations served The recent health reform bill that passed drastically changed the industry the debt ceiling was not raised so medicare and medicaid reimbursement rates were slashed This causes every nursing home to reduce staff hours or have layoffs and cut budgets affecting the quality of care in the skilled nursing facility such as in food and activities The assisted living waiver reimbursement amounts were also cut by 3 but expanded to cover people coming directly from the community The other current challenge in the nursing home industry is the changing population Over the past two years there has been a new population entering the market for Hyde Park Health Center short term adult under age 65 rehabilitation In order to meet the new demand my facility added 30 new beds in the long term care wing reserved for these short term rehabilitation residents This new population is younger and so the rehabilitation after surgery or injury is faster In the past month there have been two residents between the ages of 30 and 40 admitted to the rehabilitation area The demand has changed because elderly are choosing to age in place the cost of long term care and prevalence of home health care agencies Nursing homes will have to adjust to the new population with new activities different foods a larger array of spiritual services and remodeling