Integration Of Medical Services Research Articles

Medical marketing in healthcare institutions with public-private partnership mechanisms

The aim – to reveal the essence of medical marketing in healthcare institutions (HCI) with principles of public-private partnership (PPP). The study used general scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, generalization, interpretation of scientific data, as well as systemic and structural-functional approaches. The article reveals the essence, principles and functions of medical marketing in HCI with the mechanisms of PPP. The substantiation of the main marketing tools is given – business processes and integration processes that contribute to effective marketing in HCI. It also identified the key points that form the structure of medical business processes. The process approach to business process management is disclosed, which allows getting benefits for HCI. The definition and significance of the medical processes integration in HCI on PPP principles is provided, which contributes to the coordination of marketing activities with the strategy development within each integrated complex of HCI and the possibility of obtaining a positive synergistic effect. Examples of internal and external integration are given. The system for managing the external integration process is shown. To stimulate the integration process, bundled payment method has been defined.Conclusions. The article provides justification for medical marketing in HCI with the principles of PPP, focused on business processes and the integration of medical services, which ensures economic, medical and social efficiency and optimal functioning of HCI in market conditions.

The Expectations and Acceptability of a Smart Nursing Home Model Among Chinese Older Adults and Family Members: A Qualitative Study

This study aims to explore the expectations and acceptability of a smart nursing home model among Chinese older adults and their family members based on a scoping review that defines the concept of smart nursing homes. A qualitative case study was employed for this research. Semi-structured in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted on WeChat. Participants were purposively sampled through snowball sampling in Hainan and Dalian, China. A total of 28 older adults aged 60-75 and six adult children were interviewed until data saturation was achieved, followed by a thematic analysis. The expectations of smart nursing homes include 1) quality of care supported by governments and societies; 2) smart technology applications; 3) the presence of a skilled healthcare professional team; 4) access and scope of basic medical services; and 5) integration of medical services. The acceptability of smart nursing homes included factors such as stakeholders' perceived efficaciousness, usability, and collateral damages of using smart technologies, and the coping process of adoption was influenced by factors such as age, economic status, health status, education, and openness to smart technologies among older adults. Chinese older adults and their family members hold a positive perception of the smart nursing home model. The qualitative evidence regarding their expectations and acceptability of smart nursing homes contributes valuable insights for a wide range of stakeholders involved in the planning and implementation of smart nursing homes.

Defining the concepts of a smart nursing home and its potential technology utilities that integrate medical services and are acceptable to stakeholders: a scoping review

Background and objectivesSmart technology in nursing home settings has the potential to elevate an operation that manages more significant number of older residents. However, the concepts, definitions, and types of smart technology, integrated medical services, and stakeholders’ acceptability of smart nursing homes are less clear. This scoping review aims to define a smart nursing home and examine the qualitative evidence on technological feasibility, integration of medical services, and acceptability of the stakeholders.MethodsComprehensive searches were conducted on stakeholders’ websites (Phase 1) and 11 electronic databases (Phase 2), for existing concepts of smart nursing home, on what and how technologies and medical services were implemented in nursing home settings, and acceptability assessment by the stakeholders. The publication year was inclusive from January 1999 to September 2021. The language was limited to English and Chinese. Included articles must report nursing home settings related to older adults ≥ 60 years old with or without medical demands but not bed-bound. Technology Readiness Levels were used to measure the readiness of new technologies and system designs. The analysis was guided by the Framework Method and the smart technology adoption behaviours of elder consumers theoretical model. The results were reported according to the PRISMA-ScR.ResultsA total of 177 literature (13 website documents and 164 journal articles) were selected. Smart nursing homes are technology-assisted nursing homes that allow the life enjoyment of their residents. They used IoT, computing technologies, cloud computing, big data and AI, information management systems, and digital health to integrate medical services in monitoring abnormal events, assisting daily living, conducting teleconsultation, managing health information, and improving the interaction between providers and residents. Fifty-five percent of the new technologies were ready for use in nursing homes (levels 6–7), and the remaining were proven the technical feasibility (levels 1–5). Healthcare professionals with higher education, better tech-savviness, fewer years at work, and older adults with more severe illnesses were more acceptable to smart technologies.ConclusionsSmart nursing homes with integrated medical services have great potential to improve the quality of care and ensure older residents’ quality of life.

Introducing electronic information system in integrated care organization in Poland

Introduction: Electronic information systems with electronic health records are one of key elements needed for integrated care organizations (ICOs). These information systems should allow users to make the assessment and predict utilization of resources, monitor outcomes, simplify communication and information flow inside the organization and between the main stakeholders: patients, providers and payers and provide an access from remote locations. Patient online registration and scheduling coordination as well as management of clinical data should also be allowed via this system. Ability to integrate clinical and financial information, common standards of information systems between various health care providers, various elements of organization, user-friendly system requiring short time to implement and assuring data security and personal privacy are additional attributes valuable for ICO [1], [2]. Short description of practice change implemented: we developed a project implementing electronic information system with key element electronic health records, which extended the range of services in Polish integrated care organization. Such information systems are not a standard in the Polish health care providers and there was only one software producer offering such a system in the time of implementation. Objectives: Identify and analyse whether all of the above mentioned attributes were fulfilled in the information system implemented in ICO in Poland. Methods: Reviews conducted with employees actively working on the information system in ICO and representatives of pharmaceutical software company. 15th International Conference on Integrated Care, Edinburgh, UK, March 25-27, 2015 1 International Journal of Integrated Care – Volume 15, 27 May – URN:NBN:NL:UI:10-1-117114– http://www.ijic.org/ Targeted population and stakeholders: Approximately 68000 patients in Mazowieckie and Lubelskie voivodeships belonging to IC organization Medical and Diagnostic Centre in Siedlce, Poland. Timeline: Full implementation: 2010-2014. Outcomes: We identified a range of advantages and disadvantages in information system used by ICO. The system allows to manage clinical data. Data security and personal privacy of patients is assured by VPN and secured by three levels of logins required. The system as a whole is accessible from many locations and allows users to assess and predict the utilization of resources and to monitor the outcomes, but the communication module and online registration are not yet available. Direct communication with payer`s information system is not possible. The system does not allow to integrate clinical and financial data and is not able to communicate with other units within the organization, for example with pharmacy information system. Moreover, it is not userfriendly and so complicated that training of doctors lasts up to one month. Thus the potential to improve the efficacy of the organization is still untapped. Conclusions: There is still a long way to transform our actively working information system into modern one, completing all necessary aspects of full medical services integration. However, many of the most important milestones are already working.

Perspectives on Medical Services Integration among Conventional Western, Traditional Korean, and Dual-Licensed Medical Doctors in Korea

The aim of this study was to examine the perspectives on the options for the integration of western and traditional Korean medical services among three types of medical doctors with different disciplines in Korea. We surveyed and analyzed responses from 167 conventional Western medicine (WM), 135 traditional Korean medicine (KM), and 103 dual-licensed (DL) doctors who can practice both. All three kinds of doctors shared similar attitude toward license unitarization. KM doctors most strongly agreed on the need of the cooperative practice (CP) between KM and WM and on the possibility of license unitarization among three groups. DL doctors believed that CP is currently impracticable and copractice is more efficient than CP. WM doctors presented the lowest agreement on the need of CP and showed lower expectation for DL doctors as mediators between WM and KM than others. This study showed the difference of perspectives on the options for the integrative medical services among three different doctor groups in Korea. More studies are required to explore the underlying reasons for these discrepancies among WM, KM, and DL doctors.

United States Government Oversight and Regulation of Medication Assisted Treatment for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence

The federal government has a fundamental as well as critical role in the successful development, implementation and utilization of controlled medications for the treatment of opioid abuse and dependence. The development and implementation of a federal regulatory structure establishes minimum standards which provide the basis for the development of treatment policies and medical best practices for the treatment of drug abuse and dependence. In the United States, the use of pharmacotherapies in combination with counseling, behavior therapies and other core services including primary medical care provide a comprehensive therapeutic approach termed as an evidence-based best practice termed "Medication Assisted Treatment" (MAT). Federally supported research studies have shown that the most efficacious treatment for opioid abuse and dependence comprises treatment programs that utilize pharmacotherapies and include psychosocial counseling, financial, legal, educational services as well as wrap around social services (NIDA, 2000). Federal programs catalogue such evidence-based best medical practices and promote their implementation in the care and treatment of patients to optimize good medical outcomes. In a non regulatory role, federal programs can also mandate medical education and training as well as support the piloting of treatment improvement projects to develop national implementation strategies. Drug treatment programs that utilize MAT are regulated by the federal government in their adherence to treatment standards through accreditation and in their record keeping requirements for use of controlled pharmaceuticals. Thus, multiple federal agencies combine to support MAT in the treatment of opioid dependence throughout the treatment continuum from drug discovery to patient care and treatment outcome. Salient policy issues that involve MAT as a direct result of the federal regulatory structure(s) include the provision and integration of medical services into Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs), infectious diseases prevention counseling, the availability of opioid treatment using either buprenorphine or methadone, the limited use of Suboxone/Subutex in OTPs and which health care providers can prescribe as well as the number of patients prescribed Suboxone/Subutex in an office based setting.