Acute care of the U.S. Health system

Acute care of the U.S. Health system

Acute care services provide necessary and active short term treatment of a serious injury or illness, an urgent medical condition, or during recovery from surgery. Care is provided by teams of health-care professionals skilled in a broad range of medical and surgical specialties. Treatment may require a short stay in an emergency or urgent care centre, admission to a hospital, the assistance of diagnostic services, surgery, or follow-up outpatient care in the community.

Factors Influence on Acute Care

Weiss and Lonnquist (2000) wrote about the key factors that shape a culture's approach to health and to its health care delivery system. In addition to cultural beliefs and values, there are important economic and situational factors. Many of the changes that have led to a managed care system are rooted deeply within economic realities. The spiraling cost of health care in the United States is evidenced by both per capita expenditures, and also by measuring health care expenditures in relationship to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

According to the Health Care Financing Administration (1998) increases in U.S. Health Expenditures are as follows:

National Health Care Expenditures: 1960 - 1996

Year

In Billions

Per Capita

1960

$26.9

$141

1970

$73.2

$341

1980

$247.2

$1,051

1990

$699.5

$2,689

1996

$1,035.1

$3,708

In reviewing cross-cultural data, Weiss and Lonnquist (2000) described the United States as having the most expensive health care system in the world. During the last four decades, health care spending has grown more rapidly than any other sector of the economy.

Another way to view the rapid growth in expenditures is to examine national health care expenditures in relationship to the GDP. According to Levit, Lazenby, and Braden (1998), for the past 40 years Americans have seen steady cost increases in excess of the growth of the rest of the economy. Health care's share of GDP went from 5 percent in 1960 ...