Reference no: EM133858452

Question

The future of healthcare reimbursement is shifting toward a model that ties payments to patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes. While this approach encourages high-quality, patient-centered care, it also raises concerns about fairness. Measuring outcomes makes sense, as it pushes healthcare providers to use evidence-based practices. However, not all patients have the same chance of recovery. Some have complex conditions or terminal illnesses, making it unfair to judge healthcare providers solely on outcomes without considering patient factors. Markowitz, Kausar, and Coffield (2022) highlight that patient experience scores are influenced by demographics and socioeconomic status, further complicating fair assessments. Basing reimbursement on patient satisfaction can encourage kindness and attentiveness in care, but it also has drawbacks. Patient satisfaction is deeply personal and can be affected by factors outside of a provider's control. Larson et al. (2019) explain that satisfaction scores often reflect expectations rather than actual care quality. I've seen this firsthand at my facility. A patient recently gave a low satisfaction score because staff did not provide drinking water, even though he was NPO due to dysphagia and drinking would be detrimental to his health and recovery from an already debilitating illness.