The Healthcare Shift: From Hospitals to Ambulatory Service Growth

This essay explores the ongoing shift in the global healthcare landscape from traditional hospital-based services to ambulatory care. It identifies three primary reasons for this shift: the cost-effectiveness of ambulatory services, the increasing patient demand for easily accessible and shorter visits, and the ability of these services to effectively manage chronic diseases. The shift has implications for consumers, offering quality healthcare services to those in distant places, and for hospitals, allowing them to extend their reach. Physicians, however, face pressure to provide services in both ambulatory and hospital settings. The essay concludes by referencing relevant studies and resources that support the analysis of this significant healthcare trend.

Running head: HEALTHCARE SHIFT
HEALTHCARE SHIFT FROM HOSPITALS TO AMBULATORY SERVICES
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1HEALTHCARE SHIFT
Ambulatory care is the medical service, which is provided to patients on outpatient basis,
as this facility does not require admission of patient to hospitals or other facilities. Currently the
global healthcare society is observing a shift of healthcare services moving from hospitals and
facilities to ambulatory services (Sultz & Young, 2014). This discussion will identify three
primary reason for this shift.
The cost effectiveness of ambulatory service is the primary reason for this shift. As the
cost of medical interventions and care has been risen. Further, the introduction of casemix based
management system and diagnosis related groups (DRGs) in the healthcare system lead the
organizations reduce the hospital stays of inpatients to be able to grant more fund from the
government (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2017). Hence, they started service
like outpatient care to provide the patients safe and cost effective care. Patient’s demand of easily
accessible and shorter visit is the second reason for this shift. Finally, the ability of these
ambulatory services to deal with chronic diseases has enabled this service to spread in the society
(Davis, 2012).
The implication of this shift on consumers is beneficiary as patients living in distant
places can also avail quality healthcare services through the ambulatory services. However, as
the ambulatory services has opening and closing hours, emergency conditions are not being
treated under this medical facility (Ayanian et al., 2013). Implications for hospitals are also
positive, as they are being able to treat patients in outskirts as well. The physicians, whereas are
under pressure as they have to provide service in both ambulatory and healthcare facilities.
However, some physicians, who are supporting ambulatory service, provide care in this care
setting only (Davis, 2012).

2HEALTHCARE SHIFT
References
Ayanian, J. Z., Landon, B. E., Zaslavsky, A. M., Saunders, R. C., Pawlson, L. G., & Newhouse,
J. P. (2013). Medicare beneficiaries more likely to receive appropriate ambulatory
services in HMOs than in traditional Medicare. Health Affairs, 32(7), 1228-1235.
Davis, M. A. (2012). Where the United States spends its spine dollars: expenditures on different
ambulatory services for the management of back and neck conditions. Spine, 37(19),
1693.
Sultz. H.A., & Young. K.M., (2014). Health care usa: understanding its organization and
delivery. (8th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett learning. pp. 163-200, 395-410.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2017). Agency of Healthcare Research and
Quality. Retrieved from
https://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/quality-patient-safety/index.html. on 10 February
2018.