Quality Management In Health Care Research Paper

Quality Management In Health Care - Research Paper Example The growing predominance of chronic illness and the search for less costly delivery settings, post-acute and long-term mental and physical health care services are increasingly important. ( Huq & Martin, 2005) Expenditures for nursing homes and home health care have grown as a percentage of NHE from 8% or $48.9 billion in 1988, to 13.2% or $171.5 billion in 2000. Medication is one of the most important tools for the healthcare and psychological field in the United States used to help treat people with mental health problems and psychological abnormalities. (Carson, K. D., Carson, Roe, C. W., Birkenmeie & Phillips, J. C., 1999). During the past decade, mental health researchers and professionals have seen a rise in the number of prescriptions being given to mental health patients in the United States, especially to children. Keeping that in mind, it has been tried to find if overmedicate these mental health patients in the U.S? Nursing homes are the principal institutions for long-term care delivery to patients with mental health issues. In 2000, there were 17 thousand federally qualified nursing homes in the United States. Medicaid is the primary payer for nursing home services, accounting for 68% of nursing home patients in 1999. Medicare covers only a small percentage of nursing home services, accounting for 9% of patients in 1999. (Grol, R., 2001) In contrast to hospitals, two-thirds of all of the nursing homes are under private, for-profit ownership. Hospitals and inpatient care have long been a central feature of the U.S. health care services industry. (Huq, Z., & Martin, T., 2005) With the development of antibiotics and improved surgical techniques and anesthesia in the mid-20th century, the hospital became the hub for the practice of medicine, earning its designation as â€Å"the physician's workshop.†