Question

you are provided with four scenarios. For each scenario, you are required to answer the following question:

What are the access-to-care issues in the given situations? Suggest at least two solutions to address the access-to-care issues in these scenarios.

Scenarios:

Mr. A is a 30-year-old African American male. His employer provides for his health insurance, which covers emergency room visits, hospitalization, and some preventive-care services such as yearly physicals. Whenever he schedules appointments for preventive-care services, he has to spend one to three hours at the doctor's office. Additionally, he has to schedule follow-up appointments for laboratory tests after each office visit.

Mrs. B is a 30-year-old African American woman with two children. She is employed at a workplace that does not provide the employees with health insurance. Mrs. B and her children make frequent visits to the emergency room for healthcare services.

Mr. C is an unemployed 52-year-old Asian male who has not seen a doctor in at least eight years. He speaks limited English. He has been experiencing some health problems. He was recently told about a free clinic located within a couple of miles of his apartment. There are no Asian healthcare providers at the local health clinic. He has some concerns about healthcare provided by anyone other than Asian healthcare providers.

Mrs. D and her husband, a middle-aged Caucasian couple, recently moved to a rural community. They are both on medications for chronic health conditions, which require them to go for bimonthly doctor visits. Their car recently broke down and there is limited bus service in their community. They are having a difficult time going for their appointments and obtaining their medications. They are also less motivated to seek care because they have some major disagreements with the primary care doctor who is a young woman in her early thirties.

Answer 1

Scenario 1:
Access to care issues: Longer waiting hours and scheduling appointment for laboratory tests.
Solutions: The waiting hours should be reduced by giving the patients scheduled timing. They can tell the patients to be just half an hour before the appointment time. Steps should be taken by the hospital by examining the patients faster, not scheduling many patients for a time, reducing the number of paper works done by the health care providers. The laboratory tests can be taken at the same day of appointment.
Scenario 2:
Access to care issues: no health insurance
Solutions: As she is a frequent visitor to the emergency department she needs a health insurance either her employer can provide or she can take up any federal insurance which covers emergency services and other minimum services.
Scenario 3:
Access to care issues: No Asian health care providers
Solutions: The clinic can have a translator for the patient. Assurance can be given to the patient regarding the care provided by the non Asian provider.
Scenario 4:
Access to care issues: No transportation and disagreement with the health care provider.
Solutions: Since there is transport issues the medication needed by the patients can be delivered at home and home visits can be done. If there are disagreements with the primary care doctor they can be referred to some other provider.