Question

There exists what has been termed the triangle of healthcare. The three sides are: (a) cost, (b) access, and (c) quality. In a 300 – 500 word paper, discuss this triangle and the relationship of the three aspects. Be sure to discuss how each one dramatically influences the others. Be sure to submit as an APA formatted paper.

Answer 1

The Iron Traingle

Abstract: the three main components of health care which is ideal in nature but difficult to achieve is cost, access and quality which is reffered to as three sides of an iron triangle. This term was first introduced in William Kissicks book named Medicine Dilemmas : Infinite needs versus finite resources in 1994. Various critics have evaluated components of Iron Traingle as non rigid as it will keep on changing according to the change in society and health care sector whereas some argue that these are not issues in healthcare but will soon be achieved by the country. However, until now all the three components have not been achieved.

Keywords : Iron triangle, cost, access, quality, William Kissicks model, healthcare issues.

The Iron Traingle

The concept of Iron Traingle is being explained by William Kissicks who is considered as the father of Medicare in 1994. The concept consist of three components namely cost, access and quality which received in optimum levels would be solving all the factors hindering effective healthcare to the whole society. But untill now, low cost, easy accessibility and high quality has not been achieved and either one of the factors is compromised for the other .

Cost : This component promotes or hinders the patient to decide on the other two components ie. Quality and accessibility. The goal of a country is to provide low cost health care which will be affordable to all individuals and hence healthy and productive population. Various methods have been implemented towards this factor in form of insurance and Medicare. If the cost of healthcare is low, the effect is evident in it's wide accessibility but majorly the quality of care which will be compromised. Newer methodologies should be sought to rendered low cost health care.

Quality: This is the second component which indicates how well is the healthcare delivered to the population. Quality is a sujective term but it can be measured on basis of the type of service that it is paid for. To improve the quality, the cost factor increases invariably and low cost renders compromised healthcare. Quality and cost are factors which are inversely proportional and both can be attained simultaneously only till the midpoint but not to its full extend.

Accessibility: This component is a general term which refers to a wide range of possibilities such as rural and urban sector health care, population that can be covered by one healthcare centre, cost and qulality of healthcare provided in a particular area etc. This is the only component that is maximized by the government so as to receive the minimum services of healthcare even to the remotest of the areas. This also becomes the only component which rest upon the descison of the patient if they want to avail better quality and higher costing healthcare services.

Existence of all the low cost, wide availability and high quality health care remains to be an ambitious dream. Every developed country has designed their health care to maximize it's availability but cost and quality are compromised so as to provide a healthcare that is affordable for the employer, government as well as the citizens.