After Six Months

After six months at my placement at Greater Baden Medical Services, I have learned far more than I could have imagined.  I am becoming thoroughly educated on the challenges of delivering health care services to diverse populations and also on the excitement and uncertainty that the Affordable Care Act is bringing to health care at the local level.  Working in the administrative offices of a multi-site health center, I truly did not know what to expect in terms of my exposure to clinical situations, policy implications, outreach and groundwork or business related meetings.  It turns out that what I have experienced so far has been a blend of all of these areas, which has given me a perspective on health care that I did not have before. 

I have followed the developments of health care reform at the national level closely over the last several years but had thought more about what it would mean for patients than for those who provide health care services.  For Greater Baden, it could completely change our payor mix, the ratio between types of reimbursement that we receive (Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, etc.).  It could also allow our patients more health care options, giving us more competition, or potentially turn many new patients in our direction.  Front line staff and case managers may be asked to play even more of a role in helping to ensure that patients are enrolled in the insurance options that is best for them.  Providers may have procedures or exams that they start to provide more or less frequently than they do now as insurance requirements and plans change.

After six months I am certainly far from being an expert on health care reform and after six more I’m sure that I still will not be, but the breadth of people I have been able to work with at Greater Baden has opened my eyes to some of the many challenges and opportunities that are coming along with this effort to improve health care for Americans.