Future Direction of Health Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Future Direction of Health Care - Essay Example One of the most important challenges that will influence the future strategic direction of the healthcare sector is the advancement of information technology. The sector will face challenges with the implementation of technological platforms such as electronic medical and health records. For instance, the sector has to train workers on how to use the platform in order to maximize service delivery and achieve organizational goals (Shi & Singh, 2010). Additional complications may emerge in cases where service providers try to avoid penalties because of the failure to implement the platforms. The issue of information confidentiality is also applicable in this case. Users of healthcare information technology must maintain high levels of confidentiality, while ensuring that the systems are safe and efficient. The healthcare sector will expectedly experience a shortage of skilled workers. Most of the skilled and experienced workers are within the retirement age. The fact that the workforce is aged leads to problems of reduced productivity. When the retiring workforce leaves the workplace, there will be a loss of skill, knowledge and experience (Shi & Singh, 2010). In addition to the retiring workforce, the healthcare sector faces competition for workers from other countries and international organizations. Most healthcare practitioners are relocating to countries such as Singapore and Malaysia. Economics will influence the future strategic direction of healthcare because they determine the cost of healthcare and the availability of financial resources for the management of the sector. Government programs such as Medicaid and Medicare are unsustainable (Shi & Singh, 2010). The current structure of these programs is not sufficient for the achievement of their goals. Funding towards these programs increase yearly, but they are not able to provide services to their target