module 3

• Health Care System


  Consists of personal medical care services such as prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation
• Components of the Health Care System

  • Health care consumers
  • Health care providers
  • Institutions or organizations that deliver health care services
• Institutions in the health care system

  • Hospitals
  • Clinics
  • Home-health agencies
  • Insurance companies
  • Managed-care plans
  • Entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid
  • Professional schools
  • Research agencies
  • Licensing providers
  • Medical technology companies
• Primary Level of Care

  • Devolved to cities and municipalities, serving as the first contact between the community and health facilities
  • Staffed by center physicians, public health nurses, rural health midwives, and traditional healers
  • Acts as the initial point of care for community members before referral to higher levels of health facilities
• Secondary Level of Care


  • Provided by physicians with basic health training in facilities, either private or government-operated
  • Given in infirmaries, municipal or district hospitals, and outpatient departments
  • Specialists in health facilities deliver care at this level
• Tertiary Level of Care


  • Acts as a referral system for secondary care facilities, handling complicated cases and intensive care
  • Offered in medical centers, regional and provincial hospitals, and specialized hospitals
• Quaternary Care


  • An extension of tertiary care, providing highly specialized and uncommon treatments
  • Offered only for specific medical conditions or systems of the body
  • Includes experimental medicine, specialized surgeries, and unique procedures
• Role of Health Care Providers

  • Health professionals are essential in promoting health, preventing diseases, and delivering healthcare services
  • They operate and monitor medical equipment, perform diagnostic tests, educate patients, and provide emotional support
  • Primary healthcare providers guide patients in making healthy decisions and recommend treatments based on symptoms
• Measurement of Health Care Quality

  • Serves various objectives, including informing quality improvement efforts and certifying facilities
  • Helps in comparing groups, informing patients about healthcare decisions, and identifying substandard performers
  • Highlights best practices, monitors changes in quality over time, and addresses community health needs