Home Healthcare Services
Home healthcare services , which offer medical care in the home, are provided primarily to elderly, chronically ill, or mentally impaired individuals. Mobile medical technology allows for more home health care for medical problems. Home health care is one of the fastest growing components of the industry as a form of employment because of consumer preference and the cost effectiveness of home medical care (BLS, 2016f).
Outpatient Care Centers and Ambulatory Healthcare Services
Outpatient care centers include kidney dialysis centers, mental health and substance abuse clinics, and surgical and emergency centers. Ambulatory healthcare services include transport services, blood and organ banks, and smoking cessation programs (BLS, 2016g).
Laboratories
Medical and diagnostic laboratories provide support services to the medical profession. Workers may draw blood, take scans or X-rays, or perform other medical tests. This segment provides the fewest number of jobs in the industry (BLS, 2016h).
Government
As a result of the Medicare and Medicaid programs, the federal and state governments are the largest stakeholders in the U.S. healthcare system. The government at both levels is responsible for financing health care through these programs as well as playing the public provider role through state and local health departments. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities also provide services to those in the armed forces (Sultz & Young, 2006).
Insurance Companies
The insurance industry is also a major stakeholder in the healthcare industry. It is often blamed for the problems with the healthcare system because of the millions of underinsured and uninsured individuals. There have been many news reports highlighting the number of medical procedures that have been disproved for insurance coverage, the cost of health insurance coverage, etc. There are traditional indemnity plans such as Blue Cross and Blue Shield , but managed care, which is also considered an insurance plan, has become more popular for cost control. The Affordable Care Act has placed restrictions on what health insurance companies can do regarding reimbursement restrictions.