Navigating Healthcare at UCF Health East Orlando: Patient Experiences and the Evolution of Care

The landscape of healthcare is rapidly evolving, driven by rising costs, changing regulations, and a greater emphasis on patient involvement. UCF Health East Orlando, like other healthcare providers, is navigating these changes while striving to provide quality care. This article explores patient experiences at UCF Health East Orlando, examines the broader economic shifts in healthcare, and highlights the growing importance of patient engagement in achieving better health outcomes.

Patient Perspectives on Care at UCF Health East Orlando

Patient reviews offer valuable insights into the quality of care provided at UCF Health East Orlando. Several patients have shared their experiences, both positive and negative, shedding light on various aspects of the practice.

Positive Experiences: Caring Doctors and Professional Staff

Many patients express satisfaction with the medical staff at UCF Health East Orlando. One patient, Kevin M., reports receiving "outstanding care" from Dr. Gavin Van Staden, praising his "very caring personality" and the feeling that he is working collaboratively with the patient. James B. expresses his love for Dr. Mejia and Katie, highlighting the "perfect mix of friendliness and professionalism."

Areas for Improvement: Administrative Challenges

While many patients commend the medical staff, some reviews point to challenges with the administrative side of the practice. Herb P. notes that while his experiences with Drs. Dawson and Kathuria have been "excellent," the "admin staff…leaves" something to be desired. Sebahat H. recounts an issue with an appointment, indicating potential problems with scheduling or communication. These reviews suggest that while the quality of medical care may be high, there is room for improvement in administrative processes.

The Shifting Economics of Healthcare: From Fee-for-Service to Value-Based Care

The economics of health care are in dire need of a reboot, and fortunately for patients, a convergence of factors is finally bringing one about. For one thing, many of the health care services that people rely on have grown increasingly expensive in recent decades, far outpacing economic growth as a whole. In 2010, the total cost of health care in the United States was $2.6 trillion, or $8,402 per person, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services - and that was up from about $75 billion in 1970, or $356 per person. But perhaps even more pressing, the long-accepted economics of health care in the United States have in some ways worked against what should be the central goal of providers, such as hospitals and physicians’ offices: keeping people healthy.

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For many years, the traditional fee-for-service model incentivized providers to focus on the volume of services rather than the quality of care. Under this system, a patient's return to the hospital with the same condition could be seen as financially beneficial for the hospital, regardless of whether the initial treatment was effective. Similarly, hospital-acquired infections could lead to increased revenue for the institution.

The Affordable Care Act and the Rise of Value-Based Care

Changing laws, as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), have started to alter the economic equation in a concerted push from fee-for-service health care to value-based care. In value-based care, providers are paid only when they’ve improved patients’ health outcomes. For example, one provision of the ACA holds that hospitals don’t get paid for readmissions, or patients who return within 30 days of discharge for the same issue that brought them in the first time. Providers are now being economically incentivized to make sure their patients are healthy. “That’s forcing the providers to be more interested in high-quality care, evidence-based care, and really achieving the health outcomes people want,” says Richard Biehl, a former instructor in the online Master of Science in Healthcare Systems Engineering program at the University of Central Florida.

This shift towards value-based care encourages providers to prioritize preventative measures, coordinate care effectively, and engage patients in their own health management.

The Power of Patient Engagement: Achieving Better Health Outcomes

“What we’ve always known is that the way to get people to be healthier is to get them to live a healthier life,” Biehl says. “Hospitals are starting to internalize that if a hospital is doing its jobs, it’s admitting far fewer people than it did in the past. A growing body of evidence does indeed support the claim that when patients are more involved in their own health care, they tend to be healthier and spend less money on their care.

Activated Patients: Taking Control of Their Health

“Ultimately, it’s the patients who have to decide to get healthy,” Biehl says. A research review published in Health Affairs shows that “patients who are ‘activated,’ - that is, have the skills, ability, and willingness to manage their own health and health care - experience better health outcomes at lower costs compared to less activated patients.” One study mentioned in the review found that patients with the fewest skills and least confidence when it came to their health care incurred between 8 and 21 percent more in health care costs than patients with the highest activation levels. Cultivating patients with high activation scores means educating them about health risks and healthy lifestyle changes, and empowering them to make changes in their own lives.

Shared Decision-Making: A Collaborative Approach

Research has shown that another way to encourage healthier behavior, better outcomes, and lower costs through patient engagement is to let patients weigh the pros and cons of different treatment options with their doctors and reach a decision together. One study found that patients who had received enhanced decision-making support from health coaches in dealing with a health condition incurred medical costs that were 5.3 percent lower than those of the control group, with 12.5 percent fewer hospital admissions.

The Role of Technology: Wearables and the Internet of Things

Biehl speculates that the oncoming rise of wearable technology and the “internet of things” will open more and more opportunities for doctors and patients to work together to improve patients’ health rather than just treat symptoms. Today, physicians are being required to ask more questions about the medications a patient takes to avoid unknown contraindications. “It’s much easier to engage patients if I already have data on them [via wearables],” Biehl says. “I can call you up if I know there’s a change that’s indicative of cardiac enzymes being produced - the leading indicator that tells me you’re going to have a heart attack within 48 hours, for example.”

If patients can become more involved in staying healthy (rather than only managing symptoms when they’re sick) and catching problems quickly, they can do more to avoid unnecessary hospital visits and invasive treatments.

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