Saturday, April 26, 2014

Healthcare Delivery Worldwide

It's been a while since I've last posted and I really don't have any good excuses. I'm currently traveling in Asia discussing how Salus programs can help to expand the health science professions in countries such as Singapore, China and Korea. It's been extremely educational for me to see, first hand, how some of the professions we train and really take for granted in the U.S. are practiced and regulated in Asia. Optometry, as we know it, is a fledgling profession in all of these locations with many variations of the profession practiced, often without any regulation or quality measures. What was extremely gratifying to me was that those providers who had successfully completed Salus courses and programs designed for non-U.S. based clinicians were enabling those providers to practice with significantly enhanced clinical competence that has led to an increased scope of practice in their countries. Clearly, as we have done in Europe over the past 20+ years, Salus (previously PCO) is changing the way optometry and potentially other professions are practiced throughout the world.  While we won't change things overnight, I firmly believe our efforts, combined with the development of requirements from the host nation's professional organizations we're partnering with, will improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery worldwide. What makes this even more gratifying are that these efforts and subsequent successes are very much in concert with our ethos and mission to protect and enhance health and well-being through education, research, patient care and community services worldwide. We're doing that now!

When I travel and see how healthcare is delivered in Asia I feel extremely grateful for the system we have in the United States. While not perfect, by any means, our philosophy of leveraging professions such as optometry, audiology, physician assistants, occupational therapy, speech and language pathology as primary care entry points into our healthcare system provides a relatively efficient and effective method of assuring access to quality care for most patients.  While still not perfect there are significant advantages to the way we practice these professions in the U.S.  

This week we'll explore even more ways we can help others leverage Salus programs to improve their healthcare systems and provide quality care where necessary.  It's extremely exciting to be part of a team that can do so much!