Improving Patient Care is Number One Concern of Therapists According to a Recent TherapyJobs. com Survey
Improving patient care was the number one concern of therapists in a recent survey conducted by TherapyJobs. com. The healthcare reform survey, which was emailed to over 10,000 practicing therapists, asked for therapists to provide their opinions on the current healthcare system as well as the "Universal Healthcare" System being proposed by several presidential candidates.
Alpharetta, GA (PRWEB) May 13, 2008
May 13, 2008 Improving patient care was the number one concern of therapists in a recent survey conducted by TherapyJobs. com. The healthcare reform survey (http://www. therapyjobs. com/healthcarereform/), which was emailed to over 10,000 practicing therapists, asked for therapists to provide their opinions on the current healthcare system as well as the "Universal Healthcare" System being proposed by several presidential candidates.
Regardless of the number of years practicing, all therapists seemed to be concerned with how a revamped healthcare system would affect patients. In response to the question "If healthcare reform is adopted, what factors might have a bearing on your career plans?," one therapist responded "If patient care diminished even more, it would be time for a new career." Another therapist commented, "I am going back to school for a second degree because I am fed up with the healthcare system and cannot wait for a new one to be implemented."
When asked specifically about how a Universal Healthcare System would impact patient care, 60% agreed that patient wait time for medical procedures would increase dramatically. They also felt by a small margin (37% to 31%) that patient care would be worse under such a system as opposed to better.
On the positive side, therapists agreed that if a Universal Healthcare System was implemented, patients would have greater access to affordable prescription drugs and more efficient processing of their electronic medical records.
Therapists overwhelmingly agreed regardless of what type of healthcare system is in place, citizens who live a "healthy lifestyle" should be granted special breaks. Tax credits and reduced healthcare costs were the most frequently mentioned rewards. One therapist respondent suggested we offer tax deductions for healthcare memberships.
There was a strong consensus among survey respondents that healthcare reform is critically important in this election. Their overall goal was to vote for the candidate that would help them achieve better total healthcare for their patients. Therapists were evenly divided as to which current presidential candidate they felt would best deliver on the promise of an improved healthcare plan.
A sampling of comments related to key survey questions illustrates the diversity of opinions expressed by therapist respondents:
•I would want to provide the best care to the most patients.
•I don't see healthcare reform as a personal issue - it's about the patients.
•I am tired of fighting ridiculous battles over every charge I submit.
•I want what is great for our country. I do not vote for political leaders based on how it benefits me. "Ask what you can do for your country"
•I would like for insurance companies to be eliminated and healthcare for all, but I do not want the supposed pitfalls that come with Universal Healthcare.
Given the shortage across all therapy specialties including physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy, the therapist viewpoint is critical to the healthcare system. The American Physical Therapy Association released a report in early April stating that 28% of employers quote 2-5 years as the average amount of time it takes to fill a physical therapy opening in a skilled nursing facility. Sixteen percent cite one to two years and 17% cite up to one full year to fill their positions. In an acute care hospital, 42% of employers state it can take up to 180 days to fill their open physical therapy positions with 24% taking up to a year.
The survey results in their entirety can be found online at http://www. therapyjobs. com/healthcarereform/ (http://www. therapyjobs. com/healthcarereform/).
About TherapyJobs. com
With over 9,000 registered therapists and 15,000 available therapy jobs, TherapyJobs. com is dedicated to providing therapists with the choices and resources to best manage their career in therapy. Providing therapists with a customizable experience, TherapyJobs. com ensures that they will maximize all of the therapy career resources (http://www. therapyjobs. com/therapy-careers/) the site has to offer. Exclusively targeting therapy professionals in the fields of speech pathology (including audiology), physical therapy and occupational therapy, TherapyJobs. com offers therapy employers thousands of qualified candidates from one central location. The website provides employers with a made to order therapy recruitment experience, so they are sure to find the perfect candidate for their therapy position. TherapyJobs. com is part of a network of healthcare niche sites powered by Healthcare Job Boards.
About Healthcare Job Boards
The leading provider of career concierge sites in the healthcare market, Healthcare Job Boards is dedicated to providing premier career concierge sites for the healthcare disciplines its network searches. Healthcare Job Boards (http://www. healthcarejobboards. com/) currently manages online career concierge sites for the therapy, nursing and physician market. The corporate website listing all of its specialty job boards can be found at HealthcareJobBoards. com
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