Future Trends in Healthcare

Forces are taking shape that will have a substantial impact on the future of healthcare. Information technology will be more broadly and strategically used. Patients will continue to demand more from their health care providers and will seek services through alternative care providers from non-traditional providers such as WalMart and MinuteClinics to virtual provider who are available 24x7 online, all the time, any time. Addressing these future trends in healthcare requires more than reengineering existing processes. The industry needs a profound cultural health care transformation.

Mobilize Change

Providers—like you—must begin now to align resources and transform delivery models to succeed. Regardless of policy discussions happening in Washington, DC and elsewhere – the mantra for increasing the value equation of care that is provided by our healthcare is increasing!  Change is happening.  We are on the road to health care transformation.  It started with the passage of the 2010 healthcare reform law – the Accountable Care Act – and, will continue regardless…  We are seeing a wave of comprehensive coordinated care (C3) delivery models that incent providers to provide high quality care at lower cost and with improved service.  But, this can only be done by healthcare organizations that adopt innovation as a core mantra. Here’s a few promising examples:

• Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs):Integrate doctors, clinics and hospitals into groups that pool their resources with the goal of trimming spending while boosting the quality of care. Through the application of innovations in healthcare, these new models are expected to deliver better care for less cost with savings shared among the providers.
• Primary Care Medical Homes (PCMHs):Coordinate primary care for patients with chronic conditions like diabetes. The approach provides the potential for more cohesive care with fewer office visits and is another future trend example in healthcare.
• “ICU without Walls:”Reevaluates traditional ways of providing intensive care by offering this level of care anywhere a bed is available. Another future trend in healthcare worth watching.
• Virtual Care Delivery: The triad of tele-technologies is represented by telecare, telemedicine and telehealth. These three approaches are dramatically altering the landscape of how, where, who and what care is delivered.  Telecare, telemedicine and telehealth models of care delivery are becoming embedded in progressive healthcare organizations and must be considered as part of the essential care delivery equation.