This blog post is adapted from “Transformation and Disruption,” by Ian Morrison, PhD, originally published in Futurescan 2020-2025: Healthcare Trends and Implications.
The Society for Health Care Strategy & Market Development (SHSMD) and the American College of Healthcare Executives have curated a magnificent array of thought leaders who serve as subject matter experts for Futurescan 2020–2025: Healthcare Trends and Implications. The annual publication is designed to help leaders and professionals in the field negotiate the path ahead for some of the major factors creating transformation in healthcare. The key theme is the need to simultaneously transition the core healthcare model while responding to the forces of disruption that threaten that model.
Disruptive Innovation
As technology giants, mega retailers and others increasingly eye the healthcare sector as a growth opportunity, Aaron Martin, chief digital officer at Providence St. Joseph Health, says providers need to adapt to the new environment through collaboration, innovation, technology adoption and preparation.
Dual Transformation
Robert W. Allen, FACHE, senior vice president and chief operating officer at Intermountain Healthcare, shares insights on how providers can disrupt the current environment and maintain incremental improvements and innovations at the same time.
Strategic Partnerships
In the evolving landscape, healthcare leaders must seize the opportunity to form innovative partnerships that challenge the status quo as equally as they ensure the long-term relevance of their organizations, says Ninfa M. Saunders, DHA, FACHE, president and CEO of Navicent Health.
Resilience
Ronald A. Paulus, MD, president and CEO of RAPMD Strategic Advisors and former president and CEO of Mission Health, says that “healthcare organizations are facing a critical need to find ways to build resilient workplaces.” According to Paulus, leaders should prioritize keeping team members safe, reducing burnout, producing higher physician and employee satisfaction, and improving patient care. “Executives can begin by engaging physicians and other team members in an open dialogue to identify key issues and pain points that need to be addressed,” advises Paulus.
Medical Advances
Today, medical advances are happening at an exponential rate and are reshaping the nation’s healthcare system. “With the acceleration and convergence of a wide array of technologies, we have the ability to move beyond the current, reactive ‘sick care’ model to one that is more continuous and preventive,” says Daniel Kraft, MD, chair for medicine at Singularity University and founder and chair of Exponential Medicine.
Frictionless Healthcare
Exploring strategies for removing friction from medical care is the focus of M. Bridget Duffy, MD, chief medical officer of Vocera Communications. Duffy describes frictionless care as “a consistent, seamless experience of care from first impression to last where every person is treated with compassion and competence.”
Healthy Aging
Ken Dychtwald, PhD, founder of Age Wave and one of the foremost thought leaders on issues relating to aging, explains why the nation’s medical system must adapt to the changing needs of older adults, who are increasingly technology savvy and wellness focused.
Medicaid
Andy Slavitt, former acting administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, warns that Medicaid—which covers one in five Americans and accounts for nearly 20 percent of all U.S. personal health spending—is burdened by underfunding and is continually under political attack “despite the fact that it is, by any measure, a widely successful program.” Slavitt reviews state and federal efforts currently underway to reform the program.
Conclusion
In an election year, all eyes are on politics and the uncertainties ahead. But some enduring trends will dominate the strategic agenda of hospitals and health systems no matter what the outcome. Disruptive innovation, dual transformation, strategic partnerships, organizational resilience, advances in medicine, frictionless care, healthy aging and Medicaid reform will be key challenges for the field in 2020 and beyond. Futurescan 2020–2025 provides expert insights—informed by a survey of healthcare leaders from across the country—to light the way ahead.
Want to learn more?
- Purchase your copy of Futurescan 2020–2025: Healthcare Trends and Implications, also available in bundles to share with your team.
- Attend ACHE’s 2020 Congress on Healthcare Leadership to target="_blank" class="tracking-internal">hear Ian Morrison, PhD present on this topic.
- Subscribe to podcasts from ACHE and SHSMD for insights from across the field.