The healthcare industry is constantly bringing in clinical and technological innovations. However, changes to reimbursement and varying consumer trends have been keeping us on our toes. These changes show no signs of slowing down in 2019, as value-based care continues to shift from reactive to proactive treatment.Here are some of the latest predictions for what we’ll see in 2019.
2019 Healthcare Emerging Trends
Forbes predicts that 2019 will continue the drive toward value in healthcare. They suggest that by the end of the year, 15 percent of global healthcare spending will be tied to outcomes in a value-based metric. While the rest of the world has been leveraging outcomes-based data to drive down costs and push up profits, healthcare will finally begin to catch up.
It’s a no-brainer to suggest that technology will continue to disrupt the field. Health IT Analytics suggests the newest wave of high tech in healthcare will include artificial intelligence (AI) tools that will help with clinical decision-making. They also suggest that an increasing number of Americans would like robot-assisted clinical care. Forbes agrees, predicting that the AI-market will exceed $1.7 billion by the end of 2019.
Another prediction is technology adoption outside the hospital setting will continue to grow. Remote patient monitoring and telehealth tools will enable patients to have more control over their health while improving outcomes for care providers, particularly for long-term chronic diseases. Health Leaders Media reported on three trends they see within the growth of virtual care. They included:
- More favorable reimbursement policies by public and private payers will encourage more health systems and medical practices to adopt telemedicine technology to provide a virtual house call between doctors and patients.
- Telehealth has been shown to cut costs and improve access to care; one trend we’ll see is expansion in what the technology is used for. Traditionally, telemedicine has been used for non-urgent care, but increasingly it is being leveraged for everything from post-operative wound care to reduce hospital readmission for sepsis and remote monitoring of chronic conditions like diabetes.
- Other technology advancements will impact telehealth technology, such as AI, which is expected to expand self-monitoring digital health tools for patients in their homes.
Another big change expected is that outdated health insurance policy models will shift to more personalized methods. We’re already seeing this in the car insurance market, soon, data-driven personalized health insurance profiles may help reduce cost by rewarding policyholders with positive health outcomes and proactive lifestyle choices.
Healthcare staffing shortages are projected to continue to grow in 2019. Healthcare organizations will continue to lag behind the demand for skilled workers. While AI and digital automation tools may help alleviate some of the pressure, the demand for doctors, nurses, advanced care practitioners, and home health aides is predicted to skyrocket. This leads us to our conclusion, which is that an increasing number of healthcare providers will seek the assistance of a third-party staffing firm to help them find talent.
Partner With the FQHC Experts!
UHC Solutions partners with community hospitals and FQHCs to help them find executive-level talent. Contact our executive FQHC recruiters today – the staffing shortage is one trend we can help you prepare for.
