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COVID-19 has been a powerful catalyst. It has exposed systemic issues in the healthcare system, shining an indisputable light on the aspects that are working to deliver high-quality and cost-effective, patient-centered care, and the aspects that are not working at all. In taking a critical look at the aspects of the healthcare system that have proved effective—one word can be used to underpin them: innovation.
The vision of the healthcare industry, according to new research from Deloitte, is consumer-centric, efficient, high-quality, data- and technology-driven, and highly accessible. While achieving this vision in full requires major shifts to innumerable legacy systems, COVID-19 has acted as an accelerator—speeding adoption and trust of telehealth-based solutions, virtual care, and digital technologies.
The rapid utilization and changing consumer and HCP sentiment of healthcare innovation is begging the question: how will healthcare systems sustain this transformation in the future? In this blog, we will discuss the connection between sustained utilization and health services innovators.
Sustaining the Accelerated Utilization of Telehealth
Not surprisingly, the use of, and satisfaction with, telehealth grew exponentially during the pandemic, which can be attributed to Congress, CMS, and other federal agencies waiving restrictions previously applied to telehealth and developing new legislation in support of telehealth. These actions coupled with positive sentiments around its use will drive its continued development and integration into healthcare systems in the near-term and future. Crowdsourcing experts from Deloitte Center for Health Solutions interviewed healthcare experts and futurists on their vision for the hospital of the future. When asked what the hospital would look like in 2040, the crowdsourcing expert indicated a few things:
- Most care delivery will shift away from the hospital setting and be driven by technological advances.
- Hospital business models with transform to focus on high-acuity, complex cases, and virtual services.
- Healthcare technology and data will be prevalent and transform care delivery models.
- Smart spaces and digital healthcare hospitality will be a necessity.
This research solidified that the question is no longer will hospitals transform but how.
We’re starting to see these changes come to fruition through new legislation, increased utilization and comfort with telehealth from patients and providers, and emerging healthcare technology from consumer tech companies. In addition, health services innovators are coming on the scene, fast and furiously, to help healthcare systems and hospitals successfully transform and gain traction with innovative telehealth solutions and services.
Understanding the Role of Health Services Innovators
Health Services Innovators are companies that offer innovative solutions and services to health systems and health plans to solve some of healthcare’s most important problems. According to Deloitte analysis, these companies possess characteristics including nimble, tech-enabled, consumer-focused, and led by industry experts. As the industry shifts toward stronger patient experiences and better use of data and technologies, these health services innovators are helping hospitals and health systems transform and fill gaps by building capabilities like:
- Digital healthcare for enhanced care delivery for patients
- AI and predictive analytics to support data-driven care
- Personalized patient tools to support care enablement
Health services innovators are not just mission-critical to enabling this transformation, but their approach is reported to be preferred to that of large tech and retail giants who may bring more competition and disruption to the industry. Unlike tech giants who may ultimately compete against hospitals and health systems for consumers and patients, health services innovators aim to partner with incumbents and merge their tech-enabled approach with existing industry experience, capital, and regulatory expertise. Keystone Healthcare is an example of a health services innovator.
A Health Services Innovator in Action – Keystone Healthcare
Keystone Healthcare provides Emergency Medicine and Hospital Medicine physician staffing and management services to hospitals. We partner with hospitals to efficiently deliver high-quality, patient-centered care through innovative management solutions, including the strategic use of telehealth.
Like health services innovators, Keystone Healthcare is nimble, tech-enabled, patient-focused, and managed by industry experts who understand and can execute upon the future state of the healthcare industry. We are helping hospitals transform and optimize patient flow and improve patient experience by leveraging telehealth solutions from Pre-Hospital through Post-Discharge. View this infographic to see how our innovative telehealth solutions fit into each stage of the patient flow, helping hospitals achieve healthcare’s consumer-centric, efficient, data- and tech-driven, and highly accessible vision.
Sustaining Healthcare Innovation in Your Hospital
Whether your hospital has accelerated the adoption of telehealth during COVID-19 or has continued with traditional care delivery methods, it is clear that the future of healthcare hinges on technology innovation and healthcare systems large and small need to make plans to transform sooner than later.
At Keystone Healthcare, we are helping hospitals nationwide accelerate transformation and sustain it through ongoing healthcare innovation management and optimization. We are continuing to aggressively invest in healthcare technologies and services that will meet the present and future needs of our hospital partners, and we look forward to helping you. Contact us.