As we roll into 2023, many of us are looking back at the past year(s) with a sigh of relief. The perils of COVID seem to be safely behind us and it is time to start looking toward what the New Year will bring. After reading countless articles on healthcare predictions for 2023, we have put together a short list of the trends that will have a big impact on small to medium-sized practices.
There will be more focus on the patient experience.
From long wait times to more emphasis being put on getting health insurance details than providing care, almost anyone who has had to visit a hospital, emergency room, health clinic, or doctor’s office in the United States can confirm that it is generally not a pleasant experience.
However, this is finally beginning to change as the healthcare industry slowly becomes more patient-centric and focused on the overall patient experience. In order to thrive in this new environment, many healthcare providers are looking for ways they can incorporate new products into their existing services such as remote monitoring and health tracking tools, tailored treatment plans, and personalized support.
When looking at the needs of patients, it is important to consider the fact that customers may also become more segmented as healthcare companies create additional products to serve them. Examples of this include ethnicity-specific or LGBTQ-oriented products. This questions the idea of using the same clinical model for all patients and we may see further segmentation if these products prove to be successful.
The demand for virtual healthcare will continue to grow.
Throughout the COVID pandemic, many healthcare providers found themselves offering virtual consultations due to health and safety restrictions as well as staffing issues. These virtual sessions had many benefits and helped drastically decrease healthcare costs for patients compared to visiting urgent care or an emergency room for treatment.
They also may have helped to build stronger connections between patients and healthcare providers, especially for people who live in rural areas and may not have easy access to healthcare. They proved particularly useful for people in need of mental health assistance that were not able to access more traditional care.
Thanks to cost savings and ease of access for many patients, there has been a continued increase in demand for telecare health services even as the pandemic slowed. It is expected that more and more health insurance companies will begin to cover it and that it will become a common inclusion in employee health insurance programs. This increase in virtual care is likely to coincide with an expected increase in demand for at-home care as many elderly people prefer to age at home.
The demand for virtual services extends beyond consultations and many patients prefer to schedule appointments and access billing information online. This is something that practices should look at implementing on their websites if this hasn’t already been done in order to stay competitive.
The need to adapt to new technologies may prove challenging.
As patients demand a higher standard of personalized care, healthcare providers will need to adapt their current IT systems to allow them to serve the needs of their patients. However, there may be some staff members that may find it challenging to adapt to new forms of technology which can ultimately lead to HR issues within a healthcare organization. It is important to upskill your team on new software and recruit staff members who are familiar with emerging software and technology to make this transition period go more smoothly.
How can medical management companies help?
Medical management companies like Orchard Medical Management can help practices adapt to and grow with the changes in healthcare by providing HR and credentialing support, practice management, and revenue cycle management services. If you would like to learn more, please give us a call or send us an email.