RightSourcing recently had the opportunity to attend the Becker’s Hospital Review 9th Annual Meeting. This 4-day event is attended by over 3,000 healthcare industry leaders, with speakers representing executive leadership from some of the largest hospital and healthcare systems across the U.S. With the healthcare industry undergoing a major transformational era, this year’s conference included no shortage of discussion around how healthcare leaders are responding to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Here are a few of RightSourcing’s top takeaways from this year’s event:
Cost and Convenience Will Drive Competitive Success for Health Systems
This theme resonated throughout the event. While the ACA may have created momentum — regardless of where regulation takes us — the healthcare system of the future will be pushed to deliver in all three areas of the ‘Big 3’ – affordability, access and quality.
Patient “Centricity” Goes Beyond “Patient Experience”
This environment empowers patients to take control of their own health — without the motivations of revenue on the part of the healthcare provider. Technology will continue to play a significant role in this evolution including how patients access their care (mobile technologies) and how that care is delivered (Artificial Intelligence).
“Home” and “Digital” Mediums Will Continue to Grow
We are witnessing a significant shift in where care is delivered. Some projections predict that in the next 10-15 years, more than 50% of care activities will be provided through home or digital platforms. This transformation not only forces healthcare providers to re-evaluate where and how they provide care, but the skill-sets and roles required to do so.
Consumerism Will Continue to Force Transparency
As high-deductible health plans create more cost-focus on the part of consumers, healthcare providers are searching for ways to simplify pricing and equip their patients with more information. Many sessions referred to the shift of asking consumers what they want, versus pushing services to consumers.
Costs, Costs, Costs
Every healthcare system is looking for creative ways to lower costs without sacrificing quality care and assuming increased risks. Are there ways to do this? Absolutely. Many health systems are making significant strides in identifying efficiencies and cost control opportunities through proactive physician engagement programs that center around improving patient care. Providing physicians an opportunity to play a positive and constructive role in the transformation of the industry is leading to creative cost-containment strategies.
With many seeing the healthcare industry in the midst of a ‘revolution’ versus simply an ‘evolution’, this seismic shift can create much uncertainty and fear. However, the prevailing theme of the 2018 Becker’s Hospital Review Conference is that there is an overriding excitement that we all get to be part of this transformative change every day!
RightSourcing is proud to work with many of the nation’s largest hospitals and healthcare systems as together, we tackle workforce challenges to improve worker quality, increase efficiencies, mitigate risks and reduce costs.
For more information on how your healthcare system would benefit from RightSourcing’s expertise, request a free workforce analysis or contact us at 800-660-9544.