As premiums escalate and physician burnout intensifies, the healthcare system will need to undergo significant transformations, according to Forbes.
Here are four ways to repair the healthcare system:
1. Embrace disruption. The influx of technology and innovation is going to change healthcare delivery and care. The healthcare industry needs to get rid of laws that stifle such innovations' benefits. In the wake of a looming physician shortage, telemedicine provides healthcare to those who lack access, yet many rules are hindering this market's growth, thereby preventing patients from obtaining care.
2. Ensure care is continuous. Fragmented care is not good for patients, physicians or the healthcare industry. Rather, healthcare integration can allow all the industry players to exchange data to optimize patient care. Additionally, facilities should forgo IT investments that are not living up to expected potential. Hold technology to high standards and don't settle for IT that doesn't better a practice.
3. Incentives should be outcomes-focused. CMS initiatives are pushing value-based care, and practices failing to provide value will suffer steep financial penalties. Ambulatory surgery centers and urgent care clinics are offering patients low-cost, high quality options, paving the way for other providers to do the same.
4. Humanize healthcare. Patient satisfaction scores are increasingly tied to a physician's reimbursement, and many patients cite physician disengagement as a primary reason for their dissatisfaction. Connection is central to the patient experience, and the industry needs to find ways to prioritize the human aspect of the care process, rather than weighing physicians down with administrative tasks.
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