Mega Trends for Healthcare in 2021 and Beyond

I recently attended a virtual event focused on the transformation of healthcare post Covid-19. There were many trends and outcomes identified, but by far the most profound focused on digital health and how it has changed the entire healthcare landscape. Three big take-aways were:

• Urgency
• Increased patient engagement
• Embracing technology by HCPs

Urgency

As a society we are used to the healthcare industry, in general, moving at a snail’s pace. Organizations are huge and unwieldy, there are multiple parties involved in decision-making, testing and diagnostics require time and money, and approvals for care can take a millennium, especially to the person waiting to be healed. Because of these and many other reasons, the healthcare arena has become synonymous with slow, methodical (and sometimes illogical) steps forward. This all changed in 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic came on us with a vengeance and science and medicine had to up its game, step on the throttle, and find solutions – fast. Suddenly answers that would have taken years were found in months. Barriers were removed so that scientists and HCPs could do what they do best – discover and treat. We found out that solutions can be found and implemented in a much shorter time than previously accepted. What remains to be seen is whether the industry can maintain this sense of urgency, or if it will slip back into the old ways of slow, steady progress. 

Increased patient engagement.

Patients are no longer patients after 2020 – we are consumers. Just as we do in any other industry, patients are now demanding access to high quality care, reasonable timelines for access, price transparency, and good outcomes. We had to become our own advocates last year in many ways. We learned new ways of accessing care and embraced technology.  We found tele-medicine can provide a high-level service and make our lives a bit easier. We learned that solutions can be found quickly when the sense of urgency is real. We now recognize that our providers are our partners and need us to be active in managing our care.

Doctors embracing technology.

Perhaps the most profound shift in the healthcare industry last year was physicians turning to technology to help them deliver care. When the lockdowns began last year, it was evident early on that we had to have a way for healthcare providers to see their patients. Without the option of in-person visits to help them diagnose and treat, they embraced another vehicle to continue delivering quality care. Though in-person visits will probably always be preferable to physicians for providing healthcare, technology has provided a viable alternative, and it will be interesting to see how much of this trend remains when the necessity is not as great.       

2020 was a landmark year for healthcare in so many ways, and will no doubt have a lasting impact on the way we seek and deliver quality care. Digital health has enabled patient self-empowerment, and as a result, we have all become a bit savvier in seeking healthcare. Providers and patients have become partners in care, and we are learning how much we can accomplish together using technology. Many questions remain as to how we navigate healthcare in the future. Will we revert to an in-person model after the pandemic is said and done, or will we continue to embrace our newfound technological skills when it comes to seeking care? Will providers find other ways to provide care via digital advancements? Will payors and other agencies accelerate the innovation curve to help patients and doctors manage care? The trends we see in healthcare for 2021 and beyond can be boiled down to one key concept: digital health is here to stay and will continue to play a very big role in healthcare management, discovery, and innovation. We wonder, can digital health also help bring down the cost of care while maintaining quality? That remains to be seen.