5 healthcare trends to watch
Updated: January 24, 2006
At two recent healthcare conferences, I facilitated group discussions and participated in a panel discussion following a presentation by Doug Bush, vice president and chief technology officer for Intel's Digital Healthcare Group. Here are some of my opening comments about 5 healthcare trends to watch in the years ahead.
1. The end of health insurance as we know it
Or, perhaps, it is the return of health insurance as we used to know it. Employer-paid health insurance used to mean coverage for hospitalization. Even this came with a fairly high deductible. There was no coverage for outpatient doctor visits, lab work, X-rays, and medication. And we've all become accustomed to this over the years. The trend is now reversing itself as the economic pressures of global competition force employers to shift healthcare costs to their employees. This is giving rise to consumer directed healthcare and healthcare savings accounts, generating a profound ripple effect in the healthcare ecosystem.
2. Information everywhere
Widely accessible Wi-Fi and Wi-Max devices and a myriad of devices that take advantage of the bandwidth can transform the capability to access information at the point of care, and anywhere else it is needed. Consumers can benefit from advanced home monitoring systems, teleconsultations, personalized care, and individualized treatments.
3. Commoditization of healthcare services
As consumers are forced to pay more out of pocket for healthcare services and as information becomes more widely accessible, retail markets can emerge. Medical service providers can begin to compete more based on price, convenience, high tech, and high touch.
4. Coping with shortages of qualified professionals
Aging baby boomers are beginning to affect the healthcare system at the very time that labor shortages of providers and other healthcare workers are becoming more acute. Price pressures on the industry can demand lower-paid workers, causing more reliance on mid-level and low-level providers of service.
5. Worldwide access to the healthcare economy
Information technology can enable globalization of the healthcare economy. If medical services can be provided remotely, they will be. The phenomenon of medical tourism can grow as people facing higher deductible coverage or no coverage at all seek medical procedures at a lower cost.
Dr. Bill Crounse, M.D., is the worldwide health director for the Microsoft Corporation. Dr. Crounse is responsible for working with industry partners and healthcare organizations to help them benefit from using Microsoft technologies and solutions. Prior to joining Microsoft, Dr. Crounse was vice president and chief medical information officer for Overlake Hospital Medical Center and the Overlake Venture Center in Bellevue, Wash. |
