To see more about the five factors shaping healthcare: http://www.challc.net/healthcare-trends-watch-2017/
2017 is set to be a year of unprecedented changes across the healthcare industry, but we at continuum think that these five topics will have the biggest impact on the future of healthcare.
Election Impacts
Donald Trump’s administration will have some profound impacts on the healthcare landscape. While details of the repeal and replacement of the ACA are still being worked out, you can bank on an accelerated movement to free-market principles. Consumers want lower prices and more transparency. The president has already promised the removal of state barriers for insurance companies, and this could be only the first step.
Physician Organization Innovation
While payers may see improvements, independent physician practices will continue to face hard decisions. Since 2015, hospital employed physicians have increased by 50%, in fact more than 1 in 4 practices are now hospital-owned. Despite this, hospitals are still seeing mounting losses. Physicians are pushing back on production-based models and requesting higher base salary guarantees, placing the financial risk on the hospitals.
Premier Provider Networks
In line with market forces, networks are narrowing into more “premier provider networks.” These premier network offerings have risen from 55 to 64% over the last year. PPOs will continue to be harder to find, meaning less choice in doctors but also less up-front costs. Premier networks will allow for care delivery that spans a patient’s entire treatment cycle, while driving down costs.
Evolving ACOs
With the imminent dismantling of the ACA, ACOs will begin to transition to other models. ACOs have for some time lagged in tracking quality and efficiency. Additionally, only 31% of commercial ACOs and 15% of non-commercial ACOs have implemented uniform EHR systems. This lack of progress on IT capabilities has caused concerns that ACOs are holding back overall delivery system transformation. Even though commercial ACOs performed better than government ACOs—and despite the influx of more providers into ACOs in 2017—we believe ACOs will eventually migrate into CINs and CBNs.
Connected Care
The promise of telehealth has long been touted, but the entire spectrum of connected care is beginning to leap forward. Consumers are becoming more comfortable with the idea of virtual visits, while employers are increasingly adopting telemedicine to cut down on last-minute patient cancellations and no-shows. Advances in machine learning, connected devices, and remote monitoring are converging to provide more proactive care before an emergency.
Continuum is committed to helping private practices, IPAs, and ACOs achieve the Triple Aim. If you want to learn more about how these five trends in 2017 impact the Triple Aim, check out some of our additional resources on our website and blog.
