Staying in touch with the needs of both the medical industry and consumer needs can be difficult. With so much technology changing on a dime, it’s easy to fall behind!
Fortunately, gathering insight into the field of healthcare is easier than ever. Patients today are more vocal about what they need to stay healthy, happy, and confident. Likewise, healthcare providers are equipped with the latest in telehealth and artificial intelligence.
What healthcare insights should you know about in 2022? Our definitive edition will put you on the right path to bolster your strategy and stay competitive.
Top Healthcare Insights and Trends in 2022
While you should always keep an open mind on any new data you encounter, a few healthcarehave remained constant.
Below are our top choices for today’s most challenging and in-demand healthcare trends.
Patient Engagement
Patient engagement is the foundation that holds up the healthcare industry. Without consistent communication and a deep level of trust, patients cannot get the care they need.
Patient engagement means any engagement from the patient to their healthcare provider or health network, such as:
- Navigating symptoms and accessing care
- Filling out paperwork
- Following up with a doctor
- Asking for help with a prescription
Today’s challenges concerning patient engagement are providing better preventative care, building more robust levels of trust, and improving telehealth resources.
Related: The Role of APPs in Telemedicine and Digital Health
Clinician Burnout
What about the health and wellness of medical workers? According to ongoing research, burnout is one of the biggest challenges facing nurses, doctors, and physicians.
Burnout has many features, such as deep pessimism, fatigue, and difficulty maintaining quality work standards. While burnout was already a problem before the pandemic, the challenges of COVID-19 have exacerbated burnout to an extreme degree.
Healthcare Professional Shortages
Healthcare professional shortages are looming above the heads of the medical industry. A 2021 study saw at least 83% of health executives anticipating a nursing shortage, which is nothing to say about similar professions.
Due to the above factors of burnout and pandemic challenges, healthcare industries will be hard-pressed to retain the same numbers. You should take measures to address this shortage before your employee turnover gets too high, such as adding:
- Improved patient documentation
- Embracing telehealth resources
- Increasing hiring rates
Related: 3 Ways Patient Care is like Tinder
Without compatible technology, your business risks higher burnout and less satisfied patients. We at Clearstep are ready to get you and your patients on the same page.
Strategic Partnerships Between Health Systems and Vendors
Seeking out a random vendor in hopes of a quick payoff sounds nice in the short-term, but isn’t a viable long-term strategy. Building a partnership between your medical facility and a vendor of choice will significantly improve your business.
An emerging trend in today’s fast-paced world involves creating close vendor relationships. With helpful digital tools and decentralized medical hubs, building lasting professional relationships has never been more accessible. These partnerships should be built on tight collaboration, ongoing communication, and a desire to make each other’s jobs smoother.
AI Adoption
Artificial intelligence is becoming the glue that holds the medical industry together. From chatbots to machine learning, workers today can reroute their energy toward other tasks.
If you’re unfamiliar with AI adoption trends, consider focusing on this area for 2022 and beyond. Healthcare is set to experience a complete transformation in diagnostic treatment, preventative care, and even predicting future outbreaks.
Telehealth Adoption
We touched on telehealth before, but where will this technology go in the future? As of right now, telehealth has been incredibly useful in bridging the gap between providers and socially distancing patients.
Telehealth refers to any medical care done through telecommunications, such as over the phone or on a webcam. A patient will use telehealth for issues such as:
- Remote diagnosis (such as an eczema flare-up or twisted ankle)
- Asking for help with applying for a new prescription
- Mental and emotional health services
Telehealth not only empowers patients to take charge of their wellness, this resource also reduces in-person visits for overworked medical staff. While in-person visits are still essential, some of today’s care can easily be done online.
Related: Return on Health: The Business Case for a Value Got Stronger in 2020 (Part 1)
Evolving Business Models
Today's business model won’t be compatible with the needs of tomorrow. The best business strategy is receptive to new information and pivots on a dime.
Will your medical facility rise to the challenge? Patients are facing challenging obstacles such as inflation, outbreaks, and accessibility to specialists. On the medical end of things, today’s hardworking staff are struggling with burnout and high turnover rates.
Consider thinking about how you can change your business model to ensure everyone is accommodated up and down the chain. These changes can look like scaling your business more effectively or investing in a new value-based care model.
Improving Mental Health Care
Last but not least, the healthcare field is facing massive demand for improved mental healthcare services. Patients and medical workers alike are experiencing high burnout rates, depression, and anxiety.
Mental health care access stands to benefit from increased investment in areas such as telehealth and new business model strategies. A solid place to start is by increasing the amount of workers in the mental health field, such as:
- Therapists
- Psychiatrists
- Life coaches
Implement Some of These Healthcare Insights and Trends to Stay Competitive
Staying competitive is more than analyzing spreadsheets. You need to connect with people and network to find the most compatible solutions to today’s problems.
Our predictions for the most in-demand healthcare trends include the following:
- Improving patient engagement
- Getting to the root of clinician and physician burnout
- Targeting healthcare shortages as early as possible
- Evolving current business models and taking risks
- Adopting artificial intelligence
- Adding more telehealth options
- Bolstering mental health care resources
Is your business model in need of an upgrade? Contact us today to start implementing AI solutions and Smart Care Routing™ into your daily process.
