By: ESO Solutions
Key Hospital Predictions for 2018:
Evidence-based care for acute events will continue to be emphasized: From first medical contact to hospital admission through rehab, new evidence-based research will play a key role in the treatment and destination decisions for patients experiencing acute events (e.g., the DAWN study showing benefit of endovascular clot retrieval for up to 24 hours after a stroke). Near real-time (or contemporaneous) access to richer data will enhance physicians’ capabilities, provide decision support, and ultimately enhance patient safety by reducing the likelihood of avoidable error.
Healthcare finance changes will continue to have an impact on admissions and readmissions: Changes in healthcare finance regarding readmissions will influence how systems interact and manage patients across more diagnosis types. Value-based approaches to patient management will continue, with the possibility that out-of-hospital entities in some communities will be included in bundled payment models and/or care planning. In one such instance, facilities working with EMS can proactively manage patients in the most appropriate setting to maximize efficiency and reduce unnecessary readmissions.
Changes in hospital ownership will increase the need for interoperability: As hospitals look to control costs and consolidate market presence, ownership will change in some markets. The shuffling of ownership will create a greater need for interoperability and sharing of information across new partners to bridge data gaps between electronic medical record (EMR) systems.
Managing patient volume will increase in importance: As financial pressure on hospital systems continues, understanding and managing patient volume will be essential to ensure hospitals meet financial goals. This will include an ongoing shift in marketing strategies to appeal to high-value patients directly through various channels, including EMS. Sharing quality data and implementing alignment strategies with partners – physicians, EMS, etc. – will allow hospitals to create systems of care that deliver the right patients to the right facility at the right time, promoting volume for the facility and excellent outcomes for patients.
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