Over the next decade, clinical and IT leaders see healthcare delivery becoming more personalized, patient-driven and focused on wellness.
"Envisioning a future of healthcare, I see a landscape where patients are not just recipients of care but active architects of their own health journey, being driven by their knowledge of their data," said Edwina Bhaskaran, RN, chief clinical systems and informatics officer at Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic. "This knowledge-driven empowerment fosters a significant shift, propelling us towards a proactive stance on wellness and preventative care."
Ms. Bhaskaran sees data becoming more of a "holistic lens," in the next 10 years, integrating the psychosocial aspects of the patient as well as genetics and clinical history for patients to drive their well-being.
Michael Pfeffer, MD, senior vice president and chief information and digital officer at Stanford (Calif.) School of Medicine sees treatment becoming more customized based on genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors. Clinicians will be able to offer targeted therapies for improved health, and healthcare will become more equitable. He sees telemedicine and remote patient monitoring connecting patients with clinicians more often and tracking health metrics with wearable devices and sensors.
"The shift towards a more patient-centric approach to care will accelerate where patients are active participants in their care decisions facilitated by better access to their own health information and increased emphasis on patient education and engagement through digital health platforms," said Dr. Pfeffer.
Artificial intelligence will accelerate the transition. Clinicians can use AI for diagnostics and developing treatment plans, interpreting medical images and predicting disease outbreaks in the future. AI can also coordinate care better than ever before on the operational side and mechanisms will be in place for smoother data sharing.
"A greater focus on preventative care, with the use of predictive analytics to identify at-risk individuals and intervene early, will be prevalent," said Dr. Pfeffer. "All in all, it’s a very exciting time to be in healthcare delivery, and I look forward to the ways we can use technology to deliver a highly personalized, deeply compassionate care experience for every patient."
But there are risks. Mark Townsend, MD, chief clinical innovations officer at Bon Secours Mercy Health in Cincinnati sees a future where patients may disregard physicians because, armed with data, they'll believe they know more about their health.
"Empowered by consumer-mediated technology that will ingest hundreds, if not thousands, of data-points per individual, patients will have tools at their disposal that will be more convincing than ever," said Dr. Townsend. "How will we as health systems ingest that data to partner with our patients? What privacy and compliance related concerns will exist about storage of that data, let alone monetizing that data? How will we convince patients that technology is, at times, wrong?"
Especially as trust in the healthcare system waned for some in the general public during the pandemic, Dr. Townsend sees a "growing population" of people who may believe they don't need a traditional physician relationship or healthcare delivery.
"In 10 years, the sickest of the sick will still need an ICU, but the era of technology-mediated 'autonomous healthcare delivery' will be upon us," Dr. Townsend said.
The traditional medical office infrastructure is certainly evolving as more care leaves the hospital. Nolan Chang, MD, executive vice president of strategy, corporate development and finance at The Permanente Federation in Oakland, Calif., sees the next frontier of value-based care focusing on patients engaging with healthcare in new ways.
"Today, both disruptors and traditional players are still figuring out the right mix of virtual and face-to-face care," said Dr. Chang. "Virtual options allow easier access to care but can create strain in a world where provider supply is limited. The future will rely more on asynchronous care, powered by big data, AI, machine learning and more, while also creating capacity for providers to be available to those who need a higher level of care."
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