Nearly three-quarters of C-suite leaders at hospitals and health systems say their organizations are boosting patient outreach efforts to encourage the resumption of routine care as care delays persist, according to survey findings from consulting group Sage Growth Partners.
The findings were published in a Nov. 15 report and are based on a July survey of 100 top hospital and health system executives. Seventy-four percent of C-suite respondents were from a health system and 26 percent from a hospital.
Here are seven key findings, by topic:
Care delays
1. Fifty-seven percent of respondents said more than half of patients are still delaying wellness visits. Additionally, 46 percent said primary care follow-ups, cancer screenings (45 percent) and elective surgeries (41 percent) are still being delayed.
2. In terms of the effects of delayed care, 17 percent of respondents said they believe it will lead to late-stage diagnosis and 12 percent said it will lead to increased mortality. Fourteen percent said it will lead to increased emergency department visits.
3. Nearly 75 percent of respondents said their organizations are increasing phone and email outreach as a result of care delays.
Strategic priorities
4. Sixty-one percent of executives said staff recruitment and retention is their top strategic priority for the next two years, followed by growing revenue (42 percent) and reducing costs (38 percent). When this report was last published in 2020, increasing efficiencies and reducing costs were the top strategic priorities.
5. When asked about the greatest challenges healthcare will face over the next two years, workforce resilience (77 percent) outranked others, including financial sustainability (69 percent) and lowering the cost of care (69 percent).
6. Sixty-four percent of executives said "reducing the use of agency employees" is a key cost reduction consideration.
Tech initiatives
7. Just 36 percent of hospital leaders said telehealth is among their top technology initiatives within the next two years. Hospital operations was the most frequently selected initiative (53 percent), followed by optimizing EMRs (50 percent).