As the decade comes to a close, we reflect on the ongoing transformation of the U.S. healthcare system. In one sense, nothing much has changed, as health systems are, as always, being assaulted on all sides by numerous market forces. On the other hand, the pace of change is undoubtedly accelerating. From the White House Executive Order on price transparency, to increasing pressure for value-based contracts, to the double jeopardy of mostly flat volumes that continue to migrate from inpatient to outpatient settings, there are numerous macro forces at work that will have a lasting impact on how healthcare is delivered for years to come.
And surprisingly, health systems continue to either partner with Optum, apparently oblivious to Optum’s competitive strategy, or rely on two-year-old, inpatient state data to solve multi-million dollar problems.
Will 2020 be yet another year in which your health system continues to do the same things, but expects different results? Or is your health system resolved to change in 2020? As General Eric Shinseki says, “if you don’t like change, you are going to like irrelevance even less”.