The COVID‑19 pandemic significantly changed much of our lives for several years, and perhaps no industry felt the impact more than healthcare. As we enter the COVID‑19 recovery era, several significant disruptors still exist that are forcing healthcare organizations to reevaluate their care delivery and operating models.
- Workforce Shortages: According to the National Council on State Boards of Nursing’s 2022 National Nursing Workforce Survey, at least 200,000 experienced nurses left the workforce during the pandemic. While this loss was partially offset by an estimated gain of 130,000 RNs, overall proficiency declined as experienced nurses were replaced by novice new graduates. A similar exodus of clinicians occurred, with nearly 334,000 physicians and advanced practice providers leaving the workforce in 2021. These gaps in workforce supply and demand are expected to worsen as the population ages.
- Regulatory Changes: During the pandemic, the US government eased up on or changed existing Medicare regulations, giving healthcare providers unprecedented care delivery options. Some of these revisions waived conditions of Medicare participation to enable patients to be treated in alternative care settings, while others permitted physicians and other providers to receive Medicare reimbursements for telemedicine services. As of today, most of the changes have been extended or made permanent, meaning organizations must navigate virtual care delivery options that were not available previously.
- Eroding Margins: There are multiple factors driving organizations’ eroding margins, including higher costs from interest rate increases and premium labor fees, declining reimbursement, site-of-care transitions away from the hospital setting, increased supply costs, and product shortages.
In response to these challenging market factors, healthcare organizations are exploring how to “do more with less” by using technological solutions to reduce workload burden, accelerate the learning curve of more novice clinicians, improve workforce retention rates, and create more efficient and effective care delivery models.
Ambulatory services have been quick to innovate and integrate technology to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, incorporating virtual visits into providers’ clinic schedules along with in-person visits. In contrast, the acute care enterprise, which includes emergency department and hospital care, has been slower to adopt new technologies given the acute nature of patient illness in these settings.
Over a series of three blog posts, ECG’s subject matter experts will explore how hospital leaders are integrating technology into acute care services and the impact on care delivery models across the continuum.
- The first post will examine the technology-driven care models that are helping healthcare teams manage patients in the ambulatory setting or at home, thereby preventing or reducing the need for in-person acute care services.
- The second piece will discuss the various types of technology and use cases hospital leaders should consider as they redesign their acute care delivery models.
- The final entry will detail how hospitals are using these innovative care models to reduce length of stay, improve handoffs to post-acute facilities, and support recovery at home.
Each blog post will contain case studies of provider organizations that are successfully using technology to redesign and modernize their acute care delivery models. Check this space in the coming weeks for new entries, and contact one of our subject matter experts with any questions.
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Edited by: Emily Johnson
