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Healthcare Trends, Predictions, and Technical Innovations for 2018

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Pat Stricker, RN, MEd
Senior Vice President
TCS Healthcare Technologies

It is that time of year again – time to look at healthcare trends, predictions and technology innovations for 2018.

Identifying trends is fairly simple, since it relies on looking back to see what the most popular topics have been and continue to be. Many trends tend to stay for more than a year as their momentum builds. Predictions are a little more difficult to identify and assure accuracy, since they are a look into the future. This year we will also be looking at the top 10 technology-related clinical innovations.

HEALTHCARE TRENDS
An article by Michael Dowling identified the Four Most Important Healthcare Trends for 2018, which include inconsistent healthcare policies and a focus on improving the customer experience. 

PricewaterhouseCooper’s (PwC) Health Research Institute (HRI) provides new information and analysis on trends affecting health-related industries. The research is independent and not sponsored by businesses, government or other institutions. Their report outlines 12 healthcare trends that will impact the healthcare industry in 2018. The trends list was developed by analyzing surveys of US consumers, providers, insurers and pharmaceutical executives; conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders; and examining data and policy trends.

STRATEGIES FOR HEALTHCARE TRENDS
To help healthcare organizations cope with all the required changes, HRI’s report identified three strategies traditional healthcare organizations should consider to help them manage these changes: cross-sector collaboration, strategic investments and creating efficiency.

(NOTE:  For the full PwC report, visit https://www.pwc.com/us/en/health-industries/top-health-industry-issues.html)

Other important strategies that were identified in the Healthcare Leadership Intelligence Report include the mention of Outpatient Care and Population Health Management as prime value strategies.   

HEALTHCARE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TRENDS AND PREDICTIONS
As new technology is adopted, new drivers emerge that affect how Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) is used to enable better care. The IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Health Industry 2018 Predictions looked at the following drivers to predict where healthcare IT will support care delivery over the next 3-4 years. Here are the IDC’s health industry Top 10 Predictions for HIT in 2018.

HEALTHCARE TECHNOLOGY-RELATED INNOVATIONS
The Emergency Care Research (ECRI) Institute is an independent non-profit organization that provides hospital leaders with evidence-based perspectives on innovations and care delivery trends that have the potential to affect cost, quality, and patient outcomes. Their Top 10 List of 2018 Healthcare Innovations is a collection of technology-related innovations and patient care developments that hospital and health system leaders should pay close attention to over the next 12-18 months. Many healthcare leaders this information for informed decision making in planning programs and strategic initiatives.

HEALTHCARE PREDICTIONS
Healthcare predictions are a little harder to determine than trends. This year they tend to focus on mental health, personalized medicine, genomics, population health management, consumer-focused innovation, collaboration among diverse partners, stability, and support for not-for-profit healthcare providers. Here is a list of some of the Top Healthcare Predictions for 2018

Pat Stricker, RN, MEd, is senior vice president of Clinical Services at TCS Healthcare Technologies. She can be reached at pstricker@tcshealthcare.com.

 

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