INNOVATION IN BRINGING HEALTHCARE TO THE CONSUMERS The timeline to implement new ideas has shortened drastically during the pandemic. The pandemic accelerated ideas and forced the healthcare industry to be nimbler. Companies moved from contemplating ideas on a three to five-year planning cycle to implementing weekly. Pediatrics tends to lag adult system care, and they pushed to stand up innovative models quickly. Children’s Minnesota saw a 4,700% increase in telehealth visits over the span of weeks. Laying eyes on people at-risk is critical, especially in elderly care. Prospero Health evaluated technology to deploy for elderly patients and launched a partnership with GrandPad, offering custom tablets to meet patient needs. CMS made changes to telehealth payment regulations, which accelerated changes in telehealth and gave providers more flexibility. MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS All of us deal with mental health in some capacity. While behavioral health needs have spiked during the pandemic, access to care is increasing, as well! There’s stronger recognition of the need for mental health care integration in primary care. The interconnectivity between mental health support and wellbeing is coming to the forefront. Isolation isn’t good for anyone – including children. We see higher acuity experience in terms of acute mental health crises at young ages.
Telehealth is an excellent platform for mental health concerns – there are fewer no-shows and better access. However, technology isn’t the goal; it’s merely the tool. The goal is to ensure people get what they need in a way they value.
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PAYMENT STRUCTURES Consumers push back on price.
The cost structure for brick-and-mortar-based care is inherently different if you can push more volume to virtual care. However, the healthcare system needs to make plans in context instead of basing it on an anomalous year. All consumers are bearing the cost burden now and overpaying for video services. The day is approaching where that will not be tenable, and the industry will analyze and drive down personnel cost. When consumers visit in-person, there’s revenue from ancillary services. You can’t get labs drawn or have mobile x-rays today, but that will change! There is a greater focus on home-based care. If you save money by shutting down buildings and deploying remotely, you shift the savings to the home infrastructure. CLOSING THOUGHTS The pandemic is accelerating access to innovative services that bring healthcare directly to the consumer, including telehealth and home-based care. At-risk and elderly patients drive the need for rapid changes to combat issues of isolation associated with pandemic living. While it’s unclear what our reality looks like post- pandemic, we expect many care delivery advancements will stick around and positively change payment structures in the future.
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RHR PANELISTS
From top left/clockwise: Rajat Relan (Concord), Aliza Bach (Prospero Health), Mike Cantor (Bright Health), and Anna Youngerman (Children’s Minnesota).
Relevant Health Roundtable | 35
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