The problem: shrinking margins and rising costs in the healthcare industry.
While there are many strategies that the sector is employing to combat these issues, one that has gained recent attention is preventative care. This strategy is being executed on a global level, as healthcare organizations are shifting from volume to value.
With illness and chronic conditions being one of the largest drains on our economy, stakeholders (business and personal) have been advocating for an increased focus on prevention.
What is Preventative Healthcare?
Preventative healthcare comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. It can include, but isn’t limited to:
- Proactive outreach
- Mental health support
- Addiction treatments
- Nutrition education
- Counseling on topics such as weight loss, substance abuse, depression, life balance, etc.
- Vaccinations
- Screenings for cancer and other serious conditions
- Routine physicals and wellness visits
- Pre-natal care
- Disease detection
The End Goal
Deloitte’s 2018 Global Health Care Outlook notes, “stakeholders are advocating the shift away from a ‘break-fix’ model of healthcare that is centered around episodic and transaction-based treatments.”
If doctors can move beyond that model and focus more on prevention and holistic health, they will not only reduce costs, but prevent hospitalizations, ER visits, and detect diseases earlier.
After all, it makes financial sense to invest in keeping people and populations healthy, as preventative health interventions are more cost-effective than treatment procedures. Especially now that payers are starting to reimburse for preventative medicine. Great news seeing as chronic disease is one of the costliest health-care drivers.
If your office is willing to embrace this trend, lower turnaround time and enhance the efficiency of the office visit, you will have a larger opportunity for growth.
Is your office ready to handle this trend? If you need to optimize or increase your office space, give us a call!