The rise of healthcare costs and the middling quality as a result of the shifts in government regulations, drug costs and other events in 2018 only create opportunities to make appropriate changes in 2019. As a result, MedCity News has taken the time to dive into the six key trends they believe will influence healthcare delivery in 2019.

  1. Smarter, More impactful Data-Driven Interventions

In general, there will be many similarities from 2018 to 2019, but there is hope for a fresh focus on issues that affect broader America. For example, patients who have real pain needs, now affected by the opioid crisis and the record number of drug-overdoses, should be supported with more meaningful care, not necessarily less access.

  • Regulatory Overflow for Physicians

New regulations have led to more paperwork for physicians and more time researching a patient’s medical record and overall navigation of their electronic history. More systems and tools will help simplify physician’s workflow, and with more efficient access to data within a vendor’s system, physicians can streamline their processes too.

  • More Interoperability for Collaboration

Cross collaboration needs to happen. From health systems to providers, the collaboration will be necessary and should trend to support the tools being built data being shared.

  • Address Behavioral Health

All medicine has behavioral health at its core, yet due to the complexities in management, the quality and cost of care have suffered. Emergency room doctors are at the heart of optimizing the care to address these needs and collaboration with other departments and outpatient clinics will be essential as well.

  • Address Workplace Violence

Workplace safety is finally a topic in hospitals and healthcare settings. 47 percent of emergency physicians noted in a survey with more than 3,500 doctors that they’ve been physically assaulted while on the job and 60 percent of those happening within 2018 alone. Proactive and preventative measures are moving into place to decrease risk of violence in the workplace.

  • Social Determinants of Health

The increased awareness of social determinants of health in patient care rose in 2018 taking us into 2019 with our attention still on those without home, food and general at-risk populations. Working with local health systems for the proper model of care will be a theme in 2019.

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