How Healthcare Will Be Different in 10 Years

1. Medical Advances

We are already seeing dramatic medical advances that will change how diseases and injuries are treated. Medicine is moving away from the assumption that drugs and diseases affect everyone the in the same way and shifting toward more individualized treatment. This approach allows for healing breakthroughs by focusing on the minute differences between similar diseases and individual patients. In 10 years, medicine will rely less on cell, tissue, and organ replacements as a form of therapy, and move to a place of early diagnosis and individualized drug treatments.¹

2. Coordinated Care Delivery Models

Coordinated care delivery models have the potential to make healthcare more affordable, convenient, and responsive. However, gaps in coordinated care can occur when a patient’s different health care providers don’t properly share the information necessary for strong coordinated care. These gaps can lead to issues such as unnecessary emergency room visits and duplicate or unwarranted testing. Thee is work to be done in this area. In fact, one recent study showed that approximately 40 percent of US patients experienced at least one gap in their coordination of their primary care.²

The future may allow for streamlining healthcare delivery further to find ways to provide patients with answers immediately, allowing them to make informed decisions about their lives without having to wait weeks, or longer, for a referral appointment. New care delivery models may allow a patient to see a specialist the same day.³ As new and additional models of care are introduced, professionals with a healthcare administration degree will be tasked with ensuring these systems run smoothly and the patient goals are met.

3. Telehealth

Telehealth is primarily a remote visit, either over the phone or through video chat. It can also mean sending messages through SMS, or other means, to remind patients to take their medicine or ask them how they are feeling. Regardless of the method, telehealth allows for critical patient health needs to be handled remotely.⁴ This can be more convenient for the patient, who may be struggling to make frequent visits to a doctor. It also increases the efficiency of the healthcare providers. As technology continues to advance, and more people globally have access to smartphones, computers, and communication networks, telehealth will continue to grow. A master’s in healthcare administration from an online college can be great training to integrate telehealth into an organization and maximize its benefits.

4. Remote Patient Monitoring

Remote patient monitoring uses digital technologies to collect medical data from individuals in one location and then transmit that information to providers in another location for assessment and recommendations. This technology can be very useful in monitoring vital signs, weight, blood pressure, blood sugar, blood oxygen levels, and heart rate. The data is sent to healthcare providers who monitor the patient’s information and act on it when it is necessary. Remote patient monitoring allows patients to remain at home, reduce hospital readmissions, and limit the length of hospital stays.⁵

5. Changing Healthcare Workforce

As more women become physicians and millennials make up a larger part of the healthcare workforce, this will mean transformation throughout the entire health industry. Doctors will likely want to spend more time with their patients but will insist on a healthy work-life balance. The healthcare workforce of the future will also demand more tools and resources to provide quality patient care.⁶ A master’s in healthcare administration can help develop the type or organizational benefits and culture that attracts and retains the premier workforce of the future.