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4 Trends Shaping Your Service Lines in 2020

Feb 21, 2020 | Hospital Solutions


This year, the Advisory Board predicts some long-simmering trends will finally reach a tipping point in 2020 and have a major impact on physicians and hospitals. Are you ready for them?

1. Physician shopping: Patients are moving away from automatically going to the physician to whom they were referred and instead shop around for the best provider in terms of cost. This is happening increasingly in specialties that perform more elective procedures like Ortho and OB/GYN. How do you make sure your physicians are being noticed by patients? Check out programs like Patient Connect so that you can ensure their profiles are front and center.

 

2. Value is King: Companies, hospitals, and insurance companies have found creative ways to implement the FFS model such as the steerage model, alternative payments, and direct disease management. The bottom line of all 3 strategies is that patients will be steered towards high-quality care meaning providers will have to prove that their care is worth the cost. Since patients these days are doing their research, make sure websites are up-to-date with all of your hospital’s procedures and verbiage they understand. Of course, utilizing your AdWords campaigns is also the perfect way to make sure your programs are at the top of the search.

 

3. Doctors move towards Networks: Between all the M&As and care moving more towards outpatient settings physicians will likely consolidate themselves into network systems. This will allow the reduction of costs, consistent inpatient experience, and more efficient use of staff.

 

4. New Kids on the Block will Disrupt Service Lines: Free-standing centers for both OB/GYN patients and Oncology patients threaten to disrupt both service lines at major hospitals. Both Mayo Clinic and Ochsner have decided to disrupt their own business by starting the “OB Nest” that allows expectant families to connect with their care team from home and in more flexible ways than office visits.

 

Read the full article here.