We don't always get what we want. But that shouldn't stop us from wishing, right?
So we reached out to executives around healthcare to get their wish lists for the industry as we enter the next decade.
From taking on regulatory requirements to better harnessing telehealth, here's what they had to say.
A move away from "politics as usual"
(CommonSpirit Health)
"With the continued focus on bringing down the cost of healthcare, payers and employers will increasingly join providers in urging people to access the right level of care in lower-acuity settings rather than going to the ED. This will continue the acceleration of consumer-direct access to care options such as in-home, digital and local retail locations."
We need to move away from politics as usual. It is my hope that we can come together to drive solutions that make our healthcare system more efficient and prioritize the patient’s needs above all. Let’s remove regulatory requirements to empower providers to focus on the delivery of care instead of needless administration. As the world’s largest economy, we simply have to prioritize the health of all of our people."
— Lloyd Dean, co-CEO of CommonSpirit Health
(American Well)
A better use of telehealth
"Top of mind is increased focus on using telehealth to meet the needs of the most vulnerable: the oldest and youngest on the spectrum as well as the sickest and poorest.
We’ve gotten good at targeting telehealth to younger, tech-savvier, affluent patients in their 20s, 30s and 40s. But we need to pay closer attention to where telehealth is needed most and can have a profound impact. Telehealth holds strong potential to help patients with serious and chronic conditions, such as cancer, diabetes and COPD, who typically require more frequent engagement to stay out of the hospital.”
— Roy Schoenberg, M.D., president and CEO, American Well
More pharmacists stepping out from behind the counter
(Tabula Rasa HealthCare)
"I’d like to see the industry adopt more care management policies that encourage patients to manage their safety, healthcare and data via tested digital applications. In 2020 there should be greater adoption and more rapid application of pharmacogenomics into workflow process for patients and prescribers. The fact that the FDA is holding back pharmacogenomics is short-sighted. Pharmacogenomics ought to be fully embraced along with pharmacists who use technology-enabled tools to clinically apply data real-time and store data for future use as well.
Care practices should also be expanded so that pharmacists can be first-line primary care providers through physician collaboration or on their own. As healthcare organizations and payers transform how healthcare is defined and paid for, it will essential for pharmacists to step out from behind the counter to play a larger role in advising care, managing treatment and other clinical care services such as approving refills based on certain parameters."
— Orsula V. Knowlton, president, chief marketing/new business development officer, Tabula Rasa HealthCare
Policymakers prioritizing legislation to fight superbugs
(Working to Fight AMR)
"With impeachment looming and the 2020 presidential election set to take center stage, it will be hard for antimicrobial resistance to break through the noise in the media. I hope to read that Washington lawmakers put partisan politics aside and prioritize policies that will save millions of lives. When it comes to legislation to fight superbugs, we need a package of incentives—including Medicare reimbursement reforms, pull incentives to reward FDA approval of novel antimicrobials and push incentives to support research and development programs.
The Developing an Innovative Strategy for Antimicrobial Resistant Microorganisms (DISARM) Act is a good first step. The DISARM Act would increase Medicare funding to hospitals that appropriately use innovative antibiotics. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently finalized a rule that would allow hospitals to receive additional Medicare reimbursement for prescribing newer antibiotics to treat drug-resistant infections. I hope to see more policy solutions that build on the DISARM Act to incentivize drug companies to fund antibiotic research."
— Greg Frank, director of Working to Fight AMR