A Curated List of Compelling Questions for the Healthcare Industry 20 for 20 – a Curated List of Compelling Questions for the Healthcare Industry

20 for20 A Curated List of Compelling Questions for the Healthcare Industry 20 For 20 – A Curated List Of Compelling Questions For The Healthcare Industry

The year 2020 once sounded like a sci-fi, futuristic era with flying cars, personal robots and time travel. And yet, here we are. Technology hasn’t advanced quite as far as we might have imagined, but we still find ourselves on the cusp of unprecedented change.

In the spirit of embracing change, we wanted to pose the following list of questions to examine some of the most pressing and important issues facing healthcare in the year 2020. Let’s begin! How Will Traditional Healthcare Respond to Competitive Disruption?

Haven Healthcare, the joint venture between Amazon, JPMorgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway, recently created its first health insurance plan offering. Walmart now offers primary care, dental care, vision care and psychiatric counseling through onsite clinics attached to retail stores. Tech giants are embracing healthcare as the next battleground, the latest proof being Google’s acquisition

of Fitbit.

With significant new competitive forces and innovative disruptions at play, how will the traditional healthcare ecosystem respond? How will this change the roles of existing players? Are the real answers for fixing healthcare found within, or outside, the industry?

Or more likely a combination of both?

WILDFLOWER HEALTH | 20 FOR 20 1 The Price Isn’t Right. But Is That Our Biggest Problem?

Consulting firm PwC projects medical cost trend to increase by 6 percent, which outpaces healthcare inflation for the past few years. Higher prices are driving the increase as they are outpacing utilization. In response, employers are likely to take a more active role in managing healthcare expenses, engaging in direct contracting with providers and setting up provider networks.

But what is the real prescription and priority for driving costs back in the right direction? Even if the price isn’t right, what are the other factors we can focus on to find savings? And is price the right priority?

WILDFLOWER HEALTH | 20 FOR 20 2 Will the Record-Setting Pace of Digital Health Funding Continue? And Is That a Good Thing?

Digital health companies pulled in $5.1 billion in global venture cap- ital funding during the first half of 2019, which was the most volume we’ve seen in any six month period, ever. Will that pace continue in 2020? Most likely it will. And is that good or bad news for healthcare?

With this much activity, are we flooding the market with solutions that are not entirely necessary or effective in addressing real prob- lems? Are we adding quality competition and innovation or creating chaos and indecision?

WILDFLOWER HEALTH | 20 FOR 20 3 Will There Be More Clarity Or Further Confusion When Defining Digital Health?

The explosive growth of the digital health space has created some uncertainty around how to categorize all of the various disciplines and approaches represented by this broad term. To combat the confusion, trade groups such as the DTx (Digital Therapeutics Alliance) have formed and events such as the Digital Medicine Conference have committed to help delineate between overlapping terms such as digital health, digital medicine and digital therapeutics.

Will their efforts successfully advance a more nuanced understanding of the digital space and the major players within it?

WILDFLOWER HEALTH | 20 FOR 20 4 Are We Effectively Diffusing Innovation within Healthcare?

There is no shortage of existing research and compelling innovations within the healthcare space these days. Add to that the opportunities that new technologies are opening up for all types of industries and there has never been a more potent set of possibilities available for advancement. Herein lies the problem. Having a great idea is one thing, but executing it is a far different challenge.

How do we ensure a “diffusion of innovation” within healthcare? How do we share learnings more frequently across the industry and allow breakthroughs and great ideas to feed and build upon each other instead of competing with one another?

WILDFLOWER HEALTH | 20 FOR 20 5 How Can Health Systems Create Longitudinal Relationships with Patients?

Hospitals and health systems understand that to be successful long-term, they need to shift from transactional interactions with patients to a consumer-focused strategy that builds loyal, long- term relationships. Maternity is a service area where providers can create exactly this type of relationship. More systems are taking the opportunity to build longitudinal connections with families from pregnancy to postpartum to pediatrics and all the way to healthy aging and caregiving. This is a valuable continuum of care.

How will health systems make this shift, and do it quickly? What are the keys to connecting maternity, pediatrics and wellness strategies to facilitate family-based relationships that drive loyalty and retention?

WILDFLOWER HEALTH | 20 FOR 20 6 Will telemedicine, direct primary care and retail clinics fill the primary care void?

Amidst a continued shortage of providers, and alarming rates of Americans who report not having relationships with one, primary care is still seen as a critically important hub for improving both cost and quality of care.

New payment models are being introduced to influence a “primary care first” path in healthcare, where PCPs assume financial risk in exchange for reduced administration burden and performance-based payments. These models are being launched in 26 regions, beginning in 2020.

What effect will this have on efforts to center patient care with the

PCP? What challenges are we facing to prevent primary care from re-assuming a leadership role in the healthcare of individuals?

WILDFLOWER HEALTH | 20 FOR 20 7 Will Medicaid Innovation Continue, Specifically on the Digital Front?

From our perspective, 2019 was the year Medicaid was recognized as hugely important in healthcare, not just to health plans but also systems. We saw new organizations and initiative emerge, such as the nonprofit HealthTech 4 Medicaid and AVIA’s Medicaid Transformation Project. We also experienced increasing focus on addressing social determinants of health, which pose critical challenges for Medicaid populations. There is a growing body of work underway to improve housing, education, food disparity and transportation. In many ways, digital solutions are contributing to that progress.

Will this momentum continue in the year ahead? Will we continue to tackle the tough, but solvable challenges, facing vulnerable populations and radically change the pace of innovation within the Medicaid space?

WILDFLOWER HEALTH | 20 FOR 20 8 What Does the Future of Healthcare Consumerism Really Look Like?

Individuals are overwhelmed by healthcare. It’s complicated, confusing and finding the right information and resources can feel completely impossible. Yet, increasingly our system expects more of them and pushes toward increased consumerism.

Are these expectations completely unrealistic? How can we better equip consumers to be active participants in their healthcare? Is there a more effective way forward by forming partnerships between patients and providers? Are we going to see meaningful shifts in critical areas such as transparency? As an example, are hospitals really going to publish their prices? If so, what impact will that have on consumer behavior?

WILDFLOWER HEALTH | 20 FOR 20 9 Will We Finally Take a Leading organizations, including Gartner Are we ready to step forward as an industry and the National Business Group on Health, and give people what they really want when Pinteresting Approach are predicting the rise of personalization they use the word “personalization”. Can we to Personalization? platforms as tools employers want to use to do so in the same way they interact with better assist their employees. Historically, we services such as Pinterest and Netflix? have settled for marketing segmentation and health navigation tools to respond to the need of personalization in healthcare.

WILDFLOWER HEALTH | 20 FOR 20 10 Can We Really Choose For years, experts from every corner have Will this be the year when solutions that work talked about the need to tear down the silos collaboratively within and across the system Synergy Over Silos? that plague healthcare. Every year, we see are recognized and rewarded? Will it be the those silos reinforced, and new ones being beginning of the end for healthcare silos? assembled. In our discussions with key stakeholders across the system, there seems

to be intensifying energy around this issue.

WILDFLOWER HEALTH | 20 FOR 20 11 How Far, and How Fast, Can Predictive & Personalized Medicine Take Us?

Wearable devices that predict if you’re at high risk for health issues like a stroke. Smartphone apps that intervene early with high-risk pregnancies. Full body scans and genome sequencing. Designer drugs that target your individual immune system. Technology is fueling a range of predictive and personalized approaches to medicine and health. Some techniques are already mainstream, while others are gaining ground.

Can we predict what’s next for predictive / personalized medicine?

WILDFLOWER HEALTH | 20 FOR 20 12 If The Future of Healthcare Is Value-Based, How Quickly Can We Move from the Middle?

Most experts agree that a shift to a value-based approach is exactly what needs to happen in healthcare. But as it stands today, we are operating in a system based both on quantity and quality. It’s tough to exist in separate worlds simultaneously.

To transition, the industry still needs to leverage data and technology and align all incentives to refocus on what the standards for care should be moving forward.

The big question remains. How fast can we shift? And what key steps can quicken that pace?

WILDFLOWER HEALTH | 20 FOR 20 13 Will Telehealth Overcome Adoption Obstacles?

Telehealth holds great promise as a game-changer for healthcare. In fact, 84 percent of commercial insurance subscribers said that they would use video or online services if they were offered. And yet, wide- spread adoption of telehealth services remains elusive. Research shows that only one-third of inpatient hospitals and 45 percent of outpatient facilities provide telehealth solutions or services.

The obstacles to adoption have been well-publicized and include a patchwork of legal and regulatory standards, confusion around reimbursement, data and security concerns, the cost of investing in telehealth services and even the difficulty of fitting telehealth into the daily flow of a medical practice.

What are the next steps toward a more cohesive legal and regulatory framework for telehealth? What else can be done to remove adoption barriers in the near term?

WILDFLOWER HEALTH | 20 FOR 20 14 The Silver Tsunami Is Upon Us. Will We Sink, Swim or Surf?

Within the next decade, more people worldwide will be over the age of 60 than under 10. This is an unprecedented shift in the population and already is placing strain on society, especially the healthcare system. The challenge of supporting this population extends from health plans and providers, all the way to employers. In fact, employees age 65 and older are the fastest-growing segment of the workforce, according to AARP.

The eventual crush from this population shift is lingering in the not-so- distant future. But the time to brace for it is right now. Are we making

enough progress and moving with enough urgency as a country, and

as a healthcare system, to prepare?

WILDFLOWER HEALTH | 20 FOR 20 15 How Can We Prevent Trust Fails in Healthcare as Privacy Concerns Grow?

Many prominent organizations are under fire for using healthcare data. We have seen a multi-billion dollar industry develop around collecting healthcare data and using it, anonymously, for research. But patients and lawmakers are responding with skepticism and even panic over the sense that privacy is being invaded.

How do we maintain trust among consumers as they interact with the healthcare system? With data as the backbone for everything we do as an industry, are we facing a crisis of trust? And if so, what can we do about it?

WILDFLOWER HEALTH | 20 FOR 20 16 Will Our Health Records Be Set Free? If So, What Will That Mean for EMRs?

It feels like we are approaching a tipping point for some level of health record liberation. Earlier this year, the Department of Health and Human Services proposed new rules requiring that healthcare providers and electronic health record (EHR) vendors make patients’ health data easily and cheaply available to them electronically.

Meanwhile, UnitedHealth Group has massive ambitions to provide access to 50 million medical records so that members can take more control of their data. If consumers gain access to their health data across distinct record systems, will they be more engaged in managing their health and their healthcare costs?

How does this data freedom impact proprietary platforms, e.g. EMR systems?

WILDFLOWER HEALTH | 20 FOR 20 17 In a World Where Everything is Connected, Are We Getting Better?

Analysts estimate there are 50 billion devices connected to the Internet, and many of these devices will track the health data of individuals. While all stake- holder groups see the potential of connected care, consumers increasingly are demanding hyper-personalized support delivered based on their preferences. They want more control over their health, and they want quantifiable data. They want it all now, and on-demand.

Will healthcare organizations that fail to get connected lose out on consumer loyalty? Will connected consumers be better informed and more effective in managing their health? Can healthcare organizations deliver more efficient and higher quality care leveraging connected devices? In other words, are we better off with this increasing connectivity?

WILDFLOWER HEALTH | 20 FOR 20 18 Will Mental Health Move from Center of Attention to Meaningful Action?

The National Alliance on Mental Illness reports that 43.8 million Americans will experience a mental illness episode in a given year. Countless presen- tations, articles and research reports have established the fact that more must be done to support mental health needs. And yet, there still doesn’t seem to be adequate action. A new report by Milliman found considerable disparities for coverage of mental illness and substance abuse treatment compared with primary care. Meanwhile our country continues to see swells in anxiety, depression, suicide and addiction.

Now that the need has been so well articulated, how do we spur more action? How do we reduce the stigmas surrounding mental health while also increasing opportunities to get help?

WILDFLOWER HEALTH | 20 FOR 20 19 Are We Ready Gen Z is the most diverse generation to date, and they have never spent a day without the Internet. Virtually every member of this generation carries a smartphone and more than half spent at least 5 for Gen Z? hours a day engaging via a mobile device. In consumer situations, they expect instant gratification

and omnichannel support, meaning seamless experiences across mobile, web and physical engage- ments. Oh, and there will be 2.5 billion globally represented by Gen Z by the year 2020.

As this generation enters the workforce, and consumes more healthcare, are we ready to effectively meet their needs?

WILDFLOWER HEALTH | 20 FOR 20 20 Do you have all the answers? Or maybe just more questions?

Make sure you connect with Wildflower this year as we host discussions on these important topics and more via our social channels, our website and other venues. Join the conversation today by following us on LinkedIn and signing up for updates at wildflowerhealth.com/contact