5 Health Care Trends

**Editors note, this post was updated with new trends in Aug of 2018 from 2016 post

While there is no magic bullet to predict the future of health care jobs, there's enough data out there to help us at Concorde Career College focus in on trends in the health care industry.

With this data, we can determine what things are on the horizon of changing the nursing and allied health field.

1. HEALTH CARE DIGITALIZATION

Over the past few years, we have really seen a digital transformation of healthcare. What was a transformation is now a norm and it seems the benefits will continue to get better.

With new technologies, such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools, have helped improve patient satisfaction and overall level of care.

These data tools me also help cut costs for organizations by helping identify and treat patient health issues quicker. As an example, real-time data can give doctors a snapshot of patients health which could lead to noticing early warning signs and intervention of problems. This could lower the cost of treatments due to early intervention.

2. RISE OF OUTPATIENT AND ANCILLARY SERVICES

All data shows that the healthcare industry will continue to grow for years to come, but much of that growth will happen in outpatient settings and ancillary services.

Healthcare out of pocket cost has grown 66% between 2005-2015, or more than twice the growth rate in wages during the same period, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. And these costs are projected to continue to grow fast than the economy.

In order to help the imbalance, providers must continue to push value-based initiatives and work on improving operational efficiencies. This is due to the fact governmental and commercial payers continue to reduce reimbursements, meaning healthcare growth will not necessarily mean revenue.

3. GROWTH OF TELEHEALTH

Telehealth, also referred to as telemedicine, is a form of remote healthcare services. The most common or popular forms of telehealth come from different platforms, telephone, email, and text messages.

Telehealth has often been used for pilot projects, however, we have started to see more and more organizations integrating telemedicine into regular practice.

Telehealth can be very beneficial for patients in rural areas as access to health care is not as prevalent. Implementations like these are good for both the healthcare industry and patients alike.

4. WORK-BALANCE LIFE AND HEALTH BENEFITS

Not only are consumers shifting their paradigm of what health care professionals treat them, they have a new outlook on work-balance life issues. Employees are seeking work-balance over health benefits according to a Forbes article.

Many feel that a flexible work environment with work-from-home options should be a component of their employment. Without a doubt, employers will have to rethink their current benefits to suit different lifestyles.

If companies can begin to create cultures that support work-life balance, all parties are to benefit in productivity, retention, and quality of life.

5. ADDICTION TREATMENT

With a well documented opioid crisis, along with Americans overdosing at a high rate daily, its hard to talk about health care trends without talking about addiction.

While funding continues to be a hot topic, we can be sure that addiction treatment will continue to be a focus in the healthcare industry. Doctors today are more educated on the signs and symptoms of addictions and are less likely to prescribe addictive drugs as prescriptions.

It does not seem like this is an issue that will go away anytime soon. We can only hope to see some changes in how society views the issues surrounding the nationwide crisis.

All around, there are new trends emerging in the health care industry for 2016. It's fueled by technology and a new focus of what consumers are looking for in their health care. And with these factors, the health care industry must adapt.