Healthcare experts talk evolving industry during GHA case competition
The Goizueta Healthcare Association recently hosted the official kick off for an exciting healthcare case competition. The event began with a panel of experts speaking at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health auditorium. Speakers came from a range of backgrounds across the healthcare ecosystem and brought several unique opinions to the table. Throughout the night, it was interesting to hear all parts of the story from different individuals with varying perspectives. Participants on the panel included Mike Van Den Eynde from Deloitte, John Chapman from Athena Health, Paul Kim from EY, Tekla Evans from EY, Christopher Mayer from Change Healthcare and Stuart Bracken from Bioscape Digital. We all know healthcare is a dynamic, rapidly evolving industry, and the conversation across the panel illustrated exactly that.
It is impossible to open a newspaper, blog or textbook and not stumble upon something targeting the major shifts in the healthcare industry. A couple of themes that came up at the panel included telemedicine and its role in the doctor-patient relationship, utilization of technology to engage patients and even distract those with mental conditions, blockchain technology and its potential in healthcare, value-based care and the shifting incentives for payments, and cost efficiencies and reduction potential across the system.
Mike and Paul spoke to the excitement surrounding telemedicine, with the caveat of how these services will actually operate in terms of payment. As a panelist put it, “digital disruptions are disruptive where there is an opportunity for it.” Often times, these additional services are bundled into an insurance or employer product package, but as time goes on and as progress is made, they may very well take on a more primary role in the patient care continuum.
On the topic of technology, John and others on the panel chimed in about the integral role tech will continue to play, not only in the electronic medical record and big data space, but also in the patient experience. I was blown away by the ways in which virtual reality already pervades pediatrics and other longer-term care areas as a form of entertainment and distraction.
Then, of course, came the buzzwords – blockchain, value-based care and predictive analytics – though as panel members pointed out, these are very much real and applicable to the space and aren’t really “buzzy” at all. Blockchain is an exciting prospect for the impact it can have on security in a world where privacy is constantly threatened, especially in cyberspace. With value-based care, we will enter a time when quality and outcome is rewarded above all else, pushing providers and payers to realign incentive structures. Finally, predictive analytics is projected to empower all players in the system to work together with a shared goal of, to put it simply, helping doctors help people.
The opportunity is endless, and we are only just beginning to scratch the surface of what is possible. It will take people like Mike, John, Paul, Chris, Stuart, Tekla, and an army of others to make it a reality.
