By Arthur A. Burley 
Unique individuals, unique healthcare needs
Every person is unique. This is true for our health as well. It’s not only down to our genes and epigenetics, which turn on or off those genes. It also depends on living in safe housing, having a steady income, getting a good education, accessing quality healthcare, and adopting healthy lifestyle habits such as eating nutritious foods, sleeping well, reducing stress levels, and consuming less alcohol. According to the World Health Organization, these are the “social determinants” of health. These factors are important in chronic diseases such as COPD, diabetes, and congestive cardiac failure.
Our health can be affected by many factors. Optimizing our outcomes requires a holistic approach that focuses on us individually. If a patient cannot care for themselves at home or cannot access adequate home care, it is ineffective to discharge them. Today’s hospital systems don’t just focus on patients. They are more often centered on episodic acute care, medical specialists and technologies. This means that there is a lot of focus on medical expertise and not enough on the people’s health journeys and experiences.
Things are changing, however. Many of the most respected care providers around the globe have begun to focus on their patients’ social and clinical needs. This involves connecting the dots between different disciplines and combining all data points (medical, social, and environmental) that help determine where the patient is from, where they are, and where they will be going. Imagine hospitals using streaming data and connected devices to track patients 24 hours a day from a virtual care center. Imagine if personal medical data could be combined with socio-economic, behavioral and other data to predict potential health risks and deterioration. Imagine if friends, family and the community could all participate in health care. There would be huge benefits for individuals, families and society.
The current hospital-centric model for care delivery is set to change. This will allow for more personalized and predictive care. Nearly all countries in the developing and developed world face increasing demand for healthcare due to growing and older populations and rising healthcare costs. The world won’t have the resources and human capital to provide quality care through traditional brick-and-mortar hospitals or nursing homes. Numerous studies have shown that [1] better home care for older adults with multiple chronic illnesses, who are the most costly to the system, has a positive effect on patient wellbeing and stability and dramatically reduces hospital readmissions and emergency care.
The rise of Integrated Delivery Networks
Consolidation and growth of Integrated Delivery Networks are already a result of the drive for efficiency. These are groups of stakeholders, including hospitals, doctors’ offices and home care providers, who work together to create a better patient journey. A new generation of the tech-savvy patient has emerged. They are capable of monitoring and controlling their health and wellbeing. These new healthcare consumers will expect the same ease and convenience in their other life activities, such as banking or online shopping. They will be able to control their health data and expect to share decisions with healthcare professionals, rather than just ‘doing the doctor’s orders. We already see tech companies such as Apple, Amazon and Google getting into healthcare to meet these expectations.
It is important to improve the health of the population and reduce costs. This so-called quadruple goal of healthcare also requires improvement in both patient and care professional experiences. Research shows that patients with a better healthcare experience have higher health outcomes. Healthcare providers who offer better staff experiences have lower turnover rates, better quality and lower burn-out rates. The Philips Ambient Experience solutions for radiology departments, and the family-friendly Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) solutions, are excellent examples of how all four components of the quadruple goal can be combined into an integrated solution.
The hospital of tomorrow will not be one building that offers expensive in-patient care for a wide range of diseases. In the next five to ten years, hospitals will become more specialized and reserved for patients who are most seriously ill or for complex procedures. The network will include local clinics, cath labs, specialist treatment hubs, freestanding emergency departments, and other healthcare providers. It will also provide routine care for the rest of the patient population via connected hubs. In real-time, Clinical and Operations Command Centers will analyze the demand and supply of the network and track patient flows. They will use AI to provide predictive insight that allows the removal of care bottlenecks and to use it to identify patterns that support population health management. This will help identify and protect vulnerable people before their health deteriorates. Virtual care (telehealth), which will allow patients to be monitored 24/7 from their homes, will also benefit from the network.
Global reach, local expertise
These networks will serve more than the communities they are located in. They can also span great distances. They work in collaboration with the PURE Philips has already implemented a unique Tele-Ultrasound program, which allows doctors based in Europe or the US to access support. Training thousands of emergency medicine physicians in Rwanda, Africa. will help to improve the country’s emergency medicine capabilities. Philips’ ICU command center (eICU) solutions are helping Emory Healthcare day-time intensivists and critical care nurses based at Macquarie University’s MQ Health, Sydney, Australia. To provide night-time care for ICU patients in the US 15,000 kilometers away. Although the program does not replace the night-shift staff in the US but alerts them to patients showing signs of deterioration, it also offers expert guidance on how to intervene. Hospitals around the globe will be able to access our IntelliSpace Precision Medical solutions. Dana Farber’s expert advice on cancer Specialists who bring the best in cancer diagnosis to community hospitals that don’t have the expertise necessary to keep up with the rapid advances in cancer care.
It doesn’t matter how diverse or far-flung these networks may be; the common thread that binds them is the shared experiences of those they serve. Patients and healthcare professionals can enjoy seamless, personalized experiences. It is the future hospital that could lead us all to better health.