OCTOBER - 20229medical science; an explosion of digital technologies, data access, and analytics; informed and empowered consumers; and a movement from disease care to prevention and well-being ­ is proving to be the catalyst for the clinical, financial, and operational transformation that health care has long promised to the world."One can hardly argue there's a collision of forces for change unlike any to date. Unfortunately, most technology changes to date are viewed as creating more work for health care providers, not less. A new unfiltered avalanche of data is certainly not helpful. However, these many forces may, with the advent of AI-driven algorithms, finally deliver the long-awaited promise of taking over lower-value work, so providers are finally able to work at the top of their license ­ doing only those things which only they are able to do.Multiple health systems connected through a digital nexus, with proactive AI suggestive capabilities, will be able to optimize the flow of patient data and watch far more than any single provider might. This can free up both patient and provider to have real conversations about health, enhancing the experience for both, and delivering even better outcomes with better costs, as this report notes.While we've all heard about the explosion of virtual health, let's put an accent on the new magnitude and increasing speed of it: Since the pandemic started, providers have rapidly scaled multiple new offerings, and our industry is seeing 50 to 175 times the number of patients via these tools as compared to before.While it's likely the future of health care will be dominated by algorithms, this isn't a bad thing. Rather, like other industries, we'll be able to move to care interventions by exception or clear indication. It's antiquated how we treat patients, as if they needed regular visits like an auto mechanic for vehicle check-ups. This switch will be the equivalent of the patient's `engine warning light' indicating there's an exception ­ something out of the ordinary ­ and a discussion with the care team is needed. And, this switch will shift demand, reducing the appointment burden on care team, and the data and analysis burden of examining dozens of pages of records. For example, the University of Colorado has eliminated its post-op visits, except when truly needed. Here at the University of California, we're working to reduce, and hopefully eliminate, pre- and post-op in-person visits, replacing them with remote video visits that are more convenient for both patient and provider.3. Patients' Increasing ExpectationsThe driving force behind this increasing pace of change is that ultimately patients aren't just patients. They are also often daily consumers of multiple other services (health and non-healthcare related), and the vast majority of these services are now easy, convenient, consumer-centric and available via their phone or computer.We have long looked at patients through the lens of "every person's health journey is different," and this is still true. But patients are also citizens of the digital revolution and health care organizations have to acknowledge this fact and fine tune their services to elevate each patient's encounter, creating a personalized health experience that not only meets their medical needs, but their consumer expectations.As one example, research from Rock Health and Stanford Medicine found earlier this year that more than half of consumers are tracking their personal health stats with a digital wearable or mobile phone. The overwhelming majority of these patients want their health care provider to ask them about their health data ­ yet most providers aren't. While not diagnostic, patients who are tracking their data about fertility cycles (the #1 reason), heart rates, sleep hours and exercise times are providing valuable discussion onramps for provider dialog about healthier lifestyles, irregularities, and better health care ­ while delivering a better patient experience at the same time.Change is Coming ­ Faster Than EverEven before COVID-19, health care was increasingly becoming more personalized, "inside out" (tailored at the patient's cellular or even gene level), and "always on" (integrated into people's lives via internet of things including data acquisition and download, such as the Apple Watch EKG and pulse-oximetry modules.Patients expect care to be available when and how it's most convenient and safe for them. This includes virtual care, at-home prescription delivery, remote monitoring, digital diagnostics and decision support, and self-service applications. Care-model innovations that can deliver a more effective and satisfying experience for both patients and clinicians might also help bend the cost curve. While health care is the most change adverse industry in the country, technological disruption happens, no matter how hard you fight it or how little you want it. The winds of change are only growing stronger, so let us unfurl the sails and begin! Future hospitals will have to be smarter, with AI-enabled technology helping providers even more­ not artificial intelligence but "augmented" intelligence
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