A “one layered delivery network through which patients can move seamlessly as they age and their needs evolve” will be the new health care platform to meet patients’ demands by 2030, according to a forecast from KPMG’s Healthcare and Life Sciences Institute.
In Healthcare 2030: The consumer at the center, the KPMG team explores the demographic shifts and market drivers that will challenge the health care industry in the current U.S. delivery and financing system. The lens on that 2030 future is a consumer-centric delivery model that KPMG believes will be a solution to dealing with a demographic divide between Boomers and younger cohorts, the growing burden of chronic disease, health care price inflation for services and supplies (like prescription drugs), and patients demanding a higher grade of consumer experience.
The end-game is shown in the first table under the “Will” column, describing that in the 2030 model of care, health consumer will feel understood, trust that their data will be used to improve care, use care settings based on preferences, expect that health insurance will cover digital health formats outside of traditional bricks-and-mortar provider sites, be nudged to engage in prevention and wellness, and enjoy personalized care.
The demographic forces driving this model come from both younger and older health citizens. Most Millennials have postponed health care due to cost, and nearly half of younger consumers between 18 and 29 don’t have an ongoing primary care medical home. These patients lookf or care in an episodic way, KPMG notes.
But, “the young won’t always be young,” as the report sees it. There’s a continuum of care that we all age into….eventually.
For older people, by 2030, the number of folks in the U.S. dealing with at least three chronic conditions will grow from 30.8 million in 2015 to 83.4 million in 2030 as the number of people 65 and over will double from 35 million to 74 million “olders.” That means a greater prevalence of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s Disease expected to grow by 100% by 2030 — reaching 10 million Boomers.
The current financing and delivery model — cost-increasing due to volume-based payment and unchecked price increases, coupled with fragmented delivery especially in high-capital cost sites — requires a re-think of where care can be optimally delivered, and how to pay for those services.
That health/care reorg will involve the Old Guard of health care providers and legacy stakeholders working with technology disruptors (KPMG’s word) who can help to scale and deliver care in peoples’ homes, via wearable tech on our bodies and embedded in our clothing and cars, and in retail health settings that I’ve been describing here in Health Populi and in my book, HealthConsuming.
Building this “one layered” platform approach to care, which serves people based on their clinical needs and personal values and value, is the Holy Grail of this report. Technology builds this city with artificial intelligence, Amazon-like aggregators for data, and remote health monitoring and treatment technology in peoples’ homes and retail-based health hubs.
Health Populi’s Hot Points: The KPMG vision is hopeful and calls for collaboration across current health care players and newer entrants to the industry with distinctly different core missions, business models, and cultures.
The ability for hospitals, physicians, health plans, and pharma companies to pivot toward KPMG’s vision will be challenging for many of these organizations. Recent research published by Docent Health and Sage Growth Partners informs my statement here. In their report, Patient Navigation: Leading the New Wave of Healthcare Consumerism,
The telephone is the most-used technology used to improve health care consumers’ experiences, shown in this chart from the study’s survey of health care executives.
The phone is closely followed by electronic health records (EHRs) and in third place, patient portals.
Texting and Customer Relationship Management platforms (CRMs) are used by one-third of health care organizations.
Phone calls and EHRs aren’t known for scaling individualized health care for consumers who are, “expecting the same level of service and personalziation that they receive from entities such as Amazon, Whole Foods, and Netflix,” this report begins.
In fact, health consumers have reported less than stellar reviews for EHRs and portals in terms of usability, accessibility, and sustained use over time.
KPMG’s 2030 vision will indeed require inspiration from and collaboration with partners who can provide both consumer-centered design along with the technology savvy to scale human-centered care that delivers value based on peoples’ preferences. The missing link in here is how fast clinicians and care providers can adapt in the next decade. Ten years for pretty radical change in health care is closer in the mirror than it sounds.