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Top 3 Trends for Healthcare and Digital Advance Care Planning in 2022

Top 3 Trends for Healthcare and Digital Advance Care Planning in 2022

What trends can we expect to see in healthcare and digital advance care planning (ACP) as we move from the pandemic-centric conversations of 2021 and into what 2022 has in store?

ADV_top_3_trends_graphic1This year I had the opportunity to attend HIMSS21, the Global Health Conference and Exhibition in Las Vegas, and I couldn’t help but notice how heavily the themes centered around the idea of a digital health revolution. For decades, healthcare has been leveraging the power of technology to extend the reach of providers to their patients. Now, digital technology is an absolute necessity, rather than something that’s merely considered nice to have. 

This feeds into the trends we can expect to see for 2022, because they’re all centered around the ways we can expect digital healthcare to evolve. 

#1 - Reporting tools should look forward, not backward

There’s a lot of excellent, existing technology that is capable of performing useful functions. However, people don’t adopt technology based on capabilities alone. They embrace software based on the reporting and analytics features available and whether or not those reporting features create useful insights.

As healthcare changes more rapidly and new technologies emerge, the importance of reporting will only grow. Part of the reason it’s so important is because it lends clarity as providers work to drive down expenditures while enhancing overall productivity. Reporting:

  • Provides fresh insights, helping to reduce errors and/or inefficiencies
  • Eases the acquisition of vital patient information
  • Improves an organization’s overall performance

When the power of historical and current data is harnessed to reveal issues, those issues can also be addressed in a more timely manner. This allows healthcare organizations to control or contain noted issues before they have a chance to snowball into large-scale problems.

Reporting also allows healthcare organizations to track trends in patient behavior. When this occurs, care and guidance can be better tailored to the individual, improving outcomes and reducing unwanted events.

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COVID-19 has brought a number of changes, changes that have created opportunities for healthcare organizations and providers to re-imagine care delivery. With the help of reporting insights, they can better understand what key areas of workflows and processes are ideal for redesign. 

Effective reporting isn’t merely about understanding what has happened in the past but also providing the information needed to move forward effectively and with confidence. At ADVault, we’ve long understood the role of comprehensive reporting in improving and understanding ACP workflows, and we’re excited to see the growing appetite for this kind of functionality.

#2 - Healthcare leaders want access to their data

Healthcare is currently leveraging technology and innovation to actively improve population health. Quantifying the return on this investment, and its influence on patients, requires data rather than opinions or logical assumptions. That’s why comprehensive reporting, analytics, and business intelligence tools are so important to current leaders. Without access to this type of intelligence, they’re unable to make rapid, data-driven decisions or easily share insights across their organizations to support initiatives. 

Knowing where to deliver feedback, training, and support is also important. Leveraging data allows healthcare leaders to spot weaknesses, identify strengths, and predict events before they occur. They can ensure accurate evaluation of staff, including:

  • Performance
  • Efficiency
  • Effectiveness

If leaders are to increase efficiency, reduce errors, and optimize healthcare delivery, they need the ability to benchmark the performance of specific processes and functions. Limiting their access to data only impedes these improvements. At ADVault, we expect this trend will only continue to grow, which is why we’ve determined our path of providing comprehensive access to data through our healthcare provider tools is the correct approach to digital ACP.

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#3 - Data must be integrated across care settings

The overarching goal of healthcare organizations and providers is to supply their patients with the most efficient care, resulting in the best outcomes. This goal, however, is impeded when information about those patients resides in multiple locations. It’s a dynamic that’s not uncommon these days and is especially challenging for providers caring for new patients. Transitions in care are particularly vulnerable points across the spectrum of care, making the need for immediate access to information all the more critical. 

Ensuring data privacy can complicate the process of moving essential data from care setting to care setting, yet technology platforms are beginning to provide solutions to this challenge. Many now give patients the opportunity to engage with their providers directly, allowing them to bridge gaps in knowledge.

While medical decisions will continue to be the responsibility of those providing care, the ability to bring patients into the care process is a function that will only continue to rise in demand.

Care delivery needs to move in the direction where, rather than treating a person based solely on their condition or disease state, we find a way to create an awareness of the whole person. With digital ACP, and healthcare in general, this can only be accomplished when we understand patients’ goals and priorities.

It’s all about value, digital health, and putting patients first

Technology and data will enable bringing about a more personalized healthcare delivery system. As the industry evolves, healthcare organizations and providers will continue to embrace new tools and functionality as part of a truly connected healthcare eco-system.
 
It's one of the key initiatives we're proud to be working on here at ADVault, harnessing the power of technology to improve the healthcare experience overall by giving people a voice in their care. As trends continue moving in this direction, I'm excited to see what 2022 will bring!
 
Maria D. Moen has more than 25 years of healthcare, operations and technology leadership experience and is Senior Vice President, Innovation and External Affairs at ADVault, Inc.

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