As with every industry, healthcare is changing from year to year. And with each new year comes a new set of tests and trials.
The HealthCare Executive Group has released the 2018 HCEG Top 10 list, a compilation of the biggest challenges healthcare leaders foresee in the new year.
The list is based on HCEG members’ input during the months before HCEG’s Annual Forum. Attendees — including executives from health plans, provider organizations, health systems and more — then voted on the items at the Forum.
Here are the top 10 issues leaders anticipate for 2018:
- Clinical and data analytics. Utilizing big data and clinical evidence to improve patient outcomes is of increasing importance.
- Population health services organizations. This includes putting a population health strategy into action and taking a closer look at the social determinants of health.
- Value-based payments. With the shift away from fee-for-service, systems want ways to lower costs and improve quality of care.
- Cost transparency. The demand for more transparency is coming from legislation and consumers.
- Total consumer health. Healthcare now encompasses people’s overall well-being as well as their social and financial environments.
- Cybersecurity. Organizations need ways to keep patients’ information safe and secure.
- Healthcare reform. This topic is trending as government officials discuss repealing, replacing or modifying the current healthcare laws.
- Harnessing mobile health technology. Digital technologies can be of particular use in improving disease management and data collection.
- Addressing pharmacy costs. Leaders are seeking strategies to deal with the increasing costs of prescription drugs.
- The engaged digital consumer. HSAs, patient portals and wellness education materials are crucial to patient engagement.
Ferris Taylor, HCEG Office of the Chair, summed up this year’s findings in a statement:
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
As discussed at our Forum, technology and innovation are impacting almost every aspect of healthcare. As an industry, we need these discussions among the best and brightest thought leaders to not just survive, but to thrive. Our members believe these 10 issues and trends will have lasting impacts in the way we all become engaged, digital consumers and responsible, successful, solution-oriented healthcare stakeholders.
Interestingly, many of this year’s topics were on HCEG’s Top 10 list from last year. Just as they do for 2018, healthcare executives believed value-based payments, total consumer health, clinical and data analytics, cybersecurity, cost transparency, harnessing mobile health technology and addressing pharmacy costs would be challenges in 2017.
Only three issues — care redesign, accessible points of care and Next Generation ACOs — were on the list for 2017 but not 2018.
Photo: Sean Lau / EyeEm, Getty Images
