All the indications suggest that 2021 will be the year of the return trip from that boomerang event that sent us all in a different direction in 2020. And as we set our glide path towards returning to normal, it seems that the place we started from no longer exists. The world as we understand it has changed. The pandemic tragedy has impacted most of our lives, affecting our families, our health, and even our careers. The death toll was unimaginable. Many have been largely unemployed for so long that we’ve seen miles of grocery lines. The world around us has certainly changed. Along with these changes, we have seen a radical change that creates the conditions for a redefinition of possible progress.
Many assumptions have been challenged and proven incorrect in our response to the pandemic. Some of these assumptions are reflected in how we have historically established what is possible in healthcare. It’s no secret that healthcare has always been an afterthought. On a recent Zoom call, I heard a health care executive exclaim in frustration, “Health change is fast moving.” And there are often very good reasons why health is slow to adopt: reduced risk, lack of capital, and the fact that effective change must be evidence-based. But change has stepped on our doorstep in tangible and measurable ways that should be considered as we complete last year’s journey. A phrase often coined during the pandemic was “the new normal,” but what if we believe the new normal is not ending?
The past year has not only changed our lives, it has also changed what we think is possible. For years telemedicine has danced on the fringes of the healthcare system. Technology vendors have brought the tools needed to manage virtual visits, but adoption has been slow. While those of us in the healthcare sector put the responsibility for the lack of adoption on patients, we found in 2020 that when given the option, many patients would prefer to visit the office. It can be argued that the shift was driven by reducing personal risk and that this is valid. It often takes significant force to make an accurate change.
Adapt to change
I’ve had a career in conference rooms and boardrooms. Before last year, every important face-to-face meeting was scheduled. In fact, we mumbled to one another that distant participants in face-to-face meetings were less engaged. Now we are all far away. Much of the work that is done in healthcare is done remotely. Radiologists have been promoting the value proposition of being able to read from home for years. I’ve heard every reason this isn’t a viable option – a lot of it relates to technology. But last year we switched almost every health organization to a distributed reading model. In many cases, this transition occurred within weeks of the state-level shelter-in-place orders being issued. With nearly a year of practice, we now know that this model is both handy and sensible.
As with most families with older parents, our household has remained cautious in monitoring our beloved Octogenarians. Virtual visits, zooming and in some cases remote monitoring have replaced the regular face-to-face visit. For years, our parents were happy with the tools they had: landlines, regular mail, and even weekly visits to the drugstore and grocery store. Now, this generation, who we assumed either unwilling or unable to accept technology, is zooming in on their grandchildren, managing telemedicine visits with their doctor, and ordering their groceries online for contactless delivery.
Challenging assumptions
The world has actually changed. And it is true that all of these great changes in culture and human behavior were triggered by this force called COVID-19. What remains true, however, is that it has challenged many of our assumptions and proven that they are inaccurate in many ways. Think about how we do care. The workflow, technology, and even patient retention are based on many of the same assumptions. While there are immovable factors in how and why we provide care the way we do, there is an opportunity to think differently.
Maybe this way back to where we started is not a good analogy at all. We may find ourselves on a divergent path that will lead us to better delivery models, stronger patient loyalty, and an optimal work environment. The past year was a year of massive change. The foundation is laid to keep going in new directions, adopting new ideas and validating new models.
Jef Williams is the managing partner of Paragon Consulting Partners LLC, a Sacramento, California-based healthcare IT consulting group.
