With 2014 in the history books (check out our recap of what we did in 2014), we can now look to 2015 and what the new year might bring to Steelcase Health, and to the healthcare industry as a whole.
We will continue to share success stories and real world examples of our design principles and environments in action, as shown and discussed in Time for Change: New Solutions for Healthcare Places. We will also continue to share creative and noteworthy uses of our award-winning products.
Some conferences where we look forward to seeing you:
- NeoCon 2015: June 15-17 in Chicago, IL
- TEDMED 2015: there are no exact dates yet, but you can be sure Steelcase Health will be there to learn and share the latest thinking and innovations in health and medicine.
- Mayo Transform: September 29 – October 1 in Rochester, MN
- Healthcare Design Conference: November 14-17 in Washington DC
Here are some trends to watch in 2015:
Telehealth:
- A recent study estimates that virtual visits could save an average of $126 per visit. Researchers found on average, telehealth visits cost between $40 and $50, compared to an average estimated cost of $136 to $176 for an in-office visit.
- Further, 83% of health conditions were resolved after a virtual visit. Of the remainder (patients whose conditions did not resolve), 10% went to an emergency department and about 50% had an in-office visit. In addition, patients who were seen via telehealth reported that if the virtual visit was not available, 5.6% would have sought treatment in an emergency department. 45.8% of the patients would have gone to an urgent care facility, 30.9% would have gone to a physician’s office, and 12% would have done nothing.
- We’ll have more to say on this exciting trend throughout the year – stay tuned!
An increased focus on the patient experience:
- With the goal of improving primary care results, many healthcare organizations are starting to get more serious about bettering the experience of their patients.
- Some are just at the beginning stages, learning how to best engage patients in care treatment decisions. Others are well on their way to creating a new culture that encourages partnerships between providers and patients.
- This increasingly patient-centered outlook bodes well for the proponents of healthcare design, as organizations start to think more intentionally about keeping their patients as well as their physicians happy and engaged.
Technological innovation:
- The mobile health industry continues to grow, as wellness and fitness apps and devices move from being simply fads into full-fledged trends. Other devices like Google Glass have applications towards healthcare and will see increased adoption this year.
- Advances in technology will continue to change healthcare processes as well. As we’ve written before, the physical exam is here to stay, but innovations in technology will increase its efficiency and accuracy, and the exam room space will have to be designed to maximize this impact.
Stayed tuned to the Steelcase Health blog throughout 2015 for news and updates on what’s going on in healthcare!
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