Healthcare will look very different in 2033 as the workforce evolves and systems incorporate digital technology to improve access to care.

The trends we are seeing today will be the same, but they will reach tipping points/breaking points in the next 10 years that necessitate action by the hospitals and health systems. The populations we serve will get older and sicker. Our service utilization will decline, but when used, patients will be more complex and have longer lengths of stay. Younger, healthier patients will seek care through new delivery channels. Margin pressures on health system P&Ls will become thinner, necessitating new care models to maintain sustainability. 

Workforce constraints for physicians and nursing will force changes in how care is delivered. New technologies will emerge with new care models/staffing. Funding new capabilities and offsetting the cost of supplies will likely cause the need for larger and larger economies of scale. Pressure to reduce healthcare costs and the availability of some new information may force employers to take actions related to benefits design (more readily accepting of narrowing networks despite the war on talent). However, this will likely happen via brokers and insurance companies versus direct-to-health system relationships [market dependent]. Lastly, new players will emerge in this space. 

Continuing to tweak the current model and waiting for the payment system to be the reason we change is a leadership failure in our profession. However, those that have courage and manage well the glide path to the future will be those that succeed.