It is highly important to keep up with the latest medical trends; whether or not they affect us personally at this present time, we never know what our futures may hold. Medicine is a complex subject, and healthcare even more so. It is not the type of subject you bring up around dinner or in social company. You must seek out the latest news and trends in healthcare in order to understand your options and learn about new ideas and experimental healthcare solutions that may soon play a valuable part in our lives.
Here are 4 key healthcare trends to watch in 2017:
1. MACRA
MACRA sits somewhere in the outerspace of legislation. Doctors and patients believe that it’s transforming and can change the face of healthcare in a positive way. MACRA focuses on the way providers get paid, and that would be by a merit-based incentive program. Doctors will need to know the difference between what to do and what MACRA would require them to do. This will be the difference with this healthcare program. It is sort of keeping physicians under a checks and balances system.
2. The Future of the ACA
President Trump listed as one of his top priorities, to reform or get rid of the ACA. He may now be realizing that it is better to reform than to abolish this program. The ACA is the Affordable Care Act that aimed to provide affordable healthcare through Medicaid to millions of underpaid, low-income Americans. While the fate of Obama Care is still up in the air, the citizens of the U.S. want to know what will happen to their medical insurance. As Trump sat down to discuss the ACA with former President Obama, he seems to have softened on the idea of banishing the ACA and instead transforming the program.
3. Healthcare Costs
Something that makes everyone’s ears perk up, is healthcare costs. What will happen in 2017? The cost of medical care is estimated to grow 6.5% this year. This rise is about the same as last year. So who’s to blame? The government says it is due to more access to behavioral health and increased use of urgent care centers and they don’t expect this growth to cease or the access to alternative healthcare to diminish.
4. Increased Partnerships and Collaborations
In 2016, there were whispers of many healthcare company partnerships and collaborations. A lot of companies found that it was better and made more sense, to partner just to survive the value-based compensation/reimbursement system. In 2017, you will witness that growth in partnerships that was talked about last year. There will be mergers and acquisitions that hope to focus on shifting from paying-for-service type reimbursement to instead a paying-for-performance type system. The focus is on value this year.