As the professional society for healthcare leaders, the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) is committed to helping healthcare executives address important challenges to ensure the delivery of safe, high-quality care. Kahler Slater sent Jen Voigt, AIA, Associate Principal and Abby Manders, Architect, Associate to the Annual Congress. Here are six highlights from the gathering:
Navigating Uncharted Waters Together
6 Takeaways from the 2018 ACHE Congress
1. Big Data Analytics
As healthcare organizations merge and get bigger, the potential for big data increases. Those focused on philanthropy are finding donors interested in furthering healthcare innovation based on this data. Kahler Slater’s Performance-Based Design Process is designed to help clients direct their capital investments into avenues that will return measurable results!
2. Patient Access and Disruptive Technologies
By shifting 20% of their outpatient appointment availability to evening and weekend times, one longstanding AMC was able to increase their commercial payer mix by 3% year to year and increase new patients by 20% compared to a traditional 8-4:30 schedule.
3. Patient Experience and the Human Side of Healthcare Still Matter
The quantitative metrics and big data (see above) coming at us can and have threatened to overwhelm the human side of healthcare. It is still critically important that organizations keep sight of those human touchpoints that are a bit harder to measure, because patient feedback shows that it does matter whether they will come back again and recommend you to others.
4. Population Health
We have access to four good years of data at this point on ACOs. Returns are becoming more favorable for those who have figured it out and we are starting to see positive results in population health. Organizations are increasingly thinking about moving to the higher risk tracks. The evidence shows if you are considering this, patient panel size is of utmost importance. For those providers in rural areas, this will mean joining forces with others to increase the number of managed lives to 80,000+ to minimize the risk due to statistical variability.
5. Behavioral Health Needs New Thinking
A lot of conversation centered around how to best treat behavioral health patients presenting and overwhelming Emergency Departments. PsychObs (Psychiatric Observation) Units and Crisis Stabilization Units (CSU) are being deployed to address this challenge. Contact Kahler Slater if you are considering!
6. Millennials
And finally, a bit of lightheartedness; Gen X-er Jen heard a whole lot about Millennials over the course of the Congress. Did you know that by 2025 Millennials will be 75% of the workforce? How to engage them as consumers, colleagues, and leaders was the subject of various discussions and breakouts. The simplest answer? If you want to know, just ask them. They know what they want and are happy to tell you, just be prepared to act on the information!
