WE HAVE BEEN so occupied with managing how to get through
the COVID-19 crisis, have we continued to spend time thinking
about the future?
Healthcare providers demonstrated their agility during the
past year in repositioning many services.
Practices rapidly incorporated telemedicine and the technology
to support access during this time. Are you planning how to
restructure access using this approach for chronic care, follow- up
care and general questions? What is your strategy to incorporate
new technology building on telemedicine?
Every practice needs a futurist — or everyone in the practice
needs a futurist mindset. Your futurists should be reading cut-
ting- edge newsletters, attending conferences, especially easy
now when virtual, and looking for the best models and tools. Are
you led by vendors, or are you driving your future?
While no one can predict exactly when technology will take
us to the next level, we can see what's coming: artificial intel-
ligence, virtual reality, companion robots, augmented reality,
wearables, genome sequencing, nano technology, robotics and 3D
printing. There is already a medical "Tricorder" in testing. A
COVID-19 vaccine was developed in remarkable time. What are
the implications for vaccines or other pharmacological treatment
for viruses or disease from Lyme to asthma, and what impact
will that have on your practice?
Marina Gorbis, in Five Principles for Thinking Like a Futurist,
says,"Future thinking is not about predicting the future but rather
it's about engaging people in thinking deeply about complex
issues, imagining new possibilities, connecting signals into
larger patterns, connecting the past, present and future, and
making better choices today."
COVID-19 also brought more attention to home-based care.
The use of technology and home care to deliver services may
accelerate care models developed to deliver more care in the
home setting. Home care growth has accelerated by 15% and
this market is expanding rapidly. How are you considering
collaborating with home delivered care?
Once you have identified the natural futurist in your practice,
how do they stay current on topics ranging from discipline-related
associations and conferences, to futurist resources, blogs and
social media, to listening and watching your patients? A good
example right now is wearables. Has your practice looked at how
to use wearables with chronic care patients?
We have so many ways to treat injury and illness, yet most of
the online websites for practices do not incorporate wellness and
maintaining health information. How will we use technology
to link the health experience across time, place and discipline,
incorporating wellness and illness?
Many systems and large practices have added strategic posi-
tions focused on adapting new technology, quality and treatment
algorithms and are well positioned for integrating new technology.
Thinking through the options from innovations to new col-
laborations helps you be prepared whatever the future brings. n
Kathryn Ruscitto, Advisor can be reached on LinkedIn at
Kathrynruscitto or at krusct@gmail.com.
Resources:
1. Harvard Business, hbr.org/2019/07/
how-to-do-strategic-planning-like-a-futurist
2. Health Future, healthfuture.org/about-us/company-profile/
3. Medical Futurist,
medicalfuturist.com/ten-ways-technology-changing-healthcare/
4. Unique perspectives Medium.com
5. World Futures Society, worldfuture.org/
6. Medical Futurist,
medicalfuturist.com/ten-ways-technology-changing-healthcare/
In Your Practice?
Who Is the
Futurist
DEFINITION: "A PERSON WHO STUDIES THE FUTURE
AND MAKES PREDICTIONS ABOUT IT BA SED ON
CURRENT TRENDS." —OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY
Kathryn Ruscitto, Advisor
M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S C E N T R A l N E W Y O R K
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