3 Health Care Trends for 2023 :
Understanding the current situation of access to care and other patients’ booking preferences may provide a sense of hope for 2023, as many individuals are getting ready to make health and wellness plans in the new year.
Using data from appointment booking patterns and a provider survey, Zocdoc, a free online booking service for in-person and virtual medical visits across more than 200 specialties and 12,000 insurance plans, examined the forecast for 2023. The paper “Healthcare Hope For the Holidays: 2022,” which offered three important observations, reflects the outcomes.
happier patients and happier providers
Burnout among healthcare professionals can have a detrimental impact on patients’ experiences, and according to a survey of 52% of providers, practises would encounter more financial difficulties in 2023. However, tech-savvy healthcare professionals and administrative employees are taking initiatives to run more effective procedures. This relieves providers of stress and frees them up to devote more time to patient care.
Positive attitudes dominated providers’ perceptions on technology in 2022:
- 64% of providers indicated they agreed or strongly agreed their scheduling software helped their practice run more efficiently.
- 57% agreed or strongly agreed their telehealth solution was easy and intuitive to use.
- 36% agreed or strongly agreed insurance verification and eligibility software helped their practice run more efficiently.
This viewpoint presents a favorable picture of patient-provider interactions in 2023:
- 71% of providers agreed or strongly agreed scheduling software will help run a more efficient practice.
- 69% agreed or strongly agreed technology will help practices run more efficiently.
- 59% agreed or strongly agreed their telehealth solution will become more intuitive and easier to use.
Access to Care Can Be Sped Up by Technology
Innovation is bringing about meaningful change for patients despite the unusual landscape of rising labour and supply prices, staff and physician fatigue, and rising labour costs. There are reasons for hope since an increasing number of individuals are using technology as a means of gaining access to better health care, and because patients and doctors agree that telehealth may complement in-person care.
In contrast to the averages reported in the Merritt Hawkins 2022 Survey of Physician Appointment Wait Times, Zocdoc enables faster speed-to-appointment for patients by surfacing the 20-30% of appointments that become available at the last minute as a result of cancellations and rescheduled appointments.
- Cardiology: Typically 1-3 days with 39% seeing a cardiologist within 48 hours, compared to 26.6 days national average appointment wait time
- Dermatology: Typically 1-3 days with nearly 30% seeing a dermatologist within 48 hours, compared to 34.5 days national average appointment wait time
- OB-GYN: Typically 1-3 days with nearly 26% seeing an OB-GYN within 48 hours, compared to 31.4 days national average appointment wait time
- Orthopedic surgery: Typically 1-3 days with nearly 38% seeing an orthopedic surgeon within 48 hours, compared to 16.9 days national average appointment wait time
- Family medicine (PCP): Typically 1-3 days with 42% seeing a PCP within 48 hours, compared to 20.6 days national average appointment wait time
Backward Looking to Look Forward
Data from 2022 can be used to extract novel, practical insights into how people behave while seeking medical treatment, offering a preview of things to come. Analyzing the industry’s development provides the chance to forecast what might be popular in 2023.
For instance, after postponing or cancelling appointments because to the COVID-19 outbreak, patients resumed their normal care appointments.
Furthermore, adoption of telehealth decreased across all specialties with the exception of mental health, making virtual care a specialty- and case-specific care modality. Examine the following appointment patterns from January to November:
- 18% of appointments across all specialties were conducted via telehealth.
- Excluding mental health, just 9% of booked appointments were conducted via telehealth.
- 88% of mental health appointments were conducted via telehealth.