If you attended the 2022 Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS22) Conference in Orlando, FL (March 14-17), you were probably just as blown away as we were. The most exhilarating part of the event was its sheer size. There was so much technology and so many services on display, one couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed—and perhaps even a bit intimidated.
More important than the glitz and glam were the discussions we had with conference goers. Whether we talked with them in our booth, during the educational sessions, or at the many social functions, we learned a lot! Here’s a summary from a few eVistors at the event and their discussions with providers about their challenges and opportunities around virtual care.
Thinking beyond those ‘reactive’ days
“One thing was clear—the case for a flexible and sustainable care delivery platform is stronger than ever,” said Chief Strategy Officer Juli Stover. “So many folks I spoke to confessed that they were stuck with a platform that they chose because of expediency. And, good for them. Keeping the lights on is important, and it’s even more important to serve your community during a public health crisis. But I think many realize that it’s time to look beyond those ‘reactive’ days and start thinking strategically about how virtual care is fast becoming a part of a comprehensive care delivery model. Patients expect it, after all. It’s the right thing for your business and the right thing for your community.”
Patients are healthcare consumers
“Patients have more control and more choices than ever,” said Director of Strategy Meredith Leedham. “So much so, providers are really starting to think of them not as ‘patients’ but as ‘healthcare consumers.’ And those consumers demand care on their schedule. Plus, they are coming to appointments with more research than ever before. Whether they’re living with chronic conditions, seeking episodic treatment, or undergoing elective procedures, patients are more concerned with convenience, experience, and a lasting relationship with a provider than any other influencing factors.”
Hybrid care is here to stay
“Hybrid care is top of mind for everyone, it seems,” recalled Virtual Care Consultant Brett Cunningham. “Most of my conversations with providers at HIMSS were around how they could create a hybrid environment to deliver care. They wanted to know how to fill providers’ schedules with both in-office and virtual appointments, how to simultaneously manage the waiting rooms for each, and how to gain insights into these two separate-but-equal streams of customers and revenue. It’s clearly time to think differently about how care has been delivered during the pandemic to how it’s going to be used in the future.”
Learn More
Check out Part 2 of this blog series for more insights about the HIMSS 2022 Conference.
