Business View - August 2015 167
cial assistance to skilled nursing and rehabilitation
centers. As a result, today, only a little over half of the
Centers in Maryland have electronic medical records.
Today, nearly every American owns a smartphone, al-
lowing them to send and access healthcare informa-
tion quickly and more readily. And various social me-
dia platforms allow people to rate their healthcare and
track fitness in real time.
Further, wearable devices such as the Nike Fuel Band,
the Fitbit, the Jawbone Up, and the Apple Watch each
offer consumers and providers the opportunity to mon-
itor health and fitness information in real time. The
best providers, organizations, and consumers will take
advantage of this data and understand that consumer
demand will be king. If you don’t build it, manage and
improve it – the Boomers and the Millennials will not
come.
The Impact of Legislative and
Demographic Changes on the Future
What do all of these demographic, technological, and
legislative changes mean for the future of healthcare?
As the President and CEO of Maryland’s largest and
oldest nationally affiliated provider Association of
Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers, including
150 of the 233 Centers in Maryland and over 80 asso-
ciate members, I advise my members that healthcare
is shifting to:
• Lower growing rates of traditional reimbursement
• A focus on measurable outcomes to determine qual-
ity
• More population-based and bundled healthcare
• Partnerships with other providers to deliver coordi-
nated care
• A growing reliance on technology to monitor and de-
liver care
• A greater emphasis on customer service and an ex-
plosion in real-time consumer ratings via social media
and other online platforms
I emphasize that change and reform will be constant
in healthcare in the coming five to 10 years, and those
who are averse to change should find a new business.
With more limited financial resources, it is incumbent
on providers to use technology to help consumers bet-
ter manage their health and deliver care more cost-
effectively. Skilled nursing and rehab centers are an
important part of this care delivery system, with huge
upside potential. More importantly, it will take all of us
together to navigate the best way forward.
HEALTHCARE
