The influence COVID-19 has had on our economic system, our livelihoods, our funds, and our bodily and psychological well being has been extremely devastating. But, because it’s mentioned, each cloud has a silver lining. The pandemic has pushed some constructive modifications in well being care which are value acknowledging.
1. Virtual Health Care
There was nice skepticism about whether or not folks may obtain high quality well being care over the cellphone or through the pc. Then the pandemic struck, and immediately getting an in-person physician’s appointment was a lot more durable. And many people discovered the prospect of sitting in a ready room with different sick folks a lot too dangerous, even with masks on.
So, many extra medical doctors started providing appointments through cellphone or on-line platforms. Patients eagerly took benefit of this chance. And insurance coverage corporations like Independence Blue Cross (Independence) expanded their protection for these digital providers.
It turned out that medical doctors have been certainly in a position to diagnose and deal with many circumstances remotely. Patients found that digital care may very well be way more handy than in-person care. No must get your self to a physician’s workplace or be uncovered to different sufferers’ germs!
Virtual care has additionally made it potential for a lot of sufferers to see specialists outdoors their very own geographical space, permitting them to learn from a stage of experience that could be unavailable nearer to house.
2. Improved Access to, and Acceptance of, Behavioral Health Care
Before the pandemic, cultural stigma stopped many individuals from getting assist for emotional and behavioral well being issues. The concept of seeing a therapist was embarrassing and intimidating. And some folks didn’t need their households or coworkers to know.
But digital care meant you could possibly now discuss to a therapist from the privateness of your personal house. As a outcome, many individuals lastly sought the assistance they wanted.
Behavioral well being care has began to get extra built-in into main care practices. This implies that extra sufferers may be screened for behavioral well being points as a part of their common physician’s appointments and should even be capable of converse to a behavioral well being specialist proper then and there.
Also, so many individuals skilled such excessive emotional misery and trauma due to the pandemic that getting behavioral well being care grew to become extra socially acceptable.
3. A Shift From Inpatient to Outpatient Procedures
Many surgical procedures may be performed simply as successfully in an outpatient surgical middle as in a hospital, with decrease complication charges, better affected person satisfaction and at a 59 % decrease price. However, the shift from inpatient to outpatient care hasn’t superior as rapidly as you’d anticipate.
Then the pandemic occurred, and immediately hospitals have been stretched past their limits caring for COVID sufferers. So, many non-emergency procedures, like hip and knee replacements, have been moved to outpatient surgical facilities — the place they have been dealt with simply as successfully. That pattern continues immediately.
Some kinds of surgical procedures nonetheless should be performed within the hospital. But when they are often performed within the outpatient atmosphere, it has constructive advantages.
4. A Faster Shift Towards Value-Based Payments
Traditionally, medical doctors have offered care on a fee-for-service mannequin. That means they received paid for the variety of providers they delivered.
Policymakers and insurance coverage corporations have been making an attempt to maneuver well being care in direction of a value-based mannequin, the place medical doctors and hospitals receives a commission primarily based on the standard of the care they ship and their sufferers’ outcomes. But once more, this shift has been gradual.
When COVID-19 occurred, many sufferers utterly stopped going to the physician if it may very well be prevented. Therefore, medical doctors and hospitals weren’t offering practically as many providers or making as a lot income as that they had been. That made value-based care way more engaging. Health care suppliers began discovering more practical, inexpensive methods of serving to their sufferers. Patients’ well being improved and prices went down.
5. Greater Awareness of Health Inequities
Throughout historical past, folks have skilled higher or worse well being outcomes relying on their socioeconomic standing, race, and different components. But the pandemic made these inequities much more apparent. People of coloration skilled far better hospitalization and demise charges than their white counterparts. Now there are many extra conversations happening about well being fairness and how you can handle these inequalities.
Some Less Positive Trends
The pandemic has additionally had many destructive results on the well being of our inhabitants.
- Many folks delay getting vital preventive well being screenings out of worry of going to the physician. There is nice fear that it will forestall many severe well being issues — together with breast, colon, and cervical most cancers — from being caught at an earlier, extra treatable stage.
- The pandemic brought on a lot stress, such widespread job losses, and such a rise in sedentary life that there was a serious spike in charges of weight problems.
- Behavioral well being issues are way more prevalent and extreme.
- There have additionally been will increase in charges of substance use issues and power illness.
So, I wish to encourage everybody studying this to recommit to your well being. Catch up in your well being screenings. Try to be extra energetic. Get assist on your bodily and emotional well being issues! It’s actually pressing.
And employers, please proceed to have interaction your workforce of their well being advantages. This will assist them take higher care of themselves, and will additionally assist cut back each absenteeism and presenteeism. Independence Blue Cross gives quite a lot of office well-being assets and applications to help and elevate your workers’ well being.