Commentary

DELIVERY ROUND OF 32 RESULTS: CONSUMERS CONTEND FOR CONTROL

Like the Healthcare Landscape Region, the Delivery Region is riddled with rookie teams. Most interesting in this group is the abundance of patient-centric trends – many more than we’ve seen in this region before. As the contestants here illustrate, the rise in consumerism and the resulting shift of power to patients is having measurable effects on healthcare macrotrends.

Explore the interactive bracket and watch the tournament unfold weekly on our LinkedIn page, where you can join the discussion too!

Here’s how the four matchups in this region unfolded:

DELIVERY TRENDS

rise of retail health beats redesign of care team training

One Committee Member made the case for the eight-seed Redesign of Care Team Training, underscoring that workforce training problems are at a critical level. Another member pointed out that even Alice Walton of retail giant Walmart has expressed the need for differently trained clinicians and to that end is funding a new medical school. 

Ultimately, it proved to be little match for the Rise of Retail Health, the number-one seed in this region, as three out of four Committee Members acknowledged the major influence – both actual and potential – that players like Walmart, Amazon, and Costco are having on consumer health, particularly regarding access in rural areas.

“Consumers are actually the country’s largest payer – a shadow force that doesn’t act together but still has tremendous power.”

Investment in Dementia and Alzheimer’s Falls to Focus on Women’s Health

While initially this matchup was predicted to be a slog that would head into overtime, the game was over when one Committee Member pointed out that since women patients with dementia generally outnumber men two to one, Alzheimer’s and dementia care is a women’s health issue. 

Everyone recognized the value of Investment in Dementia and Alzheimer’s (4) – not just for a growing number of patients but also for their caregivers (who are more often women as well). Given the enormity of a Focus on Women’s Health (5), and adding into the scrum that women are the primary healthcare decision-makers along with the loud national debate over reproductive rights, this contest went down without much of a fight, 4-0. 

Increase in Leveraged Delivery Models Trounces Growth of Population-Specific Models

The Growth of Population-Specific Models (6), such as Medicare Advantage and Gen Z, is a simmering trend that may hold some promise. However, due to physician shortages that continue unabated, the crisis of access in rural areas, and other limitations, the Committee agreed 4-0 that the Increase in Leveraged Delivery Models (3) will be more influential in 2024. 

“New thinking is needed about how care is delivered.”

Investment in Preventive Care No Match for Mental and Behavioral Health Integration 

Even while preventive care is respected and recognized for its superior approach to healthcare, no one wants to pay for it – including consumers. This trend, while admirable (and critical), utterly pales in comparison to the massive challenge presented by mental and behavioral health and the need for integration into primary care. Considering that better preventive care could make a serious dent in the need for mental and behavioral care, this matchup could not have been messier. This was an ugly game to watch, with Mental and Behavior Health Integration (2) winning easily over Investment in Preventive Care (7), 4-0.

“I want both of these to win but I fear that both of them are losing.”

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See the Round of 32 results in the other regions: Healthcare Landscape, Payment, and Technology