In an era of M&A, telehealth keeps healthcare delivery local

The consolidation of hospitals and health systems is becoming the new normal across the healthcare ecosystem. If consolidation continues as expected, Deloitte has estimated that only 50 percent of today’s unique health systems will remain and there will be a larger number of hospitals per system. While the goal is to ultimately deliver on the quadruple aim of an improved experience for patients and staff, better health outcomes and a lower cost of care, these consolidations do not come without hiccups or challenges. 

This is a scary reality, and the impact is often felt the most by local hospitals in rural areas. As large-scale consolidation continues to fundamentally change how hospitals and health systems compete for patients and operate their business lines, they will need to think strategically about how to remain competitive in this rapidly changing environment. 

So, how do we solve some of the challenges that can come from this consolidation? The answer is with telehealth solutions. Through the support of off-site specialists that provide local care teams with expert guidance and 24/7 oversight, telehealth can help increase patients’ access to high quality care – no matter where they are located – and can cut down on travel time to receive quality care.

Telehealth to the rescue

In addition to dealing with increasing amounts of consolidation, local hospitals are also struggling to draw in and retain clinician talent. Many of these clinician shortages can be brought about by M&A activities, hospital closures and shrinking patient populations. However, another huge challenge comes from a limited number of new clinicians entering the field as older ones retire, making recruiting talent to rural areas a bigger challenge, as most would often rather work in more urban settings. 

Through telehealth innovations that use video, digital, wireless and mobile networks, as well as devices and tools to deliver care and education, patients can have access to care wherever they may be. This includes access to experienced and specialized clinicians that may be based in other areas. Telehealth can also prevent patients from needing to travel hundreds of miles to seek the care they need. One area in particular that has proven to benefit immensely from telehealth is the acute care setting of the hospital. Take for example, the successes seen by Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health and Baptist Health South Florida.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health partnered with Philips to implement its eICU program to address some of the challenges brought about by ongoing clinician shortages – providing patients the care they need, wherever they are located. Through the program, patients can now receive care at the health system’s flagship hospital, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH, or at their local hospital with the support of specialists based at DHMC.  

Baptist Health South Florida took its success with the Philips eICU program a step further. While the original intent was to augment the limited number of acute care clinicians and standardize care delivery across all acute care units throughout the health system, it has since evolved to become a more complete system. The program now includes six hospitals and 16 units across the health system – expanded to include the acute care setting, progressive care units for patients who need an intermediate level of care, as well as emergency departments. Leveraging the Philips eICU program, Baptist Health South Florida has reduced hospital mortality by 23% [1] and decreased mortality and length of stay for patients in progressive care units, showing the value of expanding this technology into new care settings.