Listen now: Healthcare organizations manage spike in high-acuity patients

Hospitals and health systems continue to experience an upward trend in patients requiring a higher degree of care. The American Hospital Association recently reported that many organizations are facing unsustainable financial challenges as a result, through higher labor costs, drugs, and supplies. According to Duane Fitch, healthcare consulting leader at Plante Moran, the combination of patients deferring care and consequently presenting in a more compromised state, in addition to the alternative delivery options for patients seeking low acuity care, has created several challenges for hospitals to address. 

What were once positive shifts in care for hospitals at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic — care administered at local clinics or by telehealth — are now forcing organizations to reevaluate the benefits of how they provide care at all levels of acuity. What’s more, hospitals are now seeing fewer low-acuity patients, which translates to missed revenue opportunities. How can the continuum of care philosophy help hospitals and health systems manage patient migration outside of the hospital setting? Why is the healthcare industry seeing a shift in patient acuity from lower to higher? How can organizations boost patient loyalty? Fitch discusses this and more in an interview with Healthcare Finance.