Home care has been put in the spotlight in recent years for many reasons. For one, there has been a growing emphasis on the importance of health and wellness over the last few years. Add to that a global pandemic that has shown us just how important it is to stay healthy.
Accordingly, various sectors in health and medicine have grown tremendously, including innovations in medical and home care technology. One of the sectors of healthcare that has seen massive upscale is the home health care industry. Studies show that home health expenditure reached $101 billion in 2018. It’s only natural that home care industry growth will continue for many years to come. That’s if your practice keeps up with the changing tides of healthcare.
This year will look very different for the home care business industry as digital software for better management progress and market responses evolve too. We’re heading into unknown territory at some level as uncertainty continues to proliferate various business sectors this 2022. But looking at the trends, you can get a better sense of where home care will go. By doing so you can then make adjustments to your business to stay relevant and be in a good position for growth this year and beyond.
Here are some trends in-home health care to watch out for in 2022.
The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly changed the business landscape. And one of the most affected has been the healthcare industry— both public and private. The rate of medical worker burnout is still increasing, and we’re now seeing how vaccine mandates are changing the home care industry. But demand for home health care services still continues to rise.
Good Read: How is Vaccine Mandate Changing the Home Care Industry?
Accordingly, people in the home care business trends should keep in mind that we are not yet at the final curtain of this pandemic. No one knows for sure when it will end. So it’s safe to say that your business should still operate with COVID-19 in mind. Demand for personal protective equipment will still be there. But innovative businesses are now coming up with more efficient ways to sterilize these sets of equipment so we can move away from disposable PPEs. It’s also good to keep sticking with minimum health protocols at all times when providing home health care. A rise in self-test kits has also made it easier for home care businesses to execute regular tests on staff to protect their elderly and immuno-compromised patients.
Manually handling certain medical procedures can be inefficient. For instance, medication reminders done manually can result in missed prescriptions from time to time. Businesses have been looking for ways to automate these practices, and they’ve now been able to do so. Now, home care nurses and caregivers can manage prescriptions more efficiently and lower the chances of missing any important medications.
There has also been an increase in other automation applications in-home care, including patient monitoring, workload planning, scheduling, appointment setting, custom reporting, smart home controls and so on.
The home health care industry employs some 1.4 million people. The cost of labor is one of the driving expenses in-home health care. And that’s not without justification of course as healthcare workers should be well-compensated for quality work. But the increasing levels of automation can allow home care businesses to reduce manpower costs on more entry-level and basic tasks.
For instance, appointment setting home care software can take over administrative roles so that a company won’t have to hire as many secretarial staff as needed. Using HR software to take care of payroll, shift scheduling, employee evaluation, and so on can also significantly reduce manpower costs.
One of the other growing home care trends is the rise of telemedicine. This has helped both medical workers and patients alike. A case where this trend has provided the most value is logistics, as patients and care providers are now able to lessen transportation costs and time on regular checkups. Some routine checkups don’t require as much face-to-face as we think, and teleconsultation helps streamline that process.
Moreover, telemedicine has helped lessen exposure to variables such as COVID-19 and other contamination risks. Improving video conferencing adoption will only grow with time across all sectors. So it makes sense to start implementing them in a home care business today, especially in doctor appointments. We’re far from the day that you’ll be able to run a fully remote health consulting practice, but having a hybrid setup will make the world of a difference for your practice and your patients.
The internet of medical things have also significantly improved remote monitoring. Not only is it more convenient to monitor patient vitals remotely. It’s also now more reliable. Cloud technology has made vital reporting more prompt. The rising automation trends have also improved notifications and regular reporting.
Home care businesses and personnel can now receive up-to-date information on stats and observations on their patients. Cloud software also makes it easier to store this data for future use. No more stacks of filing cabinets of paperwork that take hours to sift through when doctors need patient history records. Better data management also means that care providers have immediate access to relevant data for patients, such as allergies, medications, special requests, and so on.
Just like any business, a home health care practice needs to focus on financial sustainability as well. Access to home care business insights executives and stakeholders make more informed decisions to ensure that operations don’t fall under red levels. By doing so, they ensure the longevity of service and business sustainability.
Use a home care management system to monitor business activity for your practice. Data and analytics reporting systems link up with patient management records, accounting and invoicing software, employee payroll reports, and other necessary data points. These integrations then help a system collate all business operations and help business managers determine the health of the practice.
The increase in home health care services has also increased the demand for logistics. While remote services have been increasing over the years, we are far from the day where medical practitioners can provide medical insight and service without onsite intervention. So doctors and specialists still need to have patients come in for regular appointments.
Some home care businesses have provided transportation services to their patients as an added service. There are also some that lend out medical and testing equipment that would be impractical to purchase, such as heart monitors and other expensive machinery. In these cases, it helps to have a top facility management software solution to improve facility stewardship and logistics on the delivery and return of these sets of equipment.
So why is home health care growing? Because people will always need care. The global home health care hit a valuation of over $299.0 billion in 2020, and that number will only grow in time. As demand increases the need to beat the innovation status quo becomes more urgent. So start using technology to improve the business and medical operations of a home care business today. Using tools and software that help your practice keep up with these trends is the best place to start.
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