TRENDS
The Healthcare Rules That Need To Be Broken
The coronavirus pandemic is what academics would label a “strategic inflection point,” an
By Dr. Robert Pearl
unforeseen event that causes the world to change dramatically and irrevocably. As a result of COVID-19, people everywhere have experienced major changes in the ways they conduct business, communicate, educate their children and plan for the future. In the United States, perhaps no industry has been more affected by the pandemic than healthcare. From the earliest days of the outbreak to the recent rise of the Omicron strain, the virus has turned American medicine upside-down. As the New Year dawns, and as year three of the pandemic begins, a COVID-weary industry is aching for change.
Already, some of healthcare’s longest-standing “rules” – the unwritten norms and assumptions that govern the role of doctors, the experience of patients and the health of the country – are being tested and even broken. As one example, doctors had long subscribed to this belief: Excellent medical care can only be delivered in-person. That assumption quickly evaporated when Americans were forced to shelter in place and physicians had to close their offices in fear for their health. Within mere months, the use of telemedicine skyrocketed from 1% of all doctorpatient visits to nearly 70% while the hospital-at-home concept flourished as inpatient facilities became overwhelmed. 10
January 2022
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Once the rule against virtual medicine was broken, doctors were astonished at how much care they could deliver via smartphone or computer. Patients, meanwhile, were delighted by the convenience and speed of techpowered healthcare. The old rule suddenly felt outdated, disadvantageous and obsolete. Of course, not all medical care can be provided virtually, but telemedicine is already starting to redefine the doctor-patient relationship. Instead of searching for the best specialist in the community or accepting a local referral, patients can be instantly connected with leading experts anywhere in the country.
