There is a tendency to have the common misconception that the historically bleak era of the Dark Ages was immediately followed by the Renaissance. In reality, the two eras were hundreds of years apart. These years were known as the Middle Ages and witnessed significant unrest and widespread economic uncertainty.
We can draw parallels between this historical context and our experiences in healthcare in recent years. While not directly between the bubonic plague of the Middle Ages and Covid-19 – that would be too on the nose – perhaps more with the era of uncertainty created by crisis after crisis, each making the situation more dire and complex. Similar to the downstream effects of the recent global pandemic, which have caused quite a stir in the healthcare sector in subsequent years.
You see, the recovery efforts aimed at the problems of the Dark Ages were the precursors to the Middle Age disasters that followed, from famine to the devastating “Black Death” bubonic plague pandemic that decimated entire populations.
BUBONIC PLAGUE – Depiction of Black Death-infected clothing being burned in medieval Europe, … [+]
As Europe emerged from the shadows of the plague and previous crises, new political powers succeeded the former kingdoms and expanded across the continent, focusing on trade and exploration. This shift led to universities and led to a renewed interest in the arts and sciences. Consequently, the Renaissance gradually spread throughout Europe as a cultural and intellectual movement. One of his notable contributions was the printing press, a pioneering invention that revolutionized the dissemination of knowledge, paving the way for the ensuing Age of Enlightenment.
INVENTION OF THE PRINTING PRESS —From the early to mid-1400s, Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press, is shown … [+]
Essentially, the Middle Ages were not the height of misery; the Middle Ages presented even greater hardships. And the attempts of established kingdoms to recover from the Dark Ages often ended in failure, as they faced new unforeseen crises. These kingdoms had to undergo profound changes which subsequently resulted in unprecedented advancements in the region.
EMPLOYEE SHORTAGE — Long Beach, NY: The Mount Sinai South Nassau Hosptial Emergency Department in Long … [+]
Along the same historical line, traditional healthcare provider organizations have attempted to recover and adapt to the post-pandemic world, but now face additional challenges with intense financial and operational burdens. While costs for everything from supplies to labor have risen dramatically, payments from payers, both the government and the private sector, have not increased. The expectations of patients and healthcare consumers have also changed significantly, which has an equally drastic effect on the predictability of volumes for providers. It is therefore clear that the former management models of the healthcare sector are no longer tenable today.
BANKRUPT HOSPITAL CLOSURES – MADERA, CA – MAY 10, 2023 – Karen Paolinelli, CEO of the Madera … [+]
Perhaps we are here now, on the edge of the healthcare middle ages. The question then arises, what radical change in our landscape will push us to the other side and usher in our renaissance?
It is clear that the provision of care will extend beyond the boundaries of acute care inpatient hospitals. Despite varying adoption rates of virtual care, remote care, and home care by traditional health systems, the aging population (65+), which is projected to reach nearly 20% of the US population by 2030, will accelerate this transformation due to increased ask casually. And it is clear that this transformation will be digital in nature, relying heavily on technology to expand the workforce and change the way work gets done. Therefore, if the legacy provider organizations of the pre-pandemic era are no longer fit for what lies ahead, where will evolution take us? Here are some recent developments worth noting:
- Non-traditional entrants into the healthcare provider space – Companies like Walmart Health and Dollar General are starting to leverage their retail footprint to roll out primary and urgent care centers, along with diagnostics, in certain states. One of the key value propositions here is their existing logistics and supply chains that they can tap into across a broad geographic location to support these physical centers.
- Targeted expansions by companies that have had aspirations within the provider space in the past – Amazon, CVS Health and Walgreens have tried different forms of care in the past. However, their recent acquisitions of One Medical, Signify/Oak Street Health, and Summit Health, respectively, clearly demonstrate their commitment to that frontline primary care model as their angle.
- Scaling up of established healthcare giants – Some notable examples include Kaiser Permanente forming “Risant” with Geisinger to create scale in the arena of value-based health systems (“Kai-singer” model), UnitedHealth Group’s acquisition chain under Optum, which is now the largest employer of physicians in the US, and the mergers of major health systems such as Advocate Aurora and Atrium Health to form an even larger organization spanning six states.
AI in healthcare
Another noteworthy point is the recent spike in the use and maturation of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. If the analogy of this article holds, are we now in the presence of our generation’s version of the printing press?
Along with the recent industry developments mentioned above, we may now be witnessing that latest dam-breaking crack in everything that has held back healthcare. Perhaps now we are finally seeing real transformation erupt, flowing freely across the healthcare landscape… much like kingdoms of the Middle Ages that tried to hold their influence together through crisis after crisis, eventually giving way to dramatic large-scale change, the harbinger from the beginning of the Renaissance.