The New Year is an exciting time of resolutions, goals, and—perhaps the most fun—trendspotting. Industry experts do their best to anticipate, guess-timate, and predict what will be hot during the coming seasons and months. These estimations help us plan for the future and know a little more about what to expect down the road.
This year there are fresh—and returning—trends galore. Food and Wine magazine encourages readers to be on the lookout because “Kelp, French classics, and phone-free dining are on the menu for 2019.” They also expect a rise in plant-based meals, locally sourced ingredients, and fast-casual dining.
In fashion, Elle expects more feathers, hippy modernism (it’s a real thing, I promise), and square-toed shoes. But for medicine and health, things are looking to the future, not the past. Experts expect a rise in diagnostic artificial intelligence, comprehensive behavioral health treatment, and outpatient surgery centers like Longview’s Pacific Surgical Center (PSC).
MedCity News reports that “We have seen the growing trend of patients being treated at outpatient surgical facilities over the past four to five years. Patients are being educated on the idea of ‘right care, right place, right time’ to help them understand the benefit of timely treatment at a specialized center rather than defaulting to an inpatient hospital.”
They go on to spotlight “Several studies [which] have indicated that ASCs have significantly better outcomes and lower infection rates, thus saving patients millions annually. Expect to see innovation in 2019 that caters to the needs of these more specialized centers.”
At PSC, outpatient care is available for your orthopedic, urology, gastroenterology, podiatry, and general surgery needs. Through clearly posted transparency pricing, highly trained and certified doctors, and dedicated staff, there’s minimal downtime and zero financial surprises. They work alongside your current primary care doctor to get you back on your feet as quickly and efficiently as possible.
And boy, are people responding! Business Wire shows that “As of 2017, more than half of outpatient surgeries were performed in an ASC setting, up from 32% in 2005.” Yet even with this increase in business, they expect overall medical costs to drop. “In an effort to reduce costs and increase value, payers are driving the shift in procedures from high-cost settings to more cost-effective ASCs. For example, joint replacement in a hospital outpatient department (HOPD) costs an average of $40,000 versus $18,000 in an ASC…As ASC volumes increase in coming years, total out-of-pocket expenses for procedures could fall by as much as $5 billion.”
Whether you have traditional insurance, Medicare, or prefer to pay cash for treatment, clinics like PSC are ideal. Lower prices, on-site lab and imaging facilities, and quick turnaround are always win/win. Such ease of service means no longer postponing needed surgery.
A recent review noted that 2018 “was quite a year for the ASC industry” and “one can only hope that 2019 builds on this success.” As with most businesses, growth comes from providing region-wide quality care at affordable prices.
“One in five: That’s how many people said, over a three-month period, that they postponed, delayed, or canceled a healthcare service (e.g., surgical procedure) because of cost,” the review claims. “One in four people, over the three-month period, said they had difficulty paying for a healthcare service.”
At PSC, it’s possible that the cash price is even lower than your portion of deductible and coinsurance should you bill insurance. Skip the preauthorization, paperwork, and red tape altogether while still saving money.
No-one knows what the future will bring, but trendspotters do more than just guess. Thanks to statistics and records they are able to advocate for ways to save money and improve quality of life. For those looking at medical trends, ASCs are a safe, cost-effective option.
Health Affairs Journal sums things up nicely. “As the ancient saying goes, ‘change is the only constant’ in life. And nowhere is that more on display than in the health care market. We believe 2019 will be a truly pivotal year, one where competitive forces unleash real, broad-based change. The key will be to see which providers adapt to and realize improvements from this change, and which get left behind.”
Pacific Surgical Center is a hub of growth, caring, and cutting edge medical treatment. Read more about their commitment to quality and then book a consultation online or by calling 360-442-7900. They can’t help you with kelp, feathers, or this season’s hippest new shoes, but they’ll happily start you on the road to feeling 100% again.
