This article is sponsored by Maxwell Healthcare Associates. In this Voices interview, Hospice News sits down with Scott Beard, Chief Strategy Officer at Maxwell Healthcare Associates, to learn about the most pressing technology trends and products providers should be watching in 2023. He breaks down the best approach to new technology adoption so agencies can overcome their hesitations and take advantage of what’s out there, and he also offers a vivid outlook on the future of customer service in the hospice industry.
Hospice News: What career experiences do you most draw from, in your role today?
Scott Beard: I’ve been in the technical field for my entire career — the last 20 years of which, I’ve spent with Enhabit Home Health & Hospice, and Homecare Homebase. Those experiences have provided valuable insight into how technology can be applied in the health care industry. In my role at Enhabit — which I held for the last 14 years — I dealt with all things technical and witnessed the impact that technology could make on all stakeholders, from the employees in the back office to the caregivers in the field, and ultimately to the patients we serve.
Now, I’ve switched seats and I’m working with clients that are in the same roles I occupied for a long time. Because of this dynamic, I can more easily understand what they’re looking for, make their lives easier and add value.
What tech trends do you see gaining traction that will address pressing issues in the industry?
Generally speaking, I can think of three technology groups that have quite a bit of momentum right now: workforce optimization, operational efficiency and cost reduction.
The first group of workforce optimization technologies lets providers do more with less and reduces the margin for error. This includes artificial intelligence, machine learning, natural language processing and speech recognition technology, among others. The quality of today’s dictation technologies is making keyboards obsolete, and while all these technologies have been around for a while, the way they’re maturing and being applied in the industry today is fascinating.
The second group includes technologies that improve and streamline operations while providing a broader perspective on organizational performance. This includes true data warehousing, analytics and visualization technologies. If these technologies are applied appropriately and combined with a strong data governance strategy, it results in more confident data analysis that can help drive key decisions.
The final group includes technologies that help reduce costs like outsourcing and cloud-based technologies. I’m seeing a big outsourcing movement now, and the same can be said for cloud-based technologies.
If you look at hospice-specific tech trends, EMRs and other foundational systems are becoming regulatory data collection and compliance tools, or data repositories. Companies need to figure out what they can bolt onto those EMRs to make them more efficient and help make meaningful clinical, financial and operational decisions. We are also seeing many agencies fine-tune and tweak those EMRs, which is where the application of these technology groups becomes more important.
What kinds of technology or products should agencies invest in for 2023?
Technology investments can bring significant benefits if they align with an organization’s strategy. However, there are often risks associated with each technology, and it is important to evaluate the risks and continually monitor each investment after the initial due diligence and transaction.
This year, providers should invest in technologies that enhance and automate their current processes to reduce the burden on back-office and field staff, and invest in solutions that analyze payers and payer sources. Both of these will be a big focus in 2023.
I also think we need to be ready for the ever-changing landscape of payers, especially with respect to Medicare Advantage plans. I found a stat on the Health Affairs website, which states that Medicare Advantage is expected to make up 50% of all Medicare enrollment this year. Under current growth, they predict that it’s going to hit 69% by 2030. We’re no longer a traditional Medicare industry, so agencies and their EMRs need to be prepared for that.
Additionally, agencies should look at products that will help them protect their assets. Providers need to have an effective cybersecurity plan in place and the necessary tools for execution because the bad guys aren’t going away. It’s important to budget for these things because cybersecurity should never be an afterthought.
How can a hospice organization approach new technology adoption, especially when it is nervous about adopting new technology?
ROI is a good starting point for a variety of reasons. The ROI has to be lucrative for decision-makers, but it also needs to be positive for the end user. Clinicians and caregivers have to invest time and effort into learning new technologies, and they need to see a return as well. Further, the technologies must show value, and project sponsors have to be intentional about selling the value proposition to users and monitoring the results so they can adjust as needed.
Finally, a sound change management process is critical to new technology adoption. Employees need to know what’s coming, they need to be trained, and they need to understand the reason driving the change. People, processes and technologies all have to be in place before a change of this magnitude, or all else will fail.
What technology solutions should agencies explore to gain a holistic view of their operations?
A lot of the EMRs out there today have decent add-on products that provide analytics and insights. And while they might offer a look at the operational metrics of a specific service line, they fall short as soon as providers start examining multiple service lines and aggregating data from different businesses on different EMRs. This is why true data warehousing strategies become really important — they sit on top of those EMRs and help aggregate their data.
What does the future of customer service look like in the hospice industry?
We’re going to see a shift toward strategic customer service rather than standard operational support. Instead of just fixing problems, customer service teams will help users get out in front of those problems and prevent them from occurring in the first place. It’s proactive versus reactive.
AI, robotics and chatbots will come heavily into play, and I also think we’ll see more providers start to outsource the customer service function. The outsourcing trend has already grown in a variety of other capacities, and when a third party can do the heavy lifting in customer service, the agency can be more strategic with the information they gain.
Finish this sentence: “The hospice industry in 2023 will be the year of…”
Innovation.
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Maxwell Healthcare Associates is a team of post-acute industry veterans passionate about helping home health and hospice providers thrive amid healthcare’s disruptive environment. They bridge gaps and advance care by creating solutions focused on people, processes, and technology. To learn more about Maxwell Associates’ home health solutions, visit maxwellhca.com.
The Voices Series is a sponsored content program featuring leading executives discussing trends, topics and more shaping their industry in a question-and-answer format. For more information on Voices, please contact [email protected].