Why Now is the Right Time for Integrated Care Coordination

As the senior healthcare market continually evolves to meet increasing demand, care providers are looking for a solution to help them succeed in the future. Forward-thinking healthcare organizations are redesigning their processes and operations to achieve what is called the “Triple Aim” to increase efficiency, improve clinical outcomes, and generate high patient-satisfaction scores. Integrated Care Coordination can help achieve these goals. But how? And why is now the time to think about this?

The market has changed

There have been three important shifts in the market that make the old way of care unsustainable for the future landscape of senior healthcare.

• Aging Population: Considering the sheer volume of seniors, the demand for senior care is exploding. The number of Americans aged 65 and over is projected to nearly double from 52 million in 2018 to 95 million by 2060. If senior care organizations can’t keep up with this projected increase, they will certainly fall behind and worst of all, those they care for will be the ones to suffer the consequences.

• Staffing Issues: More patients = more staff. Simple, right? If only it were. On top of the growing demand for senior care, the market is also experiencing a shortage of nurses. 22% of nurses hold more than one nursing job and 18% of these nurses have said the second job negatively impacts the quality of their work. 44% have also said they often feel like quitting. What does this mean? Nurses are overworked, underappreciated, and do not have the right solutions in place to do their jobs properly. So not only do we have demand increasing, but now working conditions are creating decrease in supply of services. 

• Shift to Value-Based Care: This shift has increased the need for efficient transitions of care. For organizations to meet the demand of the aforementioned “Triple Aim”, they need to drastically change the way they do business. Technology is an important part of this change, but their current technology solutions won’t be enough.

The Solution: Integrated Care Coordination

Integrated care is already out there. So is care coordination. But pursing one without the other is like walking instead of running — you’ll still get where you are going, but there is a faster, and more efficient way. By bringing together two important aspects of patient care, Integrated Care Coordination provides seamless, patient-centered care, regardless of the patient’s location. It allows case managers and providers to determine and offer the right care to the right patient at the right place in time. That’s a lot of rights! It also creates a working partnership among various care providers, patients, and their families by continually assessing patients’ needs, fostering the development of care plans, and monitoring the progression of care.

Given the current and future landscape of senior care, it is evident there is a need for change. Integrated Care Coordination is the solution that will bring your organization into the future and help you succeed once you get there. Plainly speaking, if you aren’t already onboard with Integrated Care Coordination, it might be time for your organization to reconsider, or you risk falling behind.