Bridging the Gaps in American Healthcare: Insights from Industry Leaders
The U.S. healthcare system is rapidly evolving as healthcare facilities struggle to overcome workforce shortages, inefficiencies, and financial challenges. In our recent webinar, we sat down with industry experts Landon Gibbs, Managing Partner of Altitude Ventures, Jean Hitchcock, MarComm Expert and the “Queen of PRM” and Michael Suk, MD, FACHE, FACS, JD, Chair of the Board of the American Medical Association and Chair of the Joint Commission.
These panelists shared valuable insights into understanding healthcare from provider, business, and policy perspectives. Keep reading for the main highlights from this session, including the challenges faced today and sustainable, patient-centered solutions that could positively transform U.S. healthcare.
The Unsustainable System – An Overview of Current Challenges
The U.S. healthcare system faces several challenges that threaten sustainability and patient care. One of the biggest concerns highlighted by the panelists was the soaring cost of Medicare, adding up to nearly $1 trillion annually. Add to this a long list of issues like prior authorization, workforce shortages, and a lack of equity in resource distribution, and it’s clear we have an unsustainable system.
Hospitals and clinics nationwide are closing their doors under financial strain. The system needs urgent reform to overhaul financial incentives and optimize processes so that providers feel supported and patients receive quality care.
Patient-Provider Relationship at the Core
One of the main points of the conversation was the erosion of the patient-provider relationship. When providers face administrative burdens like prior authorization and credentialing inefficiencies, they spend less time and attention on patients. Implementing strategies that prioritize the patient-provider relationship and allow physicians to spend more time on care, not paperwork, can reduce burnout, increase job satisfaction, and drive better patient care.
Innovation and Technology as Catalysts for Change
Developing technology that tackles the challenges providers face today can be a game-changer. Technology has rapidly transformed healthcare in recent years, but it has a long way to go in enabling providers to streamline administrative burdens and reduce costs with processes like credentialing and prior authorization. AI is quickly becoming a catalyst for change, helping providers improve efficiency, inform clinical decisions, and reduce redundancies. Harnessing the full power of AI in every aspect of healthcare could lead to tremendous positive change and be the turning point the U.S. healthcare system desperately needs.
Workforce Shortages – Impact and Solutions
The threat of the healthcare labor shortage is in full force with no sign of slowing down. From burned-out physicians and nurses leaving bedside to rural facilities closing doors due to staffing shortages, it’s a crisis that calls for immediate attention. Demand for healthcare talent is far outpacing supply, and burnout has exacerbated the issue, making retention harder than ever.
A common theme throughout this session was streamlining complex and time-consuming processes for healthcare staff, which could have a significant impact on reducing burnout. Embracing productivity incentives, integrating modern tools, and leveraging data insights like Doctivity can strengthen healthcare teams and attract top talent.
Consumerism and Patient Empowerment
Today, patients expect convenience and full transparency. As Jean noted, “The word patient experience took on importance in the last 10 years because of consumerism.” Tools like online scheduling, digital portals, and upfront cost estimates have shifted from nice-to-haves to must-haves.
Dynamic copay models—where patients pay less when choosing cost-effective care—are a promising way to align patient behavior with better outcomes. Empowering patients with the right tools can not only enhance their experience but also lower costs and enhance care.
Future Outlook
Throughout the webinar, cost-effective and value-based care was a common theme. Leveraging data, distributing resources equitably, and reducing inefficiencies are key to ensuring long-term sustainability in U.S. healthcare.
Landon stated during the session, “I'll be pretty simple on this. Data is the future of this industry, and at the end of the day, we have to be more efficient with the resources we have. And the only way you can do that is with data.” By building a data-first, patient-centric system that allows providers to work smarter, the U.S. healthcare system can provide faster, better, and more equitable care to patients.
Tools like Doctivity are helping make that shift possible—empowering providers with data-driven insights to reach productivity goals, reduce referral leakage, and strengthen care coordination. As Dr. Suk put it, “This is a critical bridge between the system and the individual...so you create a better environment where people are happy together.”
Closing Thoughts
The challenges faced in healthcare, such as soaring costs, workforce shortages, and inefficiencies, are complex but solvable. Our expert panelists offered a hopeful vision into how U.S. healthcare can improve through innovation, such as integrating modern tools and AI to help providers streamline complex processes and make smarter decisions. Catch the full webinar recording here for more insights.
By keeping the patients and providers at the center of innovation, we can move towards a more sustainable, efficient, and equitable healthcare system. At Doctivity Health, we’re moving the needle by providing healthcare organizations with the actionable insights and smart tools they need to drive growth.
Ready to discover how Doctivity can improve provider performance, reduce outmigration, and accelerate revenue growth? Request a demo today.
