Four Important Takes on the Key Healthcare Trends and Issues for 2021

By Clive Riddle, January 22, 2021

With the promise and peril of each new year, healthcare prognosticators weigh in on what are the significant trends and issues that lay in wait. With the stakes in 2021 seemingly like no year in recent memory, here is a capsule of items put forward from four important perspectives as we move forward in the calendar:

PwC’s Health Research Institute (HRI) annually publishes their report on top issues for the new year, which will be featured next week in the 2021 Future Care Web Summit. This year’s report: Top health industry issues of 2021: Will a shocked system emerge stronger? “examines how the healthcare industry is expected to face the uncertainty of 2021, building resilience for long-term survival by developing its own forecasting systems, reshaping business portfolios post-pandemic for financial stability and growth, and creating a more nimble, modern supply chain.” 

They find the key issues will include:

• Virtual health reshapes healthcare delivery
• Clinical trials are changing—for good
• Digital relationships can help improve the clinician experience
• Enhanced Healthcare forecasting for an uncertain 2021
• Health portfolios reshaped for growth: increased investment in and by healthcare companies
• A resilient and responsive supply chain built for long-term health
• Interoperability 2021: potential foundation to power forward a more consumer-centric healthcare system after the pandemic

The employer perspective, from the Business Group on Health, is offered in their new report: Key Insights: Health Care Trends in 2021, which cities these five trends:

• The Proliferation of Virtual Care—  More attention will be given to the evaluation of the quality, outcomes, effectiveness, patient experience and cost of virtual care options and innovations, as well as the appropriateness of virtual vs. in-person care for specific services.
• A Reimagining of Health Care Delivery— Even though employers and plans may have momentarily slowed the expansion of alternative payment and delivery models because of the pandemic, a redoubling of efforts in 2021 will drive improvements in quality and value.
• A Spotlight on Mental Health and Emotional Well-being—In 2021, novel approaches such virtual counseling and the integration of Employee Assistance Programs and mental health benefits, will place mental health on par with other medical conditions.
• Adapting to the Well-being Needs of a Changing Workforce— In 2021, employers will continue to demonstrate flexibility and support employee needs through leave, remote work and other benefits.
• Addressing Gaps in Health Equity—In 2021, the health care ecosystem, including providers, suppliers and payers, will boost efforts to examine and address health equity, while mitigating the harmful effects of social determinants of health.

A hospital perspective is offered by the American Hospital Association in their AHA Trustee piece: Top 10 Emerging Trends in Health Care for 2021: The New Normal

1. More Strategic and Agile Supply Chains
2. Coopetition as a Viable Strategy
3. Patient Consumerization
4. Personalization of Care
5. Workforce Diversity and Safety
6. Virtual Care
7. Artificial Intelligence and Automation
8. Revenue Diversification
9. Mergers and integration
10. Payer Shifts

And finally, with the pandemic further bringing behavioral health issues to the forefront, the American Psychological Association offers their report on Emerging trends for 2021:

• Healing the political divide
• Social media is increasing impact
• The fight against racism must continue
• Psychology research is front and center
• Mental health apps are gaining traction
• Psychologists’ skills are in great demand
• The national mental health crisis
• The great distance learning experiment continues
• There’s a new push to reach underserved communities
• Psychology’s involvement in policing
• Psychologists are moving up in academia
• Online therapy is here to stay
• Advocacy will help secure expanded telehealth coverage
• Employers are increasing support for mental health