The future of healthcare is shifting—from hospital-centric to outpatient-focused, from local care models to a globally connected system, from business-driven communication to personalized patient interactions. In the next decade (or before), outpatient visits are expected to increase by 17%, and by 2027, an estimated 75% of surgical procedures will be performed on an outpatient basis, up from 60% in 2019; home-based services will grow by 22% (American Hospital Association). These dramatic increases will give rise to more telemedicine, neighborhood clinics, home care programs, and ambulatory surgical centers, reflecting a transformation and a shift in the sites where care/service is delivered. It will also transform how we communicate, lead, and manage healthcare teams.
The continued growth of outpatient care, driven by advancements in AI and technology, patient preferences, and the need for cost reduction, represents more than just a change in the location of care delivery. It signifies a cultural transformation in care, requiring a new skill set from healthcare leaders. As we transition from the early adoption of AI to its mainstream integration, proficiency in AI and a commitment to continuous learning will be essential in the future outpatient care landscape. We will move from traditional customer service approaches to a more personalized and nuanced model that combines deep cultural understanding with business efficiency.
In response to the growth of outpatient services, preparing healthcare leaders for the emerging workplace requires us to revisit and focus on core competencies and re-envision and develop them. For example:
- Cultural Competency – a deeper understanding of the cultures served, both patients and staff, in order to create a responsive, compassionate and productive healthcare environment
- Communication – a greater emphasis on oral communication; writing skills will be increasingly augmented by AI/technology
- Leading Distributed Teams- a focus on effectively managing people across locations will require a new set of team-building skills
The Future of Healthcare Leadership: An Interdisciplinary Approach
Next-gen leaders must develop new ways of working that include skills in co-designing culturally sensitive, personalized solutions with patients, communities, and healthcare teams while seamlessly integrating and partnering with technology for patient-centered care and service.
Increased outpatient care and service requires creating a broader, interdisciplinary model that develops exceptional problem-solving skills too. The dramatic shift to outpatient care offers an opportunity to create new interdisciplinary learning pathways that draw expertise from fields such as linguistics and literature, sociology and psychology, and business, organizational behavior, and technology. To be sure, these changes will be challenging; change usually is. The shift to a more outpatient-driven healthcare environment offers many opportunities for innovation, fulfillment and growth. If we listen carefully, we can hear an ancient philosopher whispering, “The only constant in life is change.”