Writer: Liz Palmer
2 min read September 2022 — Specialty healthcare providers are adjusting to a new equilibrium in a post-pandemic landscape. For Raleigh Radiology and Holly Hill Hospital, the future of healthcare is about partnerships, particularly as the modern patient experience shifts into something more personal.
“When I first started, radiologists never talked to patients, they would only talk to other doctors,” said Satish Mathan, president and managing partner of Raleigh Radiology, in an interview with Invest:. “While we cannot direct the care, considering that it is driven by their physician, who ordered the test, we have an obligation to provide the patient with the answers to their questions. We use technology and the interpretation side of it with the help of artificial intelligence. We have programs that we are putting in place to assist our information management.”
Mathan adds that as part of this journey toward personalization, healthcare will continue to be driven toward a more value-centered focus rather than the traditional fee for service model. “That conversation has been initiated and will continue to progress as the driver of how our industry evolves.”
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) 2022 value-based care survey, 49% of practices now offer “some form of value-based payment, and 18% are developing the capabilities to do so.”
The conversation is gaining in importance as costs for healthcare skyrocket and access becomes a prominent issue in many communities. According to Forbes, medical costs are expected to start rising by double-digits in 2023, reaching over $8 trillion in seven years from $4 trillion today. Managing healthcare costs, therefore, is moving to the forefront of the medical agenda. For Raleigh Radiology, cost management and its benefits can be achieved in part by expanding to more offices across the Triangle region. There too, partnerships have a role to play. “We will do that by partnering with our hospital partners, WakeMed in particular, to ensure that the patients in the community have a place to receive healthcare, both outpatient and inpatient, with continuity of care and people who see them in all aspects. We will ensure that we can impact that care on all fronts and try to make it as seamless as possible for the patient,” Mathan said. He predicts the demand for outpatient care will continue each year, transitioning away from traditionally inpatient or in-hospital services toward an outpatient approach, with ease of access and cost efficiency being the result.
Holly Hill Hospital, a mental health facility offering temporary and long-term care, is also prioritizing partnerships going forward. The last few years exacerbated existing challenges to behavioral healthcare, made no better by mental health crises caused by social isolation, CEO Kevin Poitinger told Invest: in an interview. Poitinger said the shortfalls in the behavioral health system make meeting the healthcare demands of a growing region difficult, hence the focus on outreach and partnerships. “There is still a stigma with behavioral health and people don’t seek help until it’s too late. We network with school systems and universities as a means to provide early intervention,” he said.
Pointinger is also looking to bolster relationships with other healthcare providers and community leaders to fill in service gaps. “We are looking at opportunities for Holly Hill Hospital to provide additional service lines beyond inpatient treatment. Additionally, North Carolina is a big military and veteran state, so we are attempting to build partnerships with our military bases to respond to the behavioral health needs of their members.”
