For decades, most patients have traveled to providers—whether medical offices or hospitals—for care. However, the coronavirus exposed the cracks in this facility-centric paradigm.
During the early months of the pandemic, members of 1 in 5 U.S. households skipped or delayed care. About half of these individuals now report negative health impacts. The coronavirus also illuminated glaring racial disparities in healthcare access. Black, Latino and Indigenous Americans contracted and died from COVID-19 at far higher rates than white Americans.
This legacy of neglect and inequity demands action by healthcare leaders like you and me. If you believe as I do that healthcare is a human right, we must find more effective and just ways to serve our communities.
Fortunately, cultural and technological advances are opening new possibilities. I'm convinced that the future of care delivery exists at the intersection of medicine, health systems and technology, where care is delivered to patients on their own terms. At Vituity, we call this idea Health in Place.
Health in Place is the unifying concept that the healthcare system should meet patients where, when, and how they need us. This new paradigm leverages technology, expanded care teams, and a consumer focus to extend care beyond the walls of our hospitals and medical offices. To achieve this patient-centric shift, here are three goals health systems can focus on:
1. Improve access
While virtual care can help to expand access, in-person touch points are still critical for emergent issues. Patient-centric delivery systems must therefore evolve to bridge the virtual and in-person care continuum. To this end, health systems must equip clinicians with next-generation tools and infrastructure that enable them to meet patients where they are and guide their care journeys.
With a national footprint across 20 states and growing, Vituity is defining a new standard of care in which clinicians inform, deliver, support, and re-engineer care around patient and community needs.
2. Commit to equity in care delivery
Bringing care to patients where and when they need it is not enough. We must also consider each patient's life experiences, socioeconomic status, family structure, and access to resources like food, housing, and healthcare.
As a physician-owned healthcare organization, Vituity is committed to ensuring equitable access and quality of care for every patient we treat. In partnership with 40 health systems, we apply our expertise, resources and people capital to exponentially enhance healthcare infrastructure and overcome all limiting social determinants of health.
3. Create a culture of inclusivity and belonging
Now more than ever, it's imperative for our healthcare workforce to reflect the communities we serve in order to better understand their needs. As healthcare leaders, ensuring equality and equity among our teams and our patients ultimately falls to us. It's our responsibility to create an environment where people can be brilliant at every level of care delivery. To do that, we must recognize their stories, experiences, and how their unique approaches to problem-solving lead to breakthroughs for patients and health systems.
At Vituity, we approach diversity within our culture from the top down. As a clinician-led healthcare organization, it’s our role and privilege to lead the industry by fostering a culture and network of inclusivity. Our shared company definition of success includes a core belief that each of us must be brilliant in our roles to reach collective success.
A personal commitment
So why am I so passionate about Health in Place? It's because at Vituity, we see from the front lines how patient-centric care delivery allows us to truly bridge the gap between patients and their health. This involves tackling challenges that may not be strictly about medicine but that also encompass social services, mental healthcare, and family dynamics.
This commitment to designing care delivery around patients stretches back nearly 50 years to Vituity's founding. From in-person physician care to AI-powered clinical chatbots, we deliver, support and re-engineer care to meet patients where they need us. Our culture of innovation is rooted in the deep clinical expertise of 5,000 practicing providers who deliver care every day—and are individually empowered to redesign care delivery systems.
My goal is for Vituity to be the clinical leader in this new Health in Place world, serving as the clinical engine and ensuring patients receive the care they need. Are you likewise inspired to transform care for the benefit of patients? If so, we invite you to join the Health in Place movement. Together, let's shift the paradigm and transform patient care one system, one hospital, and one community at a time.
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About the author
Imamu Tomlinson, MD, MBA, is chief executive officer of Vituity and president of the Vituity Cares Foundation. In 2021, Dr. Tomlinson was recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives and selected as one of Fierce Healthcare's Most Influential Minority Executives for 2021.