Demand for Hospital Care

Demand For Hospital Care - Research Questions

• Demographics?

  Healthcare spending is on an upward track partly because as nations become wealthier,
  consumers demand they spend more on healthcare (about ½% increase in healthcare cost for
  each percent increase in wealth)

  Many nations will be looking down the barrel of an exploding cannon. In 1999, working taxpayers outnumber
  non-working pensioners in the developed world (North America, Japan, Europe, Australia and New Zealand) 
  by 3 to 1. However, by 2030, the ratio will fall to 1.5 to 1.

  The post-war baby boomers who have been an egocentric and demanding group at each stage of
  their lives are now becoming the key healthcare consumers, purchasing care for their own aging
  bodies, as well as for their frail parents.
 

• Consequence of life style for demand?

  Consumers are more informed (internet) want their own healthcare (‘I want it my way’)

  Tomorrow’s consumers may be adversarial, fickle and decidedly impatient.

  Individuals are better educated about everything, including healthcare.
   
  Patients believed no one was on their side – they became engaged in their healthcare
  decision-making because they felt abandoned by the system.
    
  Consumerism creates contradictions   (more informed and healthy people versus obese)
   
  Consumerism breeds branding of hospitals and individual doctors and creates the want for more private hospitals in the        
  Netherlands;

• More demanding/empowered patients?
  

  Empowered employers will demand better healthcare for their workers. 
   
  As consumers in developed countries dig deeper into their pockets to fund their healthcare
  needs, they will become even more demanding consumers who are sensitive to value and
  hungrier for information.

  A common vision of some healthcare futurists is that consumers won’'t have to
  decipher the healthcare world alone. They’'ll hire intermediaries to handle their healthcare
  needs. Whether these intermediaries will be brokers, agents or nurses remains to be seen.
  Consumers may pay for them, or in some cases, employers may do so.  Also,
  such intermediaries may merely be virtual health agents or software programs.

Some patients are moving to different payment models - out of pocket, going to other countries.

• Causes of death?
  

   Ishemic Heart Disease
   Unipolar Major Depression
   Cerebrovascular Disease
   Trachea, Bronchus and lung cancers
   Road Traffic Accidents
   Alcohol Use
   Osteoarthritus
   Dimensia and other degenerative and heriditary CNS disorders
   Chronic obstructive pulmanary disease
   Self inflicted injuries
   

• Pandemics?

   Aids
   Bird Flu
 

• Diesease Trends?

  Obesity - Diabetes II
  In practice, consumers have not been responsible stewards of their own health. Obesity,
  smoking and alcohol are three primary causes of disability and death in many industrialized
  countries.

• Alternative Medicine?

 With anti-aging treatments on the leading edge, consumers are more likely to see a blurring of
 the lines of wellness, prevention, acute care and chronic care. Already they’re spending more
 on alternative treatments such as herbal medicine, relaxation techniques, massage,
 acupuncture, spiritual healing, vitamins and chiropractic services.