Back to the Future: Digital Health-Led Decentralization of Healthcare Delivery

These disruptive innovations have greatly expanded access to healthcare services and, in many cases, significantly lowered the comparative cost of care on a per procedure or per visit basis when measured against the same procedure or visit at a general hospital or a medical clinic. The rate of disruption and decentralization in healthcare delivery is accelerating as consumers, employers, health plans, and governments continue to demand greater affordability and personalization in healthcare.

Most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly changed the way healthcare services are being delivered and consumed. As patients adhere to stay-at-home and social distancing policies, facility-based visit volume has dropped precipitously. TransUnion Healthcare's analysis of 500+ hospitals across the United States indicates a decline of 32%-60% in visit volumes between the weeks of March 1 and March 29, when compared against pre-COVID-19 volumes.