Joseph Simone of Simone Health Development recently participated as a panelist in a virtual forum featuring healthcare leaders discussing the state of the healthcare sector.
Simone, whose company is a leading developer of healthcare facilities, described how a consumer push to lower medical costs is causing a proliferation in out-patient services and medical procedures. An exploding aging population is also driving profound change. “Today there are 50 million people in the United States over the age of 65,” said Joe Simone. “In the next 10 years alone, the over 65 population is going to grow by 20 million people. We have to become more efficient and effective in treating this aging population,” he added.
He also discussed the trend toward the “bedless” hospital, such as the one that Simone Health built for Montefiore in the Bronx where a patient comes in for a procedure in the morning and leaves the same day. “The strides in technology and healthcare now require a lot less patient recovery time,” he noted.
Simone said that today’s most important technology trend is how Artificial intelligence (AI) will transform how healthcare is delivered. He said AI will help increase productivity and the efficiency of care delivery and allow healthcare systems to provide more and better care to more people.
Simone also said the huge growth under way in biotech and life sciences will have tremendous impact on healthcare. And he noted that outpatient and urgent care facilities will continue to grow and so will the use of telemedicine. “Today healthcare is technically sick care. It is not really healthcare because we are treating people who are ill. In the future we are going to have true healthcare which is preventive care and creating a plan for each individual patient’s needs,” he said.
The forum, which was held March 10, is part of series of State of the Economy programs presented by the Business Council of Westchester.