Bolingbrook, Ill., Jan. 22, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The healthcare and physical therapy industry is ever changing. In an effort to deliver optimal care for patients to recover faster and return to everyday normal activities, ATI Physical Therapy prioritizes continuous training and clinical excellence. Looking ahead to the innovations and advancements in the healthcare industry as a whole—how the industry collaborates, shares data, leverages emerging technologies and applies advancements to clinical care—is important to the entire organization.
ATI’s Department of Clinical Research and Data Analytics, headed by Dr. Chris Stout, PsyD, PhD, analyzes trends in healthcare every year with a focus on research and data that will move the industry forward. In applying this forecast to physical therapy, three trends stand out in the potential to make a renowned impact on healthcare delivery and patient experiences in 2019.
1. Employer-based healthcare: As healthcare continues to take center stage politically, businesses and collaborations between companies such as the Amazon-Berkshire-JPMorgan Chase (or “ABC”) healthcare partnership, promise to help contain costs while maintaining or improving quality outcomes. ATI Physical Therapy has created a number of innovative direct-to-employer and direct-to-group models that have the ability and flexibility to help organizations save on healthcare costs by moving physical therapy services to the forefront of treatment services equation.
In addition, ATI’s Worksite Solutions (AWS) branch can also be on-site at an employer and provide preventative and therapeutic services. All such arrangements are evidence-based in their care and measured by clinical outcomes and performance in patient care.
2. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Healthcare: Between 2011 and 2018, funding for U.S.-based companies providing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) approaches to medical services saw a 2010% increase in total investment, to the tune of $98.4 million. The funding spikes demonstrate the potential of these technologies for healthcare delivery and more so, many hospitals are employing AI for mortality and readmission predictions, as well as operating room scheduling along with clinical uses in early diagnoses of sepsis and in clinical decision making.
The opportunity that AI and ML present for healthcare providers and their patients may be endless. As such, ATI is looking to develop AI/ML approaches for their clinicians via “intelligent” evidence-based treatment guidelines that take into consideration the nature of the injury, the evidence-based literature for treatment decision support, in the context of the patient’s medical history and demographics.
3. The Role of Big Data and Analytics: As the population grows more heterogeneous and the appetite for efficient, yet effective healthcare delivery with positive outcomes increases, so does the need for large repositories of data that can guide real-world understanding of the patient experience for various conditions, diseases and treatments. To provide that real-world understanding for research and clinical application, many universities, professional organizations and practice groups are preparing big data programs.
ATI established one of these registries in 2015 that focuses on outpatient orthopedic rehabilitation cases and is listed in ClinicalTrials.gov and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Registry of Patient Registries. Clinicians and researchers have access to and can benefit from the clinical trials performed by other groups, or they have visibility into outcomes of certain interventions conducted in more "real-world" clinical settings. This also allows for research to be leveraged much more broadly than ever before and for clinicians and researchers to test hypotheses without incurring the time and expense of conducting primary research or doing their own data collection.
“ATI Physical Therapy has always had a progressive vision. We’ve led the industry in building a differentiated platform that is focused on the needs of our patients. To continue providing exceptional, patient-centered care, we need to continuously advance our skill sets with the latest knowledge and advancements from across the entire healthcare industry. Focusing on trends in the industry and how ATI can contribute to growth in understanding and clinical application helps us meet our end goal – exceeding our patients expectations,” said Dr. Chris Stout.
About ATI Physical Therapy
ATI is a privately held, nationally recognized healthcare company, specializing in outpatient rehabilitation and adjacent healthcare services. With a focus on delivering a remarkable experience to every patient, every day, ATI has more than 800 locations from coast to coast. ATI was named “Best Physical Therapy Practice in the Nation” by ADVANCE magazine, and was one of the first physical therapy companies in the country to achieve URAC Core Accreditation, a mark of distinction that recognizes its commitment to quality healthcare. Based in Bolingbrook, Illinois, ATI gives back to communities across the country through the ATI Foundation, a non-profit established by ATI, which has provided more than $4 million in resources and funding to children with physical impairments. For more information on ATI Physical Therapy, and a complete list of clinic locations, services and the ATI Foundation, please visit ATIpt.com.
ATI’s Department of Clinical Research and Data Analytics, headed by Dr. Chris Stout, PsyD, PhD, analyzes trends in healthcare every year with a focus on research and data that will move the industry forward. In applying this forecast to physical therapy, three trends stand out in the potential to make a renowned impact on healthcare delivery and patient experiences in 2019.
