COVID-19 may represent the vanguard of a series of public health crises arising out of climate change, income inequity, fraying social safety nets, demographic imbalances, resource shortages and increasingly stressed urban infrastructures. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues through autumn, public health concerns remain a top priority for people both in and outside the healthcare industry and Guy Carpenter is actively working with healthcare executives on how to mitigate the impacts of the virus on the sector.
The events of 2020 have catalyzed what we already knew we were capable of doing in health care, according to Deirdre Baggot, Partner of Health & Life Sciences at Oliver Wyman, Amanda Evison, Partner of Health & Life Sciences and Organizational Effectiveness at Oliver Wyman and Elizabeth Southerlan, Principal at Oliver Wyman. Oliver Wyman is an affiliate of Guy Carpenter.
For example, symptom checks powered by artificial intelligence for COVID-19 have resulted in marked reductions in urgent care and emergency room visits and virtual visits have entered the mainstream. Virtual and artificial intelligence-powered care delivery not only means we need fewer exam rooms, fewer on-site staff and less parking — it also means the work itself for doctors and nurses may look different and will require new ways of thinking about leadership, operations and staffing.