The value proposition

A lot can happen in five years. Coincidentally, that's roughly when nearly all major provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will take effect.

With the election now past, so is much of the uncertainty about the ACA's future. What this means to our readers is clear. Regardless of your hospital or system size, care delivery will continue to be reshaped at a torrid pace.

That laser focus you've seen from the executive suite on reducing costs, improving efficiency, raising patient satisfaction scores, reducing readmissions and eliminating health care-associated conditions? It will continue.

Your organization likely will forge new or greater alliances with other health systems, physician groups and health plans. In other words, get used to change at a pace few have known.

To help connect the dots about how all this likely will impact you, we've devoted this Trends in Health Care report to exploring what may happen by 2018.

Looking into the future, even in a time frame as short as this, can be difficult. So we've scoured research literature, interviewed futurists, designers, builders and leaders in the supply chain, infection prevention and sustainability fields to provide you with valuable insights.

Let's face it. It's sometimes easy to feel disconnected from the big-picture issues driving health care and seeing how to drive improved performance. Take this opportunity to step back and take a fresh look at where you're headed. It will help you prepare for the journey.