Outpatient and complex inpatient care driving volumes through 2035

This week’s graphic features an analysis from the Impact of Change report published by Vizient, earlier this week. The report found that home-based care, outpatient services (including ambulatory surgery centers) and clinics are projected to be the fastest-growing care sites over the next decade, with volumes increasing 31%, 17% and 15%, respectively. Vizient forecasts that emergency departments, inpatient facilities and skilled nursing facilities will experience more modest volume increases, and retail care volumes will decline. While inpatient volumes are projected to rise, this growth will largely be driven by a demand increase in inpatient care among patients 65 and older, who typically require more complex care and resources. Additionally, although the initial outpatient procedural shift was largely focused on orthopedics, the next wave of outpatient volume growth will come from other service lines. Driven by regulatory changes and by patient demand, outpatient cardiovascular volumes are expected to increase by 28% over the next decade, closely followed by behavioral health at 25%. Continued health system investment in higher-acuity outpatient care remains crucial.