It’s nearly 2020, and those healthcare providers that are struggling are, for the most part, clinging to their dying business models in an effort to manage shrinking revenues. The majority of hospitals continue to operate as they always have, and hospital groups like the American Hospital Association (AHA) continue threatening legal action to block changes toward a more patient-centric model proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Soon, resistance to change will be replaced by its acceptance. The pace and scope of change we saw in 2019 – especially by way of the innovations seen in the health tech, retail and payer sectors – will only accelerate in 2020, foretelling the most disruptive year in healthcare since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), now almost a decade old. Deeply buried fault lines will eventually slip, unleashing forces that can level those who aren’t prepared.