Objective 4: Emerging Trends in Health Care Delivery and Technology
Assessment of emerging trends in health care delivery and technology and how those trends may affect access to health care facilities and services, quality of care, and costs of care.
RCW 43.370.030(d) An assessment of emerging trends in health care delivery and technology as they relate to access to health care facilities and services, quality of care, and costs of care. The assessment shall recommend any changes to the scope of health care facilities and services covered by the certificate of need program that may be warranted by these emerging trends. In addition, the assessment may recommend any changes to criteria used by the department to review certificate of need applications, as necessary.
Overarching Questions
- What are the most significant emerging trends in health care delivery and technology?
- How are these trends changing where and how health care services are delivered?
- Are current regulatory and planning frameworks keeping pace with these changes?
- What role may artificial intelligence and advanced analytics play in health care delivery, administration, and health system planning?
- What infrastructure, workforce capacity, and data systems are needed to support the adoption of emerging technologies while ensuring equitable access?
- How can data privacy and security be protected as new technologies and digital health tools expand?
- How might federal and state policy changes affect health coverage, workforce supply, or reimbursement influence emerging trends in health care delivery, technology adoption, and system capacity over time?
Objective 4 Highlights
Explore the content below or view the Full Draft of Objective 4. After reviewing, we invite you to identify any additional questions or topics you believe should be included for a comprehensive assessment.
Email comments to ofmshp@ofm.wa.gov before April 17, 2026 to ensure inclusion in the State Health Plan and Resource Strategy. Comments received after that deadline will be evaluated but may not be included in the final report.
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Health care delivery models are evolving as new technologies, payment structures, and patient expectations reshape where and how care is provided.
Topics for exploration may include:
- Telehealth and hybrid care models
- Hospital-at-home programs and home-based care
- Mobile clinics providing services such as behavioral health crisis care, vaccines, dental care, mammography, and vision services
- Expansion of urgent care and other outpatient care settings
- Repurposing existing buildings, such as retail spaces, for health care services
- Shared administrative services for independent medical practices
Questions for exploration include:
- How are new care delivery models changing where patients receive care?
- How do outcomes and continuity of care compare across different care delivery settings?
- How might these trends affect future demand for traditional health care facilities?
- Do these models raise new considerations for how need for services is evaluated?
- Do new delivery models reduce overall health system costs or shift costs to other parts of the system?
Advances in digital technology are rapidly changing how health care is delivered, monitored, and managed.
Topics for exploration may include:
- Artificial intelligence in clinical decision support and administrative processes
- Mobile health applications and wearable devices
- Remote patient monitoring technologies
- Digital tools for chronic disease management
- Data analytics and population health management systems
Questions for exploration include:
- How might emerging technologies change the delivery of health care services?
- How do emerging technologies affect clinical decision-making, patient safety, and quality of care?
- Do these technologies expand or limit access to care for certain populations?
- What infrastructure is required to support widespread adoption of new technologies?
- Do new digital health technologies reduce system costs or introduce new cost drivers?
The organization and ownership of health care providers continue to evolve, with implications for service availability, market competition, and system costs.
Topics for exploration may include:
- Consolidation and separation among health systems
- Vertical integration between providers, insurers, and other entities
- Private equity ownership of health care organizations
- Shared administrative services across provider groups
Questions for exploration include:
- How do organizational changes affect service availability and health care markets?
- Do these changes influence how health care services are distributed geographically?
- Are there implications for how new facilities or services should be evaluated?
- How do changes in ownership or organizational structure affect quality outcomes, cost, and care coordination?
Changes in population demographics and workforce supply influence demand for health care services and the capacity of the system to provide care.
Topics for exploration may include:
- Aging populations and increased demand for chronic disease management
- Immigration and demographic shifts affecting care demand
- Health care workforce shortages and changes in workforce composition
- Federal policy changes affecting health care coverage and health care workforce eligibility
Questions for exploration include:
- How will demographic changes affect future demand for health care services?
- How will demographic changes vary across geographic regions?
- How might demographic and workforce trends affect health system costs or resource allocation?
- How might workforce trends influence where services can be sustainably provided?
- How might changes in coverage eligibility affect demand for health services?
- How might the availability of health care professionals vary in different regions of the state in response to changes in federal workforce policies (e.g., HB-1 visa eligibility)?
- What implications could these changes have for health system capacity and service availability?
Financial pressures on health care providers may affect the availability of services and the stability of the health system. Changes in federal coverage or workforce policies may affect the financial sustainability of health care facilities by influencing payer mix, uncompensated care levels, and labor costs.
Topics for exploration may include:
- Financial insecurity among hospitals and health systems
- Facilities facing severe financial distress
- Closure or consolidation of hospital service lines
- Financial pressures facing rural and critical access hospitals
Questions for exploration include:
- How might financial pressures affect the availability of services across different regions of the state?
- How might financial pressures affect staffing levels, service quality, or care outcomes?
- Are certain services becoming more centralized or less available in some communities?
Changes in how individuals access and interpret health information may influence health behaviors, care-seeking decisions, and demand for health services.
Topics for exploration may include:
- Increased reliance on online health information
- Social media influence on health behaviors
- Health misinformation and vaccine hesitancy
- Changing levels of trust in health institutions
Questions for exploration include:
- How does increased access to online health information affect how, when, where, and whether people seek professional care?
- How do changes in patient health care utilization in response to online information influence health care costs?
- How does misinformation or non-medical “health advice” about health conditions or treatments influence health outcomes?
- Are there opportunities for health systems or public health agencies to improve access to reliable health information?
OFM responsibilities:
- Assess emerging trends in health care delivery and technology and how those trends may affect access to health care facilities and services, quality of care, and costs of care.
- Explore whether new developments suggest the need to reconsider which facilities or services should be subject to Certificate of Need review.
- Explore whether new developments suggest updates to how need, service availability, or system capacity are evaluated in Certificate of Need review.
- Incorporate partner input, included feedback from public hearings, to identify additional areas to examine.
