We have all heard of the “new normal” referring to continuing life with COVID-19 looming in the background of everyday activities. This new normal has impacted every industry but most notably the healthcare industry. Doctors, nurses, and anyone who works in the medical field deals with COVID every day. Industry professionals are working to allocate resources into understanding how the healthcare industry will run in the future. Addressing patients' needs, physician burnout, telehealth, and safety in all fields is a top priority. 

The modes in which healthcare is being delivered have changed in the past two years have evolved in unprecedented ways yet as led to some advancements in the field. Patient, physician, and industry demands are requiring that change occur and new opportunities are seized. Looking back at the past two years here are three key takeaways and what we can do to ensure success in the future of healthcare. 

1. Bring empathy into healthcare. Healthcare providers dealt with an overwhelming amount of change in a short period of time. There was a surge in patients resulting in more paperwork, regulations in the workforce, and understaffing issues. This all amounted to serious amounts of stress and burnout. Recognizing that healthcare professionals are doing their best to give patients the best care possible and supporting them in every regard is key to showing how important and fundamental they are to us in today's society. 

2. Patients are more than just a number. Creating equity in our healthcare system will allow patients to be valued no matter what kind of care they come in for. Patients are more than just a number on a list and want to be valued and feel like their care is personalized to them. Creating the analogy that patents are similar to consumers is beneficial in seeing that they are coming to you for a service and want to be satisfied with what they are receiving. The key to having a fully functioning healthcare system is patients who are happy with the care they are receiving and in turn, physicians feel like they are doing right by their patients. 

3. Access to care anywhere. With COVID-19 barring many patients from entering medical facilities unless it was emergent pushed everyday care to become virtual. Doctor appointments were being held over video chats or phone calls. This is what the future of healthcare is looking like. Telehealth services will still be provided going into the future and become part of the norm in healthcare. 

These three key lessons will empower the healthcare industry to do its best for patients and physicians so everyone is satisfied with their experiences. Although the experiences may look different from the care being given to how it is received both inversely affect each other and create a fully functioning system. Creating a just healthcare industry and learning from the past is key to ensuring the best patient care in the future.