Author's note: This column is intended for educational purposes only. It aims to highlight gaps in health knowledge, provide support and empower organizations to guide their members in creating effective health and wellness programs.

A much-needed paradigm shift in health care services — how health care is delivered, measured, financed and experienced — is undergoing a major change in 2026. The old model of provider-centered care was more reactive than proactive, with care beginning as symptoms developed or worsened to become chronic or late-stage disease management issues. ERs and hospitals became default entry points, as well as for the uninsured, which will be discussed in a future op-ed.

In the new paradigm, early identification of illness and disease will become a priority, with a focus on preventive screening using AI, new diagnostic tools and home- and community-centered health care. The new technology can analyze massive datasets, apply pattern recognition to predict disease and identify an individual patient’s health risk factors. One AI tool utilized more often in the home is Remote Patient Monitoring, or RPM, with wearables. These devices alert the patient, nurse and care team of worsening symptom parameters, which will enable the provider to adjust treatment protocol, preempting a crisis.

Participatory medicine, which emphasizes collaboration between patients and providers, encourages patients and family members to become advocates for their own health and wellness by providing them with appropriate health education. Patients and family often notice small but important changes to their health long before their next scheduled medical checkup. The call for faith and civic community involvement, as well as increased patient self-advocacy, was part of last week’s op-ed. This fits well into the paradigm shift toward greater individual health awareness, health literacy and self-management of care.

ADDITIONAL CHANGES IN THE NEW HEALTH CARE PARADIGM:

Changes from volume, pay per visit, test or procedure, to value, outcome and prevention. Expected key measures are reduced hospitalizations, improved quality of life and greater health equity across populations.

From retrospective chart reviews and lagging indicators to real-time physiological data, trends over time and predictive analytics. Examples include remote patient monitoring, wearables monitored by AI, virtual visits and digital symptom tracking. Expected results of real-time interventions are reduced hospitalizations and increased economic growth with a healthier populace, all resulting in reduced health care costs for the region.

From the “treat and street” mentality to care plans that evolve around the patient through aging and unexpected life changes. Most costs and suffering come from chronic diseases, which unfold daily at home, not in clinics.

The new paradigm seeks to place health care where people live, which offers another opportunity for faith and civic organizations to provide evidence-based health education and support. Parish nursing and or health committees should involve retired health care professionals with years of experience and education and a continued desire to serve. These individuals are often the first to notice mobility issues, confusion or fatigue and who can help educate on health and wellness.

WHY THIS MATTERS, ESPECIALLY LOCALLY

The health care paradigm shift is essential to address rapidly growing communities, seasonal population surges, aging residents, workforce shortages during peak tourist seasons and rising chronic disease burdens. Traditional systems cannot meet all these realities, but community-anchored, data-driven, personalized models can.

The shift in health care from a system that primarily treats illness after it appears and worsens to one that is continuously supporting health and wellness — at home, within the community and across a person’s life span — is needed in Baldwin County. Health professionals are expected to do more with less, with a rapidly growing permanent population, a large seasonal influx of snowbirds and tourists, an aging community with multiple chronic conditions and limited hospital and workforce capacity during peak seasons.

In summary, the outdated health care model forced patients to wait at home until worsening symptoms meant an ER visit. The use of Remote Patient Monitoring spreads health care access across the community instead of bottlenecking ER facilities. Illness and disease management take place primarily in living rooms and kitchen tables with family as informal caregivers. With community support, RPM tools and enhanced patient and family health and wellness education, patients can expect to remain safe at home receiving the acute or chronic care they need for as long as needed.

Dr. Cheryl Christy is a Baldwin County resident and registered nurse with nearly 30 years of experience. She holds master's degrees in nursing education and nursing practice and a doctorate in nursing practice. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, Phi Pi Chapter, a certified lay counselor and the author of "Voices for Healthcare," a health care blog.

Read last week's column titled "How Baldwin residents can maintain health amid ongoing health care changes" on www.GulfCoastMedia.com.