BARNESVILLE — Jeff Britton, CEO of Ohio Hills Health Centers, said changing technologies will continue to benefit the health care industry in the coming years, while access might continue to be a struggle.

Britton graduated from the former Wheeling Jesuit University, now Wheeling University, with a degree in respiratory therapy and worked as a registered respiratory therapist for 20 years. He said he got into the health care field because he enjoys helping people and was interested in medical services from a young age.

At Ohio Hills Health Centers, based in Barnesville, no two days look the same, Britton said.

“Health care administration is very rewarding for me but also can be very complex,” Britton said. “Each day presents its own unique challenges.”

Some current trends Britton is seeing in the field are an increased focus on value-based care and telehealth. Value-based care is used to combat skyrocketing health care costs in the United States, Britton said.

“Unlike the typical fee-for-service reimbursement model, value-based care reimburses health care providers based on the quality of care delivered to the patient instead of the volume of care,” he said. “Simply, when the patient has improved health outcomes, the reimbursement to the provider is greater.”

The COVID-19 pandemic also caused a considerable uptick in the use of telehealth in primary care services, Britton said.

“It is still utilized today by many primary care providers and specialists to improve access to care, especially in rural areas where there are no public transportation options,” he said.

Britton said another trend is artificial intelligence being one of the technologies at the forefront of the health care industry over the next several years.

“OHHC is already utilizing AI in our health centers for patient care documentation management and are currently evaluating other AI tools that will assist with patient registration, report generation and, most importantly, improved quality of care and patient outcomes,” he said.

AI will provide several benefits to the health care industry, he said.

“AI will assist in lowering health care delivery costs, help with disease diagnosis and improving patient care,” Britton said.

In the next five to 10 years, Britton said he thinks these technological developments will continue making vast improvements.

“I believe quality of patient care will continue to improve in all sectors of health care over the next several years because of advancements in technology such as AI,” he said.

But ongoing challenges will continue being hurdles for health care providers and patients alike, he said.

“However, I see access to health care, especially primary care, continuing to be a challenge due to provider shortages, workforce shortages and declining reimbursement,” Britton concluded.