Zayna Khayat: Language, Mindset and the Future of Care

Faces of Digital Health

In this discussion, strategist, and applied health futurist Zayna Khayat explores the evolution of healthcare, particularly the shift towards home-based care and patient empowerment. Key themes include:

Language in Healthcare: Khayat stresses the need for a language shift to change mindsets in healthcare, highlighting that words shape reality. She proposes retiring overused terms like “innovation,” “patient-centered,” and “telemedicine,” advocating instead for more precise language that reflects modern, patient-empowering approaches.

Technology in Care Delivery: Khayat is excited about how AI and virtual reality (VR) are transforming healthcare. She sees AI as instrumental in reducing clinician workload by handling repetitive cognitive tasks, while VR is proving beneficial in medical training and therapies like pain and anxiety management.

Shift to Home and Virtual Care: Drawing on her experience in home-based chemotherapy, Khayat discusses the challenges of moving healthcare out of hospitals, from reimbursement to infrastructure limitations. She emphasizes that many patients would prefer home care if given the choice, but practical barriers like resource availability and payment models persist.

Diverse Aging Models: Khayat challenges the idea of care homes as a one-size-fits-all solution, advocating for diverse models tailored to individual preferences and cultural values. She highlights that community-based models, like those in Denmark and Japan, provide alternatives to institutional care, supporting aging in place.

Value-Based Care and Accountability: Khayat encourages healthcare organizations to focus on results rather than processes. She advocates for outcome-based payment models, where organizations are compensated for results, pushing them to prioritize patient outcomes. This approach, she argues, would foster a value-driven healthcare system.

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