From the May 2015 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
With this kind of technology-enabled consumer-centric approach, digital health can help patients stay healthier by adhering to their personalized care pathway. The subsequent improvements in their health can also significantly reduce readmissions and demonstrate cost savings over traditional methods of care.
Consumer Behavior
In the new model of digital health, everyone from medical device manufacturers to pharmaceutical companies must adapt. Providers and payers especially will have to transform themselves to become more retail-oriented, and quickly learn consumer behavior. For instance, insurance companies might tailor policies to specific patient health conditions. Similarly, they might offer incentives such as premium reductions for their members to undergo wellness training or to practice a healthier lifestyle.
Providers will need to use data to make their existing relationships more beneficial for consumers. For instance, physicians will need to coordinate even more closely with pharmacies to keep consumers more compliant with drug regimens. perhaps using real-time communications and data.
Home health care is one area where the technology and data sharing between consumers and businesses is poised to make a big impact. As financial incentives have changed, organizations that keep patients out of hospital are being rewarded. It follows that the technology associated with home health care will continue to increase in sophistication and utility.
The new incentives are not so much around cutting expenditures but rather about coaching the consumer on how to achieve his or her best outcome. Empowered consumers, rapid innovation, and increased competition from non-traditional players are the hallmarks of today’s health care ecosystem. Existing stakeholders have to adjust accordingly. For example, both health plans and health systems have to add retail health expertise to their skill set. They will also need to harness analytics to understand and improve the consumer experience.
One of the most important things to remember is that you don’t have to be born digital to thrive in the new health economy. With leaders spurring their organizations to evolve, even the most traditional organization can evolve into a true digital health company.
About the author: Bipin Thomas is a global thought-leader on consumer-centric health care transformation. Thomas is the chairman of ICURO, a consumer-centric digital care outcomes research and management organization, and is a former senior executive at Accenture and UST Global.Back to HCB News
