healthcare technology

We are directionally headed towards a significant shift in the way care is delivered.

The rapid up scaling of virtual care capacity and the mainstreaming of Telehealth have given rise to new digital health tools. Self-triaging and contact tracing for COVID-19 infection detection are among the new breed of digital health applications that startups to big firms alike were looking at to seize the emerging opportunities.

Telehealth is here to stay. Healthcare is shifting to virtual care models. Digital front door apps are all the rage. What else is emerging that could change the way we experience care?

While telehealth is now the de facto mode of accessing healthcare for most low-acuity and routine care needs, a number of related technology-led trends are quietly gaining ground as well. Here the author looks at a few of these and opinionates on their potential impact on healthcare consumer experiences.

"contactless" experiences:

Covid has made us all afraid to touch any surface exposed to the public. Nowhere is this fear more prominent than a hospital or clinic setting. Healthcare executives now speak of airport check-in type of experiences for healthcare appointments, both for in-person and virtual visits.

Technology-enabled workflows now enable patients to complete most of the registration formalities prior to the visit, be it a virtual consult or a clinic visit. Registration kiosks in hospital lobbies may soon be enabled with facial recognition software to eliminate the need for touching any surface.

Routine examinations are also going virtual, with many diagnostic procedures now possible through remotely controlled devices. Caregivers are beginning to do their patient rounds through virtual visits. This trend will only grow in the coming years.

Contact tracing

Inspired by the success of India, Singapore and South Korea, contact tracing applications on Bluetooth-enabled devices have been positioned as an effective means to track and trace infections to reduce the spread of COVID-19

Despite many setbacks, contact tracing's potential for deployment within communities and populations for uses beyond COVID-19 has longer-term potential, and this could be the single most important technology-enabled healthcare program to come out of the COVID-19 crisis.

Remote monitoring and automated communication

Healthcare executives are more motivated than ever to keep their populations healthy in their homes. A vast and growing array of automated communication tools allows caregivers to use rule-based messaging to push everything from health coaching, post-discharge care instructions, and appointment reminders through IVR, text, SMS, and mobile alerts.

Data mining tools can identify subsets of populations at risk and enable caregivers to intervene on time. A New York-based COVID-19 Rapid Response Coalition involving tech giant Amazon that targeted high-risk populations through SMS campaigns that reached up to 10,000 members a day, is an example of how automated communication tools can serve populations in a crisis and during normal times.

The use of digital health and automated communication tools has also improved healthcare outcomes by reducing no-shows for appointments, increased adherence to medication regimens, and targeted interventions during adverse events.

There is an unprecedented opportunity today to use telehealth technologies in the complete continuum of care. However, healthcare enterprises and their technology partners need to make them more user-friendly.

That will determine success for new technology-enabled virtual care models. Every health system has to design the digital experience that is suited for their patient populations while remembering to address the needs of caregivers who will deliver and manage the experiences.