We have been hearing a lot of changes in the approach for preventive healthcare segment. With an era of focus only on creation of medical claim products, which pays you once you are ill, preventive healthcare has never rightly evolved. However, the preventive healthcare plan is not an unknown entity for developed countries where people are availing preventive care. In India, we start caring for our health when we cross 40; however research says the age group of 30 to 40 is the group which is becoming more vulnerable as the patterns of work, lifestyle etc. are changing over last two decades.
The core intention of this blog is to think loud on possibilities of innovations that can change the way we deliver healthcare today. Preventive healthcare coupled with remote monitoring technologies will bring an era of preventive health. Let us try to understand why prevention has never been an adaptable strategy.
- High cost of diagnostics services
- Lack of an integrated ecosystem of hospitals, pharmacies and home care agencies
- Lack of ability to provide coordinated care for preventive strategies
- Adoption of different technologies like Big Data in predictive analytics specifically by hospitals mandated by government regulations
- No point of care history of health information for patients coupled with Unique Identification Cards
The drivers that can help here are -
- Population health history with the power of health analytics within effective and measurable coordinated care model
- Universal Health Records that can be taken to any hospital clubbed within wearable technologies
- Adaptable home health solutions based on simple hand-held based communication like alerts and notification systems integrated within medication dispense systems
- Wearable health technologies transmitting vital signs to your Primary Care Physician (PCP) within an accountable care network
- Preventive care can also be clubbed under organization’s corporate social responsibility and will allow tax benefits to organizations investing in preventive care programs for their employees
- Reaching the patient with consumer education platforms educating patients upfront on various different symptoms
Innovation in ‘Preventive care’ is definitely evolving. With IBM’s Watson promising APIs for developers and startups, opportunities for digital health startups will be immense. I can think of Dr. Watson merging with symptom checkers on your mobile, diagnosing problems upfront, suggesting treatments with more precision and rationale.
One can now plan the diet intake, calculate BMI, identify symptoms upfront, follow treatment plans, decide daily calories burn rate, check with one’s PCP, make PCP payments online against quick advice etc. and much more.
World of Preventive Health IT is up for opportunities.
