The digital frontier: Technological advances are showing promise toward improved healthcare access, increasing compliance and affordability
The healthcare industry has never been one to rapidly adopt change — that is until recently. Fueled by two seemingly divergent dynamics — consumers who still expected immediate and easy access to medical care and the inability to get medical help in person — the pandemic single-handedly fast-tracked acceptance of digital healthcare in the United States.
More and more consumers of all ages are embracing technologies that offer assistance with their healthcare needs, such as remote monitoring, tracking, testing, diagnostics and other telehealth services.
In its report, “The health fix: How COVID-19 has transformed consumers’ attitudes to health and accelerated the future of digital healthcare,” the Capgemini Research Institute found consumers’ willingness to accept this new way of managing their health has created a myriad of opportunities for healthcare providers to improve patient engagement, satisfaction, retention and health outcomes while decreasing operational costs.
From an investment perspective, digital health has experienced a year like no other. “The pandemic drove funding for digital health ventures to levels never seen before,” said Matty Francis, principal in strategic investing at Healthbox, a Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, or HIMSS, innovation company. “COVID-19 injected a strong sense of urgency across the healthcare ecosystem, leading to dramatic change in a short period of time.”
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Francis said, given how quickly consumers have adjusted to this change, this acceptance isn’t a one-off but the beginning of the new normal. Estimates gathered by HIMSS show that as much as $250 billion of the current total U.S. healthcare spend could in fact be virtual. But most agree that transition won’t happen overnight. For one, enhancements to the way information is shred and exchanged will need to be made as will stronger access to, and integration of, various and disparate technologies.
Health systems and plans need to make investments in digital now or risk being left behind, noted Aaron Martin, executive vice president and chief digital officer at Providence St. Josephs Health, or PSJH, and managing general partner at Providence Ventures in Seattle. “COVID-19 effectively funded the trial and adoption of digital health/telemedicine technology. Tens of millions of patients were forced by circumstance and safety to sample this new digital approach to health care, and they liked it,” Martin said.
Take a Seat
COVID-19 may have accelerated the adoption of digital healthcare solutions, but there is a confluence of additional factors at play supporting its future staying power.
Jeff Bennett, CEO of higi based in Chicago, said the industry shift from fee-for-service reimbursement models to value-based care, along with the decline in the number of people who have a primary care provider, have created the perfect storm for digital solutions to thrive as both a preventative and managerial healthcare tool.
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For example, Smart Health Stations, such as the one higi designed, can help consumers discover their risk of having or developing chronic conditions, including hypertension, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. According to Bennett, two-thirds of the sessions on its stations consistently indicated such risk. Patients also can use the station to complete a virtual doctor appointment, create a basic health profile and screen for risk factors. The goal is to influence patients to take appropriate preventative care and guide rising and high-risk members/patients into programs that provide personalized care management.
Higi officials said they see health stations as one of many digital health vehicles that can positively affect a patient’s health. Next generation products will feature a more holistic and personalized approach, Bennett noted. To this end, the company is working on introducing several new platforms, including Health Guide and Care Everyday remote patient monitoring.
“Technology will get more tailored to the individual, with solutions designed to identify and deliver care that considers health conditions, genomics and more,” Bennett said. “Wearable devices will be more integrated into the home, won’t require training or technological know-how on the part of the user, and will provide closed-loop feedback and support to actively keep the consumer adherent and on track with provider-defined goals.
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Diabetes Management
Just about everyone living with diabetes, who needs insulin, uses pens and syringes, and until recently, technology wasn’t available for them. The introduction of the first smart insulin pens changed that. Smart pens were intended to simplify tasks, such as tracking insulin dosing, calculating doses, sending reminders and other decision support features that enable patients to manage their diabetes more effectively.
Mike Mensinger, vice president of engineering at Minneapolis-based Medtronic, said smart pens have seen tremendous adoption recently — Medtronic acquired InPen in 2020. Refillable pens, such as the one Medtronic offers, are Bluetooth enabled and connect to a smartphone app. Key information about the amount and timing of insulin injections is automatically uploaded. The app can be paired with a continuous glucose monitor, or CGM, as well to collect information about a person’s glucose readings and trends.
“Smart pens bring the benefits of insulin dose recommendations and automatic dose tracking in a simple, affordable package,” Mensinger said. “There has been a huge technology gap for those using pens and syringes. Now there is a better option available.”
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Two months after Medtronic acquired InPen, the company integrated the pen with real-time Guardian Connect CGM data. This integrated system now provides real-time glucose readings alongside insulin dose information, giving users everything they need to manage their diabetes in one view — and making it easier to make smarter dosing decisions to manage their sugar levels.
Medtronic said it plans to build on that InPen innovation by using all that it learned in creating insulin pump algorithms to “close the loop” on multiple daily injections, or MDI. Integration of the pen with continuous glucose monitoring, or CGM, begins to create a smart MDI system. By developing dosing suggestion algorithms, Mensinger said the InPen can help users to also increase their glucose control without requiring a lot of extra work.