By Dinesh Sheth, Founder and CEO, Green Circle Health
Twitter: @GreenCircleH
Why is it that patients are slow to take charge of their health records? Some articles suggest that management of health information should be a patient-driven initiative and the points that are used to propagate this idea are not without merit. However, the primary reason is a lack of a collaborative effort among patients and providers. It is the responsibility of healthcare professionals – who bear more accountability than ever – to make a concerted effort to drive this change. And, since the technology is available to support this effort, the first step for providers is to embrace their influential role in educating patients on the importance of managing life-long health and wellness.
A Culture of Connectivity:
The healthcare industry is becoming increasingly decentralized and engagement through health monitoring among patients and providers is more possible today than ever. In an article in the Wall Street Journal (“Staying Connected Is Crucial to Staying Healthy”), reporter Laura Landro interviewed Dr. Joseph Kvedar, vice president of Connected Health at Boston-based nonprofit health system Partners Healthcare, about the increasing decentralization of care, as well as the spread of health apps and trackers.
Dr. Kvedar confirmed how, in the new network-based model of healthcare, connectivity is critical to providing the highest level of care, by saying “the ideal way to keep you focused on improving your health is through connectivity and in-the-moment, contextual messaging – messages directed at your specific health needs at the moment you need them.” The result of greater connectivity is higher engagement, but providers must actively pursue initiatives centered around leveraging filtered, personal health data from patients. Health providers need to have an influential role in closing the loop of contextual messages by responding on priority, as demanded by the condition at hand.
A Culture of Convenience:
Platforms that monitor individual patients for ongoing prevention and large populations with multiple chronic conditions, while managing exceptions, can do so with greater coordination. This will also have a positive impact on internal operations by minimizing errors in data as it is exchanged through faster, more secure channels. In turn, this increases staff productivity, minimizes intervention and streamlines patient processing and the overall patient experience within and independent of the clinical environment.
New breakthroughs in technology have helped overcome the traditional challenges of interoperability, making diagnosis and ongoing care more convenient than ever. Portable devices and clingy fitness trackers have contributed to having health vitals available at your fingertips; data that has now become easy to upload and analyze on any platform for possible conditions. And, as a recent article in The Economist states, “…computing power is now being applied successfully in countless small ways, using smartphone and other diminutive devices, to make a big difference to the effectiveness of treatments,” (“Bedside Manners”).
A Culture of Change:
It is up to providers to facilitate this change in the culture, from one of episodic care to an ongoing healthy lifestyle with a “coaching” approach. While it is true that families should manage their own medical records and data, providers should take the lead. Combining live interactions and virtual online coaches as needed, the exchange and use of data will bring significant and actionable insights that are applicable in the daily lives of individuals everywhere.
Taking it one step further, healthy lifestyles within various segments of the population can be promoted by developing and implementing community wide initiatives that leverage vital data monitoring. These efforts can impact greater health issues such as diabetes, blood pressure, early child birth, obesity and other conditions. By adopting a consistent and motivating approach toward shared data exchange processes, providers will be able to better manage and motivate patients, while driving positive, ongoing change at the fraction of the cost of live interactions.
In healthcare, proper use of medical data is critical to optimizing outcomes and lowering costs, but the absence of a truly collaborative effort among patients and providers remains as a barrier to success.
Drivers of Change
At the crux of this issue is the fact that no simple solution is available and no national initiative – legislative or otherwise – exists to helps fill this engagement void in healthcare. Just as providers are responsible for patient care and satisfaction, so too should they serve as facilitators of patient engagement. By taking this approach, new age health initiatives will reshape the culture of healthcare and lead the industry to a truly preventative system.
About the Author: Dinesh Sheth is founder and CEO of Green Circle Health, which is dedicated to using innovative technologies to improve health outcomes and lower healthcare costs. Its GCH Platform is a patient-to-provider communications gateway with remote monitoring that facilitates the exchange of medical data in real-time, ensuring that patients receive timely care while eliminating unnecessary hospital visits or delayed treatment. For more information, follow Green Circle Health on Twitter (@GreenCircleH) and visit www.greencirclehealth.com.