Connected healthcare is transforming the way health services are delivered in the US, helping create a system that is more integrated, patient-centered and accessible. However, while connected healthcare offers significant benefits, some challenges continue to slow down its full potential.
What is connected healthcare?
Connected healthcare refers to sharing the right health information at the right time with the right people to provide smooth, continuous care. This includes:
- Using connected devices or apps to track health data
- Collecting health information as part of daily life
- Sharing medical history between doctors
- Using online services such as telehealth or an online portal to manage referrals, scheduling, insurance or billing
Three main problems holding connected healthcare back
- Companies mostly work alone but should work at scale, together
In connected healthcare, every company wants to shape results that matter the most to them. However, to be successful, companies need to partner with those who bring what they lack, like medical knowledge, long-term data, customer experience skills or public trust.
As per research, most people trust their doctors with their health information, but they are less sure about sharing data with pharmaceutical companies, health insurance companies and drug and device manufacturers. So, essentially, to make connected healthcare work well, partnerships with those whom patients trust more are important.
- Technology has not solved the problems; instead, it may create more
While digital tools are key to connected healthcare, the technology used itself has not fixed existing problems and may even create new ones. This is partially why only about one-third of healthcare consumers regularly use online portals, health apps or telehealth services. Also, when data is not integrated well, it leads to confusion rather than clarity. Users may lose trust due to privacy concerns or biases in technology.
- Focusing on clinical care without considering patient experience limits progress
Healthcare leaders often overlook how important good patient experience is when it comes to prevention and disease management. Both patients and doctors agree that improvement is needed in how doctors coordinate care and how easily patients can access their medical histories. Also, the largest disconnect between healthcare consumers and providers is convenient access. Patients want access to care at anytime and anywhere, but fewer primary care providers see this as a top priority.
What can be done now?
Building connected healthcare solutions is a complex process with varied patient needs and health conditions. This is why trying to serve everyone equally may end up not satisfying anyone. It’s better to:
- Focus on specific groups or problems where impact can be clearer and faster.
- Partner with those who can help fill gaps in knowledge, trust or data.
- Understand the preferences and readiness of the patient groups targeted.
- Continuously listen to the overall experiences of patients and not just for specific products.
- Help patients improve their health little by little with ongoing engagement and clear communication about how their data helps them and others.
Connected healthcare can become easier to use and better for everyone by working together and focusing on what patients need. Further, working with pricing strategy consulting companies can help businesses ensure that the pricing of healthcare solutions is affordable, transparent and aligned with the value they provide.
