The healthcare sector has struggled over the last couple of years to contend with
the various disruptions of the pandemic and skyrocketing prices of everything from medicines
to surgical equipment.
However, this did not hinder the initiatives to make healthcare more accessible to the
public.
On the one hand, government policies and supportive frameworks may eventually
help lower operational costs. But on the other, the onus is on healthcare institutions to
ensure that people have access to the right help at the right time to manage their health
challenges.
This is where healthcare is leveraging technology as a key component of
making healthcare more accessible to the masses. And what better way to do it than
transitioning into a mobile-centric strategy for healthcare technology development.
Why Should Healthcare Tech Be Mobile-Centric?
The plain simple reason is the massive penetration of smartphones amongst the public. In
2021, studies estimated that 85% of the US adult population owned a smartphone. This means that
there is no medium as close to consumers that can connect them with the nearest healthcare
options when needed.
With this in mind, let us explore the three key roles played by
smartphones in making healthcare more accessible:
1. Universal Inclusion
Taking a clue from the smartphone penetration stat mentioned earlier, mobile phones help
healthcare organizations tap into even the most isolated or deprived communities. That could
be from a perspective of age, location, gender, or any other social category.
Smartphones can play a major role in helping establish a connected care system. Here, the
information and insights into patient health can be seamlessly transacted and made available
for all stakeholders, including government and insurance bodies. They can, in turn,
administer benefits for people with difficulties across a range of health, financial and
societal challenges. This can play a crucial role in administering benefits like Medicaid,
as even low-income households have members who use smartphones.
2. Connected Care DeliveryPost the pandemic, the connected home experience,
which witnessed a boom over the pandemic, remains in good shape. In the US alone, an average
household has 22 connected smart devices. Today, these also include Internet of
Medical Things (IoMT) devices that assist with health and wellness, such as smartphones with
health sensors, fitness bands, smart diagnostic devices, etc.
From a care administration perspective, healthcare organizations can leverage this connected
network of devices at patient homes to their advantage. For example, a smartphone app can
record the routine activities of patients through signals from their fitness bands or smart
diagnostic devices that they use on their own. Notifications can be sent out automatically
to concerned stakeholders if abnormalities are spotted in measurements.
This can help significantly in preventive healthcare as signals surrounding patient
conditions can be remotely monitored, and actions can be taken without waiting for them to
experience severe difficulties and then pay a visit to the nearest clinic.
3. Smoothen Back-Office Administration
Settling insurance claims and collecting data about patient conditions to validate their
eligibility for specific care programs or insurance products, etc., can be a herculean task
for hospital administrators. Besides, it is not a good thing to leave patients lurking in
the dark without knowing the progress of their claims or making them take long trips back
and forth to the hospital for status checks or trivial information gathering.
A dedicated smartphone app can solve these problems to a great degree. It can:
- Collect all data about the patients when they are admitted through easy forms.
- Track metrics needed, such as daily doctor advisory, medicine info, etc., for verifying
eligibility toward benefit schemes.
- Help notify patients about the status of their claims or other settlements, and much
more.
A classic example would be patients checking their insurance claim status by simply talking
to a smartphone assistant like Siri or Alexa, and the relevant data being fetched from an
integrated hospital or insurance app automatically. It can make back-office processes
significantly less complicated for both staff and patients.
In a Nutshell
Smartphones can go a long way in enabling better healthcare access for the public. From
getting a notification alert when sugar levels go down to helping doctors communicate
remotely with patients, the possibilities are expanding. The pandemic proved that digital
channels are a great way for Payers and providers to stay connected with patients
irrespective of where they are. Smartphones are the gateway that enables this connectivity
without disruption.
Building a competitive edge in the digital health space requires not just awareness of mobile
apps but also insights into how different mixes of technology and emerging innovations, like
AI, machine learning, IoMT, etc., work with real-life medical use cases. This is where an
experienced partner in Kyyba Tech can help you build digital interfaces that offer connected
solutions extending EHR systems or providing real-time data back to payer or provider
systems to take real-time action and save patients. We do end-to-end testing of your digital
channels, covering mobile apps, wearables, and IoT solutions that go hand in hand to offer a
flawless experience to all users involved. Get in touch with us today to learn more about
how we can help. Get
in touch with us today to learn more about how we can help.
