Digital health technology continues to play a greater role in the practice of medicine. Today, hospital systems are seeing value in partnering with technology providers to leverage tools aimed at better serving their patients.
Outcome Health, formerly known as ContextMedia, is a health decision support platform. The company was founded by Shradha Argarwal and Rishi Shah in 2006. It develops health intelligence technology and decision support tools helping physicians and patients create more effective care plans. Products on its platform include digital anatomy boards that help physicians talk to patients about illnesses or treatment options during consultation as well as digital waiting room screens that display programming that activates that clinic's unique patient population.
As part of an ongoing series, Becker's Hospital Review is speaking with veteran industry leaders to gain insight into healthcare strategy, management and innovation. Vince Panozzo, head of enterprise health solutions at Outcome Health, shared his perspectives on digital health and patient engagement in care delivery.
To learn more about Outcome Health, click here.
Q: What qualities or capabilities do digital health technologies need today to be valuable to patients and consumers?
Vince Panozzo: Digital health technologies now encompass everything from wearables to EHRs. While it is a broad category, two themes exist across technologies: They must be user-friendly and they must drive value. Consumers expect the same experience with health technology as any other technology in their life, whether smartphones, tablets or TVs. The consumerism of healthcare is a good thing — it means that patients are eager to have as many data points as possible to make decisions about their health. It also means that healthcare is now a dialogue. It's on us, the creators of these technologies, to deliver on those needs in a personalized and actionable way.
I'll focus on the area I am closest to — patient engagement and activation in the moments of care. Digital health platforms in this space must drive value not only for the patient/consumer, but for every stakeholder in the healthcare delivery system, from patients to providers to payers. From an experience standpoint, a patient/consumer must be able to approach and use the device within minutes in the practice without training. From a provider standpoint, the technologies can drive top line through MACRA reimbursement, while improving clinical workflow to drive operational efficiency.
Q: More healthcare providers are deploying patient infotainment systems. What opportunities are there for these systems in managing patient care and improving patient experience?
VP: I am personally not a huge fan of the phrase "infotainment," as I feel that it implies that relaxation and self-care are not critical components of a positive health decision-making process. The goal is not to distract, but to support and energize the patient to remain active in the management of their health while they receive care, whether through mindfulness programs, patient support or uplifting new releases.
In delivering a diverse and empowering selection of information and intelligence, providers can boost patient satisfaction scores and improve the quality of care across their patient populations.
Q: How do you see digital health technologies transforming population health and healthcare delivery in the next five to 10 years?
VP: Despite the volatility that surrounds the healthcare system, value-based care is here to stay, and technology will be a critical component of this care. "Population health" has long been an abstract idea. Today, the rapid innovation and growth in scale of health technologies means that we can start to use this technology to accurately quantify outcomes across a population.
The potential for impact is staggering. Eighteen percent of the U.S. GPD is spent on healthcare, and more than 80 percent of these costs are attributable to the care of chronic conditions. By implementing healthcare decision technologies into the consultation and healthcare delivery process, we are in a position to improve outcomes — especially for those living with chronic conditions — whether through lower readmissions, better preventative care or measured adherence. We taking steps towards quantifying and achieving the elusive triple aim of healthcare; improved population health, improved patient experience and reduced costs.
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