Over 75% Of Medicare Members Have Used Digital Health Tools. Here’s What That Means For Mass Adoption
I go to a lot of meetings to talk about our Pulse app and value-based joint care. And I’m usually pretty excited to speak because I like being in the room explaining the app, fielding questions.
But almost inevitably, there will be someone who speaks up and says, “I don’t know. I don’t think our patients will use that stuff. I don’t even know how many of them have a smartphone.”
On the surface, it does sound like a fair point. Joint replacement patients tend to skew older, and older people are generally slower to adopt new technology. It doesn’t do much good to create an app for them if they don’t use apps, right?
A Generational Gap?
But that’s not what we’ve found when we survey our patients. When we first began, 70% of our patients had a smartphone and used apps. That’s a big distinction. Someone who has a smartphone and only knows how to make calls on it will probably have trouble with even a simple app. We found that a high percentage of our patients were using apps at the time. When we survey patients now, that number is up to 90%. That happened in just a few years.
A survey of Medicare plan members showed similar numbers: 77% of Medicare members have used digital health tools. And these are people 65 and older, the ones you’d assume are the least likely to use these kinds of digital tools. It just illustrates that technology like smartphones is not only limited to younger generations.
Tech Moves Quickly and It’s Time For Healthcare To Catch Up
It just goes to show how quickly things can change once people realize the benefits of having new technology. But we’re still acting like our patients aren’t connected. In that same Medicare survey, only 9% of respondents said that their health plan integrated data from those digital tools. Another 57% didn’t know whether or not their plan offered telemedicine. 31% said their plan didn’t offer it.
These people are connected. Healthcare just hasn’t caught up with them yet. And I think we really need to focus on giving them what they need. Steve Jobs has a famous quote that I think really nails this.
“It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”
It’s clear to me from these studies, and from my own experience, that we just need to show patients these tools. Most of them are connected and ready to use them, but they don’t know they want them yet.
Let’s Stop Pre-Judging
Those meetings I mentioned earlier? When I’m asked if I think older patients can use Pulse, I tell them yes. Absolutely. Some of my patients that love Pulse the most are the ones that you would peg as being unable to or unwilling to use it. They’re elderly. They don’t look tech savvy. But they think it’s awesome because they want to be connected to their healthcare and their doctors. Why wouldn’t they? Pulse was a revelation for them because they suddenly had a way to interact with us outside the doctor’s office. They’re excited that they can update us on how they’re doing once they go home. They love making sure they’re on track.
Technology starts with younger generations and filters upward towards the elderly. And there are issues. You might have to change the font sizes on an app to make it easier to read. Maybe you have to simplify the layout. Honestly, I’m 35 and I’ll occasionally find myself having trouble navigating an app. So there are issues that we address for older users, but it’s all very doable.
It’s time to stop using these preconceived notions about what people want or need. We need to get to know the populations that we’re creating for and leave our judgements at the door. Our patients are connected, and it’s time that digital health caught up with them.
