The Next-Revolution Healthcare Operating System
Since 2009, healthcare expenditures have been consistently increasing. Technology plays a big role on facilitating a way to improve processes and reduce costs. Today’s health technology allows us to be a more direct part of our health care and empowers us to have control of it.
But, with an increasing wave of successful health tech companies on the rise, we are now in need of creating a main operating system that creates a hub effect for all things healthcare, wellness and health engagement.
Dynamic and Modifiable
A next-revolution healthcare operating system needs to have two main components; it needs to be dynamic and modifiable.
In computer technology, a dynamic system is capable of change or action. In healthcare, this approach helps the application or solution give more to the user. The patient can access their records, share their records, and, basically, have access to databases that provide them with real-time information.
A modifiable healthcare operating system allows patients to “modify” their experience, creating a personalized outcome.
Using these approaches together, we are now enabling patients to have the correct information, whenever they need it or want it.
The right doctor at the right time
Re-admittance is one big current problem. But, so is patients visiting the wrong doctor and, therefore, increasing costs, as doctors still have to see the patient and, then, refer that patient to the right specialist.
Today’s solutions need to be more “dynamic and modifiable” and allow the experience to be completely clear for the patient. A healthcare operating system should route patients to the right doctor at the right time.
Based on the patient’s profile and care plan, we can automate scheduling and other materials that will place that patient in the proper hands. This also helps the right doctor to modify the patient’s care plan accordingly, driving many benefits for the patient.
“Actionable health”
All of this sounds great, but can we make an operating system drive actions? The answer is yes. Once we have the right information and the information we know the patient wants and needs, we can turn these into actionable items for the patient.
As a care plan gets updated with current information, data, doctor notes, etc., the main core system is tracking this to convert it to a service. Here’s an example:
- Patient Patty visits the hospital to get a small procedure done. This procedure forces Patient Patty to have a special diet. The main system recognizes that based on Patient Patty’s doctor notes and triggers an action to order a full week of a special diet, that will be delivered right to Patient Patty’s door.
This is how we provide actionable health for the patient. If the patient requires a ride home, then the system acts upon it. This way the health care team can prove a proper care of a patient to health insurance companies, and, because of that, creating even more benefits for both the health organization and the patient.
Rewards vs Behaviors
We all like getting rewarded for what we do. Whether is a gift card or personal recognition, as humans, we are always searching to get rewarded for what we do right. It just makes us feel better.
Rewarding patients for taking care of their own health just makes sense. Not because we “need” the reward in order to engage, but it helps us drive a systematic approach to our health that will eventually transcribe into a driven behavior. In other words, it will become part of our routine.
The conveyor belt effect
In 1913, Henry Ford introduced conveyor belt assembly lines at Ford Motor Company. This revolutionized the way we build cars today in the U.S.
Why don’t we use the same approach to revolutionize healthcare? A core healthcare operating system will have a conveyor belt effect for the patient. The patient will be guided step-by-step within their health journey. This approach, not only brings personalization, but it also creates awareness and adds responsibility to the patient on their own health.
A revolutionized system of this sort, would pick up a patient from their home, take them to their hospital, order them a required diet, engage them to complete healthy activities, provide them with a meal if the visit will be more than three hours, among other services that will take care of that patient from beginning to end.
The more the patient engages with a system like this, the more the patient engages with their health and care team. This tremendously reduces readmittance, improves engagement, drives behaviors, and provides accountability for all parts; patient, doctor, and health insurer.
