High Tech Home Health Care Could Save $400 billion Annually
A high-tech approach to home health care could save an estimated $400 billion annually by bringing hospital-like care into the home at a much lower cost, according to Deloitte. In a new report, “Connected Care: Technology-Enabled Care at Home,” Deloitte lays out a framework for health system transformation that illustrates the role that technology-enabled connected care can play.
It engages consumers in self-care management, leverages technology, reduces demand on the system, and employs evidence-based clinical knowledge management tools to prompt, alert and facilitate safe and effective care.
Such “connected care,” is, in essence, a type of home care that — with the correct institutional framework and access to technology — can bring a near hospital-like experience to the patient at a fraction of the cost. According to Deloitte, it can be most helpful in two broad categories of care: Better Chronic Care Management and Post-Acute Discharge Monitoring.
The report emphasizes that technology alone is not the key: “It must be incorporated into a care management program personalized to an individual’s needs and under the oversight of a care team. In-home technologies enable frequent, effective and personalized patient interactions to equip them to care for themselves.”
There are a number of hurdles to successful implementation of such a system on an industry-wide basis.
“The financial services sector earned consumer trust to grow its online banking services successfully; similarly, technology-enabled connected care must adapt lessons learned from other industries where web based and self-management technologies have been successfully deployed, such as:
- Clear Statements – Most online shopping web sites include easy-to-find, simple and concise explanations of why the financial transaction can be trusted.
- Visible Indicators – By placing large icons on a web site that indicate secure transactions, consumers are aware that their transactions are protected from interlopers.
- Trusted Authorities – Many organizations are members of industry associations that strive to protect consumers, and state so on their web sites. By being part of the Better Business Bureau (BBB), consumer privacy protection groups, or other associations, consumers generally assume that the trust they extend to these organizations will also apply to their member sites.
- Anonymity – Many web sites allow users to share information anonymously with virtual communities. Users create pseudonyms and post personal information, such as their financial condition, difficulties at work, x-rays or other medical records, in public forums for others to review and provide feedback. Being able to do so anonymously allows these users to request advice they might otherwise hesitate to seek.
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