Creating a Digital Health Strategy

The healthcare world is changing, rapidly. Technological advancements and consumer preferences are evolving at a breakneck pace. The last ten years have seen massive changes to mobile technology, security, and connectivity. Consumers now want everything available at their convenience, with minimal hassle. This means access to their health records, appointment scheduling, medication refills, and any other convenience they can imagine. It's foolhardy for any healthcare leader to cover their ears and eyes and pretend the healthcare delivery revolution isn't upon us.

Big companies like Google, Amazon, and CVS Health are already invested in providing the new healthcare delivery models that fit the consumer. They are either poised to, or have already entered the healthcare industry. Amazon has launched Amazon Comprehend, with is a natural language processing tool that uses machine learning. Google is all in on AI with sister companies like Verily getting billion dollar boosts for AI research and implementation. While CVS Health is implementing CVS vending machines that are due to be installed at locations such as hotels, airports, malls, and college campuses. Allowing the purchase off-the-shelf health products, snacks, and personal care items.

These technological advancements are leading to intense competition in the industry. Competition in healthcare has always existed, but nothing like the competition we are seeing in the current healthcare landscape. Attracting and continuously engaging patients at all levels of their medical care is paramount if a healthcare provider is looking to compete in the market and improve the health of their patients. Healthcare providers must strive to understand the needs and wants of their consumers, and then come up with plans on how to evolve to fit those needs.

As an example, a topic that is frequently discussed within virtual health is patient access to care. Consumers now more than ever want choices when it comes to how they schedule their medical appointments. They want to make appointments online or on mobile, and at times that interfere the least with their lives. Unfortunately, a large number of healthcare providers try to force patients to adopt to their scheduling systems and practices. They are then surprised when their patients decide to go somewhere else.

This is where an organization can develop virtual health strategy. But just what is a virtual health? Generally, virtual health (or digital health) is defined as a series of connected care services, across multiple facets of healthcare delivery. This includes clinician-to-clinician, provider-to-patient, and consumer interactions with virtual devices. It includes elements such as electronically enabled consults, direct patient care, and educational and self-management services. A virtual health strategy is the roadmap that is developed to integrate existing virtual health technology into the clinical practice.

The virtual health strategy is also a plan that looks towards the future of virtual healthcare. It prepares the organization for the technological and integration changes that will inevitably affect the industry. This encompasses elements that are on the cusp of large breakthroughs such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. It also encompasses emerging technologies that have the potential to disrupt healthcare deliver, like nano-robotics and 3D bio-printing.

However, the reality is that a large number of healthcare delivery leaders are having trouble adapting to all the changes in the healthcare delivery model. It is also true that some clinical staff have trouble adapting to and keeping up with all the technological changes surrounding healthcare. Unfortunately, all this leads to frustration and rejection of new healthcare delivery processes and technology. Therefore, the virtual health strategy should plan for proper technological integration and training, both now and in the future.

To summarize, a virtual health strategy:

• Is based on what the consumer demands, not what is simply more convenient or profitable to an organization.
• Looks at existing digital health technology, and trends and plans which technology to integrate and how to do it.
• Looks at future digital health technology, and plans which technology could be implemented and how to do it.
• Involves stakeholders and endusers of the digital health technology during the decision making process.