Amid widespread staffing shortages across the healthcare sector, the need for IoT-enabled digital transformation in hospitals and patient care facilities is increasingly clear. For the first time since 2004, a lack of staffing has overtaken financial volatility as the No. 1 concern among healthcare CEOs in the American College of Healthcare Executives’ annual survey.
Meanwhile, from canceled appointments to delayed surgeries, more than half of all U.S. patients report reductions in care quality due to personnel shortages. The problem is even further magnified in rural areas, with rural-based primary healthcare professionals ranking care quality as a greater concern than access to care within their communities.
With that said, healthcare providers should get proactive about leveraging digital adoption to “do more with less” and ensure quality care despite their staffing challenges. There’s no better place to start than with IoT Sensing-as-a-Service. Beyond supporting product efficacy and asset protection, the IoT SaaS framework can be a critical workforce empowerment tool that helps improve therapeutic outcomes for patients. Why? Because in addition to eliminating elongated and error-prone manual compliance procedures, it also provides digital task management capabilities with automated prescriptive insights that enable healthcare employees to streamline workflows and enhance operational efficiency.
What Exactly is IoT Sensing as a Service??
IoT SaaS is the interconnected use of remote IoT sensing and monitoring tools with AI-powered prescriptive analytics – essentially an enhanced version of traditional IoT sensing and monitoring technology that empowers healthcare facilities to collect, analyze and act on inventory performance data for compliance and patient safety. The IoT sensors are placed on medical assets, as well as inside of freezers and refrigerators where vaccines and medications are stored, and perform real-time monitoring of those assets to track and trace location and confirm compliance. Fully operable with Bluetooth, the sensors do not need to be added to the hospital’s IT infrastructure. These easy to deploy sensors can sense anything from CO2, O2 levels, humidity and temperature to current consumption and noise.
Furthermore, the sensors measure asset performance, automating the detection and prediction of maintenance issues that could lead to a future excursion. The raw data collected by each sensor flows through a continuous feedback loop via the prescriptive analytics system, which provides actionable insights to operations teams so they can take the necessary steps to ensure all assets are fully functional and in good condition.
By Victoria Wickline, SVP of partnership success, Get Well.
More than 2.5 years after COVID-19 was first identified as a global health crisis, the healthcare industry continues to grapple with the challenges the pandemic has laid bare, including harsh realities surrounding unequal distribution of care and health inequities.
Further exacerbating these devastating care gaps is the fact that the pandemic caused many people to put off aspects of their healthcare, with 41% of U.S. adults reporting that they have delayed or avoided medical care — either because of job loss, health insurance coverage losses, closed facilities, or just simply wanting to avoid being exposed to the virus.
As patients avoided hospitals and doctors’ offices, conditions like cancer, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses went undiagnosed or untreated during the pandemic. In the first four months of 2020, breast cancer screenings were down by 89% and colorectal cancer screenings were down by 85%. As a result, The National Cancer Institute anticipates a surge in cancer death and predicts that the number of people who will die from breast or colorectal cancer in the United States will increase by nearly 10,000 over the next decade because of COVID-19’s impact on care.
Healthcare System’s Loss in Financial Revenue:
Besides the obvious detriment to public health, especially for vulnerable and underserved populations, these care gaps have drastically cost health systems financially. Revenue lost in 2021 was projected between $53 billion to $122 billion due to the lingering effects of COVID-19.
Fast forward to 2022, U.S. hospitals and health systems continue to struggle with regaining their financial health and many are facing another year of negative operating margins, with most organizations seeing declining margins, revenue, and inpatient volumes following the surge of the Omicron variant. Just this past month, the healthcare industry was reported to have the most job cuts compared to any industry in 2022 with a 54% increase in layoffs compared to numbers reported in June 2021.
Re-Engaging Patients Through Personalized, Digital Experiences:
Today, the healthcare industry is trying to pick up the pieces and health systems are looking to re-engage patients in their care — and improve the overall health of their patient populations as a result. To do so, health systems must redefine what the patient experience looks like. This re-engagement should center on providing a personalized, digital experience. Innovative AI-driven technology layered with an empathetic human element that adds a personal touch can lead to engaged patients and improved outcomes.
Leveraging AI-driven Technology for Patient Retention:
Healthcare organizations must reach out to patients where they are, with the information they need. This means not waiting for the patient to proactively engage and request care; information and scheduling resources should be at their fingertips. While everyone may not have access to the internet, the vast majority of the population – 97% – own a cellphone with access to text messages. In healthcare’s effort to digitize, we must also keep in mind not to marginalize underserved populations with lower socioeconomic statuses. However, with a read rate of approximately 99%, text messaging provides a solution to engage populations across all socioeconomic statuses with personalized messages to re-engage people who have been avoiding or delaying medical care, while fostering healthcare plan loyalty and closing care gaps.
But for this type of outreach to work, it must go beyond simple text messaging. Automated text messages sent to patients who need to schedule appointments is only a small slice of effective re-engagement. Successful personalized digital outreach should be based on a comprehensive 360-degree patient profile, ensuring that patient needs and offered resources are tailored to their particular health journey. This comprehensive patient profile should include patient-specific engagement data, such as the last time they visited their primary care physician, and personal preferences, including language choices. It should also incorporate location data, like what relevant providers are practicing in the patient’s preferred location.
The key is that behind the actual text messages is a real human providing personalized healthcare guidance. The combination of targeted outreach and human touch points will provide that personalized, digital experience that healthcare systems have been struggling to prosper. A tailored message that sounds authentic and empathetic can make a significant difference with re-engaging patients and driving them to take action with their care.
Don’t forget the Human Element:
The support of someone who can intervene, scale care, and escalate to care teams if needed means that the patient can more quickly get back on track with their care, and the healthcare organization can scale outreach and non-clinical tasks without additional internal resources.
“How do I access my medical records?” “I’m unsure how to schedule an appointment through my primary care provider?” “Where can I access this healthcare information?” These are all questions patients ask when navigating the healthcare system that need the human touch to ensure patients’ needs and resources are tailored to their particular health journey.
A high-tech digital strategy paired with high-touch human intervention combines the best of both worlds: innovative AI-driven technology and a caring touch that leads to engaged patients and improved outcomes. As an organizational retention strategy, this kind of holistic virtual care navigation can be a win for both health systems and the patients they serve.
A Digital-First Strategy That Yields Tangible Results:
Take Adventist Health for example, a nonprofit integrated health system that designed a digital-first patient outreach service that initially targeted adults who had not had a routine wellness appointment in the past 18-24 months. This outreach leveraged community-based virtual navigators and consisted of multiple SMS messages to engage patients and offer assistance with scheduling appointments with a primary care provider. Within four months, this digital-first strategy reached over 160,000 inactive patients and produced the following results:
92% of the identified dormant patients received SMS text outreach that offered assistance with scheduling healthcare appointments.
In total, more than 40,000 new wellness visits and follow-up visits were scheduled with primary care providers.
As a result, $7.9M was reclaimed in revenue for this specific patient population within just 15 weeks.
The Bottom Line
A digital-first consumer experience enables organizations to retain patients in networks, provides an enhanced experience, and improves patient health — all invaluable benefits, for both patients and providers alike. Every patient who receives outreach to re-engage them with their care is one more patient who is more aware and active in their own health journey. Revenue recapture is a positive side effect of ensuring that the healthcare industry is succeeding with what it’s meant to do — keeping populations healthier for the benefit of society.
A home health care worker might be a good option if you need help with activities such as bathing, dressing, and toileting. They can help with light housekeeping, meal preparation, and providing transportation to medical appointments. This article will discuss essential questions to ask a home health care worker before signing a contract.
Questions to ask a home health care worker
Here are questions to ask a potential home health care worker before signing a contract.
What experience do you have?
The experience of the home health care worker is vital to consider, especially if you’re looking for someone to care for an elderly family member. Ask about their experience working with patients with similar needs to your loved one. Their experience should also be considered when determining the type of tasks they’ll be able to handle.
Their experience should be able to give you some idea of whether or not they have the skills to care for your loved one. It’s also essential to ensure they’re comfortable with the type of care your loved one needs.
What is your availability?
It’s essential to ensure that the home health care worker you’re considering is available when you need them. If you need someone to be available all hours a day, seven days a week, then you’ll need to make sure they can commit to that schedule. If you only need someone for a few hours a day, then their availability might not be as big of an issue. However, you’ll still want to make sure that they’re able to work around your schedule.
What are your rates?
Before signing a contract with a home health care worker, ask about their rates. Their rates will vary depending on their experience and the services they offer. Make sure to get a breakdown of their rates to know what you’ll be responsible for paying.
By Tiffany Lily, healthcare experience consultant, TTEC Digital.
For years, patients had only a few channels in which they could interact with their healthcare providers. They saw their care team in-person during check-ups, interfaced with support and appointment scheduling staff at the front desk, or called to get in touch with a clinician to answer their questions.
Over the past decade, however, this short list of touchpoints has expanded to include a broad portfolio of digital tools and communication channels—creating new opportunities for patients to personalize their healthcare journey. When the pandemic halted in-person appointments, these alternative touchpoints quickly became the primary channels by which patients could interface with their providers.
Broadly speaking, the Great Telehealth Experiment has been a monumental success. In the spring of 2020, telehealth appointments were 78 times higher than pre-pandemic levels. Even as the dust has settled on pandemic-related lockdowns, telehealth usage remains 40 times higher than pre-pandemic levels.
But telehealth is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this emerging “digital front door” approach to healthcare. Now, patients expect even more. They’ve seen the potential of the digital-first experience and how it can positively impact their lives, and they’re eager to see healthcare begin to replicate the last best experiences they encounter every day from many of the most well-known retail giants. More importantly, surveys show they’re willing to seek out and even pay more for the providers who can meet their high expectations.
To build patient loyalty and promote positive patient experiences, healthcare organizations face a golden opportunity to augment telehealth capabilities with a robust ecosystem of supplementary tools and channels that allow them to adapt to the new healthcare journeys patients prefer in the digital healthcare era. In many ways, healthcare is undergoing the same growing pains ecommerce organizations experienced just a few decades earlier, with one major difference: many healthcare organizations simply don’t have the comprehensive strategic view or technological know-how to build out this digital ecosystem on their own.
Fortunately, the path to patient experience transformation doesn’t have to feel daunting. After decades of engagements helping healthcare organizations move to the forefront of digital care, we’ve identified a handful of the most common process-based best practices that your organization can use to frame up its digital transformation.
By Travis Schneider, chief corporate development officer, Tebra.
Two-thirds of economists believe an economic downturn is in the pipeline for the U.S. economy. While there has been a myth that the healthcare industry is recession-proof, historically, that has not been the case. Expert reports suggest the health sector tends to be affected later during a recession and typically takes longer to bounce back.
Independently owned practices tend to see the effects more quickly than other healthcare institutions. The rising cost of medical care often delays many Americans, with nearly seven out of 10 putting off an appointment or procedure due to the cost. Independent practices must take a proactive approach to safeguard their business and continue delivering care to patients.
Invest in Practice Growth
Many businesses tend to cut expenses at the first sign of a recession, and marketing expenditures are often the first on the chopping block. However, previous recessions have proved that businesses that continued to market during times of a downturn were not only able to stay in business but also bounce back faster. As the lead generating funnel for a practice, it can be detrimental to reduce marketing efforts. Investing in practice growth technology and clinical management software are worthwhile marketing investments that will help retain a practice’s patient base, expand its market share, and attract new patients.
There are three main types of healthcare providers: doctors, nurses, and pharmacists. Each profession has unique skills and responsibilities when it comes to providing care for patients. This article will take a closer look at what each profession entails and its role in the healthcare system.
The role of doctors, nurses, and pharmacists as healthcare providers
They each have unique skills and responsibilities when it comes to providing care for patients.
What does a doctor do, and what is their role in healthcare?
The medical doctor is one of the most important healthcare providers. They are in charge of identifying and treating illnesses and wounds. Doctors also play a vital role in preventative care, offering advice on diet and exercise to help patients avoid illness. In addition to their clinical work, doctors also spend time conducting research and teaching other healthcare professionals
What are the responsibilities of a doctor in a Medical Clinic?
Medical doctors working in a clinic are responsible for many tasks. These include diagnosing and treating illnesses, providing advice on preventative care, conducting research, and teaching other healthcare professionals. They may also be involved in patient education, helping patients to understand their condition and how to manage it. Continue Reading
A modern activity tracker is not just a pedometer, it is a smart device designed to increase your attention to the risks that affect your health. Fitness bracelet, sports bracelet, smart bracelet – it doesn’t matter how the manufacturer specifically classifies their device, the unifying factor is the functions that monitor your health indicators.
How To Select A Fitness Tracker For You
The bracelet on the arm focuses on those indicators that are easiest to collect – these are the time of your activity, the quality of sleep, the number of steps per day, the approximate number of calories burned, heart rate and training intensity.
The second factor influencing the cost of the gadget is the method of notification of the achieved indicators – this can be an external screen, a connection to a smartphone or laptop via Bluetooth, and even Wi-Fi, vibration and light indicators.
Additional functionality in the bracelets are GPS sensors – in this case, you can record jogging, hiking or even walking more accurately, along with the route and speed of movement.
In addition to fixing, most bracelets also support the setting and calculation of the implementation of certain daily norms – this is a way to motivate and even control your exercises. Thanks to the bracelet, you can detect a lack of physical activity, receive timely notifications about the need to warm up, monitor your training schedule and your own health.
MRI machines are some of the most important – and expensive – pieces of equipment in any clinic or hospital. And while they offer a wealth of diagnostic opportunities, setting one up is no easy feat. In this article, we’re going to take a look at some of the things you need to keep in mind when setting up an MRI machine in your own clinic.
One of the most important things you need to consider when setting up an MRI machine is its location. The machine needs to be located in a room that has good ventilation, as the MRI machine produces a lot of heat during operation.
Additionally, the MRI machine cost often tends to be high, thus vital to ensure that the staff handling it is thoroughly trained to avoid additional costs.
How to choose the right MRI machine for your clinic
The first is the type of machine you need. There are two main types of MRI machines: low-field and high-field. Low-field machines are less expensive and have a shorter scanning time, but they don’t provide as much detail as high-field machines. High-field machines are more expensive and have a longer scanning time, but they provide better image quality.
The second factor to consider is the size of the machine. If you have a small clinic, you’ll need a smaller machine. If you have a large clinic, you’ll need a larger machine.
The third factor to consider is the type of scanner you need. There are two main types of scanners: whole-body scanners and extremity scanners. Whole-body scanners can scan your entire body at once, while extremity scanners can only scan one part of your body at a time.
The fourth factor to consider is the warranty. Some MRI machines come with warranties, while others do not. You should always get an MRI machine that comes with a warranty so that you can get it repaired or replaced if something goes wrong with it.
A modern activity tracker is not just a pedometer, it is a smart device designed to increase your attention to the risks that affect your health. Fitness bracelet, sports bracelet, smart bracelet – it doesn’t matter how the manufacturer specifically classifies their device, the unifying factor is the functions that monitor your health indicators.