Some may believe that the COVID ’19 pandemic is a harbinger of a digital health rising tide, while others may believe that the pandemic has only accelerated the process of its evolution and adoption. I, for one, support the latter. The Digital Health market size is approximately US$ 195.1 billion in 2021, and is expected to grow substantially to around US$ 780.05 billion by 2030¹. Spending on digital health solutions is expected to reach US$244 billion by 2025². Digital Health Companies slowly boil, brew, adapt and grow, and seize the market when the time is ripe.
When a pandemic requires the need for mitigation in the midst of disruption and chaos, Health Technology companies are ready to offer them maturely Plug and play solutions that make adoption seamless and important. In addition, several countries are quickly recognizing the need to change privacy policies and data protection regulations to enable remote consultations and virtual health interventions³. This is driven by a lack of physical resources, coupled with an alarming need for accessible and quality health services. But more importantly, there is a realization and a clear label for administering this new type of treatment no need be personal- virtually, virtual.
Objectively, virtual care can be divided into those that make you feel better, and those that keep you better… alternatively, curative and preventive. While the former takes care of patients during the necessity of the moment, the latter emerges as the new unsung hero; Unexploited solutions to global and ancient opportunities. The Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS) intention to incentivize improvements and care management can/can fly fast on the wings of such a software platform HealthViewX. Solutions such as Remote Physiological Monitoring (RPM), Transitional Care Management (TCM), Chronic Care Management (CCM), among others, help care teams monitor, manage and engage patients in the comfort of their homes. This in turn has been shown to reduce costs and accept returns, mitigate risk, improve yields and increase reimbursement⁴. Win-win-win!?
But, wait! While all of this sounds bright and comfortable, I wonder if there’s any resistance in adoption among doctors and patients… end users, in the end. I found an enlightening adaptation strategy matrix in an article by Ande De. In a matrix outlining the level of behavior change required of clinicians, versus the rate of patient resistance to adopting new technologies, TeleHealth, RPM, and COVID screening, response and monitoring, emerged victorious with least resistance from both stakeholders⁴. Although cloud-based web portals and health apps that record patient data met with some resistance, it was a pleasant surprise to note that there were no digital health ‘failures’, which met with high resistance⁴. The data also shows that Artificial Intelligence (AI), Prescriptive Analytics and Predictive are here for the ‘long haul’, facing high resistance among clinicians and low resistance among patients⁴…all predictable, yet surprising at the same time!
While there may be several intuitive and understandable reasons for rejection, I’m forced to boil them down to,
- Change Management: Be willing and take the time to get used to change
- Obligation: Fear of the unknown
- Evidence: Need evidence-based results
- Access: Socio-demographic barriers to access
My sassy but clever answer to these four points is, Time.
Time to move. It’s time to take the plunge. It’s time to embrace. Time to get and assess results. It’s time to move on. Time to revolutionize.
Time to be almost perfect.
Reference:
- “Digital Healthcare Market Size to Reach USD 780.05 Billion by 2030 Growing at 16.1% CAGR – Exclusive Report based on Facts & Factors,” February 2023, Facts and Factors, https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2023/02/01/2599148/0/en/Digital-Health-Market-Size-Will-Attain-USD-780-05-Billion-by- 2030-Growing-at-16-1-CAGR-Exclusive-Report-by-Facts-Factors.html
- “Use of Digital Health Platforms During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Consumer Perspective,” Alharbi. F, March 2021, PMC, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8116074/
- “Health and digital care during a pandemic: the impact of COVID-19,” Peek. N, Susan. M, Scott. P, 2020, BMJ Journal, https://informatika.bmj.com/content/27/1/e100166
- Adoption rate chart, “Five ways Digital Health Innovations grow + thrive post-pandemic,” Ande De, April 2020, Alteryx, https://www.alteryx.com/input/blog/5-ways-digital-health-innovation-will-grow-evolve-post-pandemic
