Healthcare is undergoing a transformation and the implications are going to be significant

Telemedicine is the key driver for primary health care

Let me put a stick in the ground upfront: By 2020, primary healthcare will be the domain of Telemedicine. It will no more be the domain of hospitals, which will be contributing to a minority. Telemedicine coupled with personalisation, the emergence of new devices, secure, yet transparent patient data management will democratise primary healthcare. By 2025, telemedicine will expand the reach of primary healthcare to over 70% of the world population. In retrospect, the fact that such a simple concept took so long to become popular is a bit disappointing.

Hospitals, on the other hand, will focus on secondary and tertiary care, thus enabling them to focus on improved quality of care, surgical excellence, etc. The big opportunity is in harnessing all the data and storing it in a transparent, yet secure manner. This makes it available to the patients and doctors as and when they need it.

Telemedicine is mainstream

Telemedicine is probably among the most transformative technologies to impact the healthcare markets. It offers both patients and healthcare providers a new level of freedom and reaches that is not limited by geographic location. Nowhere has this been more profound than in the mental health.

The ability to quickly deliver care makes Telemedicine a compelling case for larger adoption, especially in rural India, where primary health care is underserved.

A start-up in India has tied up with specialist psychiatrists all over the world to consult and help patients in India. The patients can seek the counsel of a therapist at a fraction of the cost and effort. Psychiatrists in the United States can now counsel patients in India, in real time, and in a near-space environment.

Personalised healthcare to the fore

These days, empowered patients have more access to information and choice than ever before.

Thanks to a focus on personalised data, real-time information, cloud computing and artificial intelligence; healthcare is undergoing a transformation, and the implications are going to be significant. By making health care transparent and more efficient, the outcomes of treating the patients get better with time. More care will be provided remotely. Patients will become empowered participants. Technology will help coordinate health care results and yield consistently better outcomes. Our growing knowledge of genetics will lead to personalized therapies. Patient adherence to treatments will improve. Outcomes will be measurable. Hospitals will leave less room for human-error and doctors will refocus on patient care.

We are in an enabling world where people are empowered to manage their own health. As a result, their health outcomes are much improved.

Also read: Beyond the hospital: Challenges and opportunities in Indonesian healthtech scene

Similarly, there is an alert app that synchronises a doctor’s prescription and reminds the patient when to take medicines or perform an exercise. Clearly, there is value in bringing new technology to the healthcare markets. That will compel patients to start taking their medications on time and incorrect dosages. Considering that today only half of all patients take their medications correctly, according to the World Health Organization, this is bound to be a big change.

Let’s look at a very plausible scenario in the near future. Innovation in technology has revolutionised medical devices that are portable, and thus facilitate accessibility. For example, there are devices the size of an electric cooker that is capable of reading your biometric data in real time. You can submit a small sample of blood or saliva into the machine, which is then sent to doctors who can instantly detect deficiencies. Based on the doctor’s input, the machine can dispense a vitamin pill just for you. This is reality today.

From a business data point of view, one can sense the potential of the pill dispenser device: the global health supplements market is US$200 billion per year. It’s time for personalisation.

The beauty of it all lies in the fact that the data is stored in the cloud as part of your health profile. Companies around the world are working on such health enablers.

Remote Post-op Care

Postoperative care is another compelling case. This especially applies to the times after operations when patients are required to visit a hospital but are in no position to do so. It can be harrowing for patients with physical/surgical ailments.

So, doctors can video-visit their patients, interact using new technology, assess the progress of the patient’s recovery, and finally decide if a visit is required. It is obvious such a process will bring in efficiencies at different levels — savings, productivity, no waiting time for patients, and no transport costs.

Case for Insurance Cover

As adoption grows, I am convinced that health insurance companies will offer cover or telemedicine services as part of their offerings. As it is the cover for primary health care from an insurance point of view, it is by and large a corporate plan only and not an individual plan. Health insurance when purchased directly by individuals primarily covers hospitalisation and specialty care only.

However, for a few hundred rupees, it is easy to cover the primary care costs as part of health insurance. Access to primary care data is going to be critical for insurance companies as they will have to ascertain the future premiums for patients that have symptoms.

Policymakers Dream

Telemedicine is by far the best opportunity within healthcare for policymakers, in that, it can make a large impact with modest investments. Especially in India, where health infrastructure within the government scheme of things is sub-par, and with the government reluctant to invest more, Telemedicine can be the panacea. DocOnline and service providers like ours will look forward to a government partnership as we mature in the provision of such services.

A Game Changer for the System

There is enough data to prove that telemedicine can deliver quality outcomes comparable to in-person office visits. Large employers are beginning to see the value in telemedicine too, as is evident when I interact with our customers at DocOnline.

Also read: M-health still not enough to fix China’s healthcare problems

A Wall Street Journal survey suggests that over 60% of firms in the United States offer telemedicine services as an additional benefit to their employees and families. It is a move that offers potential savings in healthcare claims and offers greater workforce productivity. The survey cites willingness to adopt this method of care for several reasons like reducing travel time for minor ailments and not having to take sick time from work for in-person appointments.

After all, the consumers have spoken, and they want primary care on their own terms, not those driven by the healthcare or the insurance industry. They want to be able to use their smart phones to find providers, schedule appointments, and view their medical records. Moreover, with telemedicine they could also see a physician, anytime and from anywhere!

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This article was authored by Markus Moding, CEO and Co-founder of DocOnline.

DocOnline is a virtual platform that provides access to doctor consulting services by arming a user with easy and quick access to a certified doctor at the GP level from anywhere one is based.

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