The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed American healthcare.
One of the most striking changes has been a renewed focus on preventative health. Attention to prevention was influenced by the high burden of pre-existing chronic conditions in the United States, which contributed significantly to the devastating impact of the pandemic on our society.
80% of American adults age 65 or over have a chronic disease, and over 60% have two or more.
Yet preventative healthcare is lagging, with less than 10% of American adults over the age of 35 receiving all recommended preventative screening services. With an aging population and worsening physician shortage, high demand and low supply dictate that the chronic condition crisis will only worsen in the coming years without a shift in American healthcare.
Given the human and financial cost of chronic conditions, several actors in the U.S. healthcare system are making concerted efforts to promote preventative health. For example, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is experimenting with new primary care risk-sharing arrangements such as Accountable Care Organization Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health (ACO Reach), and in many states, commercial insurers are covering certain medical services via telehealth. Clearly, there is momentum behind making preventative care more accessible and available in our country.
At DailyDoctor, we envision remote patient monitoring (RPM), and remote care as a whole, as one that will accelerate the shift from reactive to proactive care.
We are poised to be at the forefront of this shift.
As an example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, RPM has been used to assess the oxygenation and symptoms of COVID patients who are quarantined and recovering at home. Our team and others have leveraged RPM to help patients affected by COVID-19 receive the benefits of medical care and stay connected to their medical team during an otherwise isolating and difficult time.
Remote care can not only enable care for patients with COVID-19, but also help physicians care for patients who suffer from chronic diseases; the additional data points about a patient’s condition that RPM makes available to providers can provide crucial insights into the underlying trajectory of a patient’s health. While in-person doctor’s appointments often serve as spot checks, RPM provides a long-term history of a patient's health between those doctor’s visits.
Furthermore, RPM can provide critical revenue and reduce costs for practices and health systems while assisting payors with delivering high-value care and lowering spending.
The U.S. healthcare system is at a tipping point: in the coming years, remote care will become a reality for many Americans, helping to keep patients out of the hospital in a cost-effective manner and improving the quality and longevity of life.
Over a five-part series, we’ll share how remote care will enable improved preventative healthcare in a post-COVID-19 world, and demonstrate how we at DailyDoctor are prepared to lead the charge. Though the pandemic is still a reality in the United States and abroad, many in the healthcare industry have prepared for and are experiencing seismic shifts due to RPM. We’ll explore the following:
A new patient experience
The improved physician workflow and capacity for care
Health system adaptation
How payors are updating their policies
What the future holds
We look forward to sharing our vision with you as we use remote care to benefit post-pandemic America and our world.
