New Technologies Rise To Meet PHM Challenges
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
As the healthcare landscape develops and requires better population health management, new technologies are being developed to meet the challenges.
A recent report on population health management released by the Institute for Health Technology Transformation asserts, “Population health management is the key to accountable care and healthcare reform. By applying technology to population health strategies to continually identify, assess, and stratify provider panels, physician groups can use technology and automation to augment the role of care teams, manage the patient population more effectively and efficiently, drive better outcomes, and decrease overall cost, as demanded by new payment incentives focused on value.”
In order to meet these challenges, a number of technologies have begun to dot the healthcare landscape, hoping to help providers prevent healthcare issues and better manage population health.
One of these new tools is Emmi Solutions’ EmmiPrevent, a tool that involves a series of interactive call campaigns that drive patient action for preventative care. Utilizing dedicated websites, emails, and multimedia programs, EmmiPrevent engages and educates patients on the importance of preventive action and addresses gaps in care. The campaigns focus on key patient behaviors – screenings, immunizations, and preventative appointments – to strategically educate and drive patients to action, ultimately helping providers improve quality metrics and patient satisfaction.
Another such initiative is being established by The American Heart Association (AHA) – working with Qualcomm Life – to create Connected Heart Health, an initiative which combines leading wireless technologies and evidence-based Care Plans to improve care coordination and outcomes for post-acute cardiovascular and stroke care. Enabled by Qualcomm Life’s 2net and HealthyCircles Platforms, Connected Heart Health is one of the industry’s first comprehensive data connectivity management and care coordination solutions to bridge the gap between patients and providers to better inform care decisions.
“Qualcomm Life’s technology platforms provide the potential for us to help Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) rapidly build a clinically integrated network that delivers better care to more patients, at a reduced cost,” said Nancy Brown, CEO, American Heart Association. “By streamlining post-acute care management and coordination, we aim to improve population health and reduce costly readmission rates.”
And iMPak Health is collaborating with Qualcomm Life and leveraging the 2net Platform to offer Kraken, one of the first Bluetooth low-energy (BLE)-enabled mobile medication management systems designed to assist in organizing and tracking complex, multi-pill daily regimens. Kraken allows patients, particularly those of an aging population, to better manage their chronic conditions and become more adherent to medication regimens by seamlessly tracking and uploading their data and securely sharing that information with their care team through a scalable, plug-and-play solution.
The population health management and preventive care landscape is ripe for the picking for new health programs and apps, and healthcare providers and anxious to back these new ventures to help them reduce their costs and improve their patient outcomes.