3 Ways Digital Innovation Is Reinventing Care Delivery
By Dr. Seth Feuerstein, Magellan Healthcare
3 Ways Digital Innovation Is Reinventing Care Delivery
Record investments in digital health startups are just one sign of the hunger for digital innovation in the healthcare industry, with $3.4 billion in digital health deals recorded in the first half of 2018 alone. Non-traditional investors are also taking bold action, including the recently announced $375 million invested by Google in Oscar Health. The momentum of such advancements is reinventing care delivery, with high-touch, high-tech patient touchpoints that deliver better value and outcomes.
One area that is ripe for widespread application by the healthcare industry is software-driven interventions and treatment.
There are potential advantages to digital interventions. When digital health tools and software solutions can be offered as alternatives to pharmaceuticals in treating or helping to select other therapies for conditions such as depression and chronic pain, they can eliminate the risk of addiction as well as the side effects associated with some medications. In patients for whom digital treatment is a viable alternative to pharmaceuticals, recent initiatives point to the potential for a safer healthcare experience that improves outcomes while providing increased convenience at reduced cost.
While the industry has made significant traction, it’s important to continue the forward momentum in digital health with innovations that appropriately push the boundaries and facilitate all stakeholders aiming for excellence in care. At Magellan, we’re continuously exploring tech-enabled, emerging disrupters and ways to drive better outcomes and deliver care in the most impactful way. Below are three examples of how payers and providers can leverage digital innovations to enhance patient care delivery.
Explore the use of digital therapeutic apps in treating common behavioral health conditions. In the past year, the FDA has started approving digital therapeutic apps for treating conditions such as substance use, and many more are on the horizon. Magellan has been actively exploring these pathways given the extremely strong data that programs have demonstrated for disorders such as insomnia, anxiety and substance use disorders. These studies have been published in some of the leading medical journals for medical and behavioral conditions such as insomnia and addictions.
At a time when one out of four Americans lives with a mental illness, and even more if insomnia is included, digital therapeutic apps present significant potential to improve the impact of medications or curb the inappropriate use of pharmaceuticals for certain health conditions.
Consider a digital approach to meeting the healthcare needs of large populations after a disaster. When Hurricane Sandy caused widescale destruction on the East Coast in Fall 2012, 700,000 New York residents suffered psychological effects of the storm. These effects can often be long term and have been documented around the world following large disasters. In response, Vibrant.org (previously known as the Mental Health Association of New York City) partnered with Magellan Health in a joint project to launch iHelp: Sandy Stress Relief, which brought computerized behavioral therapy with live clinician support services to more than 4,000 New York State residents who suffered emotional distress as a result of the natural disaster. Residents received behavioral healthcare services via their mobile phone or laptop, with services available in both English and Spanish.
Innovations such as this rapidly increase access to care for large populations during times of need. They also increase the resilience of those affected by disaster, improving their ability to withstand future trauma. These innovations enhance outcomes and reach individuals on a wide scale, providing a new avenue for care during critical events while reducing the need to prescribe medications as a first line of defense for situations where they may not have been studied.
Evaluate the potential for digital solutions to support opioid recovery close to home. It’s no secret that the United States faces an opioid epidemic, with 115 Americans dying from opioid overdose each day. These deaths occur not just from illicit drugs, but also from prescription opioids. Digital innovations have been designed to stop opioid abuse before it starts—digital apps that provide non-opioid approaches for pain management as well as data-driven solutions that alert providers to patients who may be at risk of opioid abuse and help enforce federal and/or state guidelines around opioid prescriptions. But for those suffering from opioid addiction, close-to-homecare often is difficult to find, with waitlists for evidence-based treatment.
New virtual care solutions enable providers to support patients in their opioid recovery journey close to home. For example, use of telehealth services—whether within the provider’s office or from the patient’s computer or mobile device—can be used to:
- Provide expert assistance to providers in managing opioid recovery
- Employ individualized treatment plans through virtual care management
- Leverage certified peer-to-peer coaching from recovering addicts to provide support for people in treatment
- Address the health problems that may have contributed to the patient’s addiction
- Offer 24/7 support for people recovering from addiction or who fear they may be addicted to opioids
The Right Time for Digital Application
Software-driven treatment and innovation offers many value-added applications as a front-line defense against chronic and complex healthcare issues. It’s an approach that not only has practical applications for behavioral health, but also for management of chronic conditions and largescale population health management. Exploring ways to leverage digital therapeutics and other software-based treatments has the potential to revolutionize multiple care paradigms while providing more personalized, higher-quality, safer care that enhances access and reduces costs.
About The Author
Seth Feuerstein, MD, JD is Chief Innovation Officer and Chief Medical Officer, Medical and Digital Innovation, Magellan Healthcare. He is also on the faculty at the Yale School of Medicine where he founded the Yale Center for Digital Excellence and Research and is Program Director of Innovation to Impact.