Home Health Care Healthcare in a socially distanced world

Healthcare in a socially distanced world

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Across the world, companies, families, and individuals are navigating the unpredictable, ever-changing situation of Covid-19. Businesses have seen sharp declines in revenues resulting in layoffs, temporary shutdowns, and even permanent closings. Nearly everyone is facing daily fear, isolation, and the very real health and economic implications from the virus.

As a parent and a husband, I acutely feel the daily burden of providing guidance to my family in this unprecedented and opaque new reality. My children want to know when life will become “normal?” When will they return to school? Will they, their parents, and grandparents become ill? These are questions both I and all other parents globally wish we could address to provide solace to our loved ones and for ourselves.

In my role at 7wireVentures, I’ve seen countless health technology tools come to market in the past ten years promising access to convenient, cost-effective care. Digital health companies have received over $35 billion of private funding since 2012. Companies such as Castlight, Health Catalyst and Change Healthcare have even done so through the public markets. Yet despite the strong value propositions and funding commanded across the sector, consumer adoption has remained well below expectations.

The primary reason? Inertia.

But Covid-19 has shaken us out of this steady-state and is driving reimbursement, regulatory, and access reform in record time.

Both consumers and providers alike recognize that digital health solutions can alleviate a huge strain on the healthcare system by serving the care needs both related and unrelated to Covid-19. Well-established tools such as telemedicine, artificial intelligence, and connected devices have the infrastructure to support remote care delivery, drive advanced analytics for expediting clinical trials, and empower consumers to help flatten the curve through prevention and at-home diagnostics.

It’s also easy to forget if we are self-quarantining and immersed in the 24/7 news cycle that life is still going on outside of this virus. Common colds, births, orthopedic injuries, mental and physical therapy, the list goes on. There are also millions of individuals managing chronic conditions every day. Our culture is mainly used to “going to the doctor” when we are sick or in need of care. But for many, there are digital tools that can deliver the care we need for a particular condition virtually, right at home. Utilizing these tools will free up time in exam rooms, clinics, and emergency departments for those who are battling COVID-19.

Consider tele-behavioral health for example. The industry is seeing an uptick in utilization the last couple weeks, and that’s a good thing. People don’t need to physically travel to their therapist’s office, or even worse, experience a triggering episode that requires a visit to the Emergency Department if a videoconference can be equally as effective.

Companies such as AbleTo provide access to virtual, high-quality behavioral health coaches or providers through video or private chat. Other more specialized solutions are focusing on higher acuity behavioral health needs, such as individuals suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder, many of which are experiencing heightened anxiety due to the Covid-19 spread.  This is also a win for care providers as it enables care continuity, limits face-to-face contact, and drives “social distancing.”

Broad telemedicine platforms providing access to specialists will be critical to the ongoing health and wellness needs of women. Companies such as Maven Clinic enable on-demand access to high-quality providers for care needs ranging from fertility, pregnancy, postpartum care and pediatric health. With pregnant women considered high-risk for Covid-19, this population and their newborns stand to benefit immensely from remote visits to minimize exposure while enabling continuous prenatal and pediatric care. Other targeted solutions, such as Genneve, are delivering telemedicine access for women’s ongoing specialized needs, such as menopause, enabling consumers to receive access to their ongoing care needs safely at home.

Individuals with one or multiple chronic conditions such as diabetes or hypertension have frequent ongoing health needs and are particularly vulnerable to serious complications. Ensuring timely continuous treatment of these patients is more important now than ever. Some companies are empowering patients to live healthier lives by applying data analytics and leveraging remote coaches to monitor, intervene, and educate patients during a potentially critical event.

With the growing list of technology-enabled solutions in the market, we can maintain the delivery of healthcare while adhering to social distancing recommendations. Recent expansion of remote care reimbursement and the relaxing of regulatory barriers driven by Covid-19, more than ever will equip consumers with the digital health tools needed to better manage both sick and well care in this new virtual world.

Looking out longer-term, one can hope that in spite of all the worry, trillions in relief being spent and taxing of the healthcare system, there will be silver linings. We’re already seeing entrepreneurs and innovators dedicating themselves to bettering the current tools, building new ones and improving processes. There’s no doubt that some of these solutions will be enduring and impactful. Even more importantly, the availability and use of digital health solutions during this crisis will likely create lasting changes in how healthcare is accessed, delivered, and consumed on a broad scale in a timeframe far shorter than anyone would have thought possible before COVID-19. How broad and sustained these changes will be remains to be seen but I firmly believe that this will be an inflection point for the industry and drive improved care, reduced costs and more empowered health consumers over time.

Photo: CarlosDavid.org, Getty Images

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