Until early last year, patients accessed healthcare only by visiting a clinic. This status quo for almost every patient worldwide changed with the outbreak of Covid-19. While virtual care has been around for some time now, it took a pandemic for the government of India to become cognizant of the fragile healthcare infrastructure.
This was followed by a sudden spike in the adoption of telehealth, which also got a nod from millennials and Generation Z looking for personalised, convenient care models. While the pandemic has spotlighted the role of online pharmacies as the future of the Indian healthcare system, the allocation of Rs 2,83,846 lakh crore by the government during the Union Budget 2021 will be pivotal in revolutionising the sector. The growth of the Indian healthcare market driven by government-led policies is projected to reach $372 billion by 2022 and surge the spending to three percent of the GDP by 2022.
Making the Most of this Opportunity
While the numbers are impressive, it’s just the tip of an iceberg. Some key concerns coming to the fore are on-demand virtual care, insurance coverage, security, modern infrastructure, seamless interface, and ineffectiveness compared to in-person visits. Telemedicine has been a breakthrough in the Indian healthcare industry during the pandemic, emerging as an impactful medium for delivering safe and convenient patient care. This provides the country with a range of opportunities to advance and enhance its healthcare ecosystem.
However, the healthcare industry needs to look at a broader strategy to address reimbursement options for telehealth and other remote care services. We also need to keep in mind the changing compliances and regulations.
In a nutshell, the pandemic has given virtual care a much-needed push, and now is the time to take it further and deeply embed it into the care delivery system. The answer to making this happen is digital tools.
Making the Shift from Virtual to Truly Digital Care
It’s almost a year from the global outbreak of Covid-19, and the panic seems to be subsiding. While the pandemic propelled interest in telehealth, it’s time to make the shift from virtual care as just a convenient option during the crisis to a digital health hub for patients that can help provide personalised, value-based care.
The first step would be to eliminate paper forms by digitising all aspects of the health system. This not only puts an end to the manual effort but minimizes errors and streamlines data, providing a single view of the holistic patient data. With a digital system in place, it gives the required momentum for the healthcare system to move forward. This includes accelerated onboarding processes, which are usually cumbersome, along with guided submission and effective monitoring at every step to avoid too many follow-ups. It is also essential to integrate a telemedicine system, which will not only help reduce costs but be of great benefit to patients and clinicians. Such a system also expands the scope to get valuable insights from the data using artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics. With data-driven support, a digital hub means expanding beyond traditional healthcare ecosystems.
Now, virtual care needs a more effective approach, with flexible digital modules that can address consumer as well as clinician needs. Building low-cost virtual models will not just require remote patient engagement tools, but a digital platform that breaks the silos between all healthcare stakeholders. This digital core or hub must be created considering all entities in the healthcare ecosystem – payer partners, healthcare providers, consumers, communities, service vendors, and all other players.
Technology is the Key
The next-gen technologies can make all of this a reality. An electronic health record (EHR) can make information available instantly and securely. Cloud-based systems make access across entities seamless and secure, anywhere, anytime. This not only saves costs but also time, with benefits ranging from economic, functional, and operational.
Next-gen technologies like AI, machine learning (ML), analytics, natural language processing (NLP) can help enhance digital capabilities and in turn quality of service. These new virtual healthcare delivery models when combined with intelligence can ensure better access to care. AI can help ensure personalised recommendations, real-time interventions, and customized treatment for every patient. For instance, monitoring chronic illnesses without hospitalisation and sharing timely alerts and warnings.
Virtual Care is the Future
Today’s empowered consumers and the explosion of data and scientific breakthroughs will make virtual health a key component of the future healthcare vision. It must be a part of every healthcare organization’s strategy. Modular and interoperable platforms can engage with digital age constituents to deliver a digital core that is real-time, cloud-native, workflow-based, AI embedded, and configurable. This will lead to better outcomes. It can address a range of healthcare industry problems like access to care, improving continuity of care, lowering cost, and physician burnout. These rollouts can not only provide a massive growth spurt for the sector but can position India as an affordable healthcare capital, globally.
(DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and ETHealthworld.com does not necessarily subscribe to it. ETHealthworld.com shall not be responsible for any damage caused to any person/organisation directly or indirectly).