Advancements in connectivity, such as the continued development of the Internet of Things (IoT), illustrate how comfortable we are with data assimilation.
However, in the healthcare domain it is discouraging when industry experts are reluctant to leverage data, citing fallacious complexities, or simply avoid using it altogether. In fact, the failure to adopt data-centric practices is contradictory to the current environment, in which it is being tracked, saved and managed by people every day.
Are we being disillusioned by experts to think that health data is too cumbersome and has no scope for normal people to understand and use?
With the Rise of AI, What IP Disputes in Healthcare Are Likely to Emerge?
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
Given charter and responsibility, consumers are capable of managing their own health information. The availability of wearable devices and smart phones has made it easier and faster for consumers to interact with their own health data and become more decisive and predictive about their health. If inputting medical history to start the process and updating the information with new data is considered a gargantuan task, then so be it.
What’s Stopping Us?
Ten years ago, the typical morning ritual consisted of punching the alarm for a few extra minutes of sleep and then quickly catching up on the latest news via laptop or television before heading out the door.
Thanks to the innovations in technology, that ritual has changed. Wearables can detect the optimal amount of sleep and ease someone from their slumber, while news and notifications are received constantly on smartphones – before, during and after the morning commute. More than ever, our daily routines are influenced by data, which is exponentially growing (and could very well soon occupy a larger share of our atmosphere than oxygen).
A Personalized Approach to Medication Nonadherence
At the Abarca Forward conference earlier this year, George Van Antwerp, managing director at Deloitte, discussed how social determinants of health and a personalized member experience can improve medication adherence and health outcomes.
The reality is that the U.S. spends more than $2.7 trillion on healthcare, with an increasing GDP dedicated to healthcare costs. And although various methods are being discussed to increase ongoing patient engagement and wellness over chronic treatment, users will have to assume the responsibility of data entry and technology will have to rely on patient-driven driven data until a universal identifier and data portability issues are resolved.
As the culture of healthcare slowly transcends from episodic to sustainable lifestyle wellness, it lies in the hands of these industry experts, major policy makers, health providers and the insurance sector to encourage this paradigm shift and add families’ Electronic Health Record (EHR) platform that collects and distributes data, where it can be most effective in preventing illness and promoting health.
Consumers in healthcare today must consider costs when choosing a surgery option or a prescription and alternate treatment path. Instead, they should have the choice (and be given the responsibility) to link their health records with the platform and the physician or provider of their choice. Accessibility to collective medical records, such as prescriptions, X-rays, blood results, medical and legal forms, is important for an individual or family to stay afloat in the rising healthcare tide.
When it comes to monitoring, storing and accessing health vitals, a proactive, positive mindset is fundamental to establishing habits that support long term wellness practices.
The Time for Change is Now
According to the Journal of American Medicine, 34.9 percent of U.S. adults are obese and a study published by the Centers for Disease Control in 2014 reported that 29 million people in the U.S. had diabetes, with 86 million classified as having pre-diabetes. And in its Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, reported that approximately one in three adults in the U.S. have been diagnosed with high blood pressure.
Alone, these three statistics illustrate how crucial the regular monitoring of certain vitals is for disease management. For each individual level, remote monitoring and recording of vitals and other subjective measures for conditions that exist in your family on a health platform becomes necessary to lower costs and improve outcomes.
With health platforms accepting data from monitoring devices and apps, like Fitbit, Noom Coach, iHealth, Jawbone and others, you can extend your own involvement in your day-to-day health. Post-surgery, convalescence, geriatric and palliative aspects of care can be remotely monitored by health providers, provided that you take the initiative of engaging yourself into your or family’s health.
Ultimately, this change must be initiated at the individual level versus expecting it to happen at the government or policy level. Large health providers and struggling private practices are in a disconcerted phase, as survival amidst evolving government regulations, meaningful use complications and changing reimbursements are prioritized over making fundamental changes towards more impactful health initiatives.
The question should not be “Will consumers input data on health platforms?” We should instead hold health record management by families synonymous with a higher level of personal healthcare. Effortless engagement is not impossible, but waiting for it to happen in the future instead of working towards it today does more harm than good.
