How to improve healthcare services with Communication Technology

Amongst the one-and-a-half billion people around the world surfing the Internet regularly, millions have gone online seeking medical information. The widespread access to broadband Internet, together with the evolution and increased adoption of visual communication technology, are taking this trend one step forward: according to recent researches, 78% of healthcare consumers are willing to interact with physicians online, over 85% of physicians would rely on web services to simplify their operations and 90% of them see the Internet as a source of competitive advantage.

A hypothetical view could be illustrated as,

With such premises, the delivery of health-related preventive, primitive and curative services over convergent networks, also known as Telehealth, appears to be a great response to the supply-demand mismatch in the health market, while representing a challenging opportunity for service providers in the visual communication space.

Among the others this concept may take a revolutionary concept on the growing healthcare demand…

Health Care Management

Today the topics will follow toward some of the well known concept and their application used today’s healthcare systems.

Health Care Management focuses on delivery of care as an organizing manner rather than the disease.

The Disease Management Association defines Disease Management as "a system of coordinated health care interventions and communications for populations with conditions in which patient self-care efforts are significant." The term disease management emphase a single disease process over care needs of individual patients who often have significant co-morbidities. However, while Disease Management initially tended to focus on only one condition at a time, in most circumstances now a spectrum of common chronic conditions can be addressed concurrently to better align with the multiple and complex needs of larger patient populations.

Disease Management organizations have introduced in the last several years focused exclusively on providing supported care, Disease Management services for the chronically ill patients. Apart from hospital Care and in-house patients care disease management care delivered by a health plan and by a managed care organization.

Population care is often used to capture a broad view of the entire spectrum of care needs and interventions for populations of patients, seeking differentiation from a central disease focus. A population encompasses the most impaired and ill through to those in the earliest stages or even just at risk for a condition. Implied in optimal population care across this range of need is the ability to stratify the members of a population for their severity of illness and needs and use this information about risk in planning and delivering care. Care management and disease management programs as commonly practiced in 2005 generally address a wide scope of population needs including risk assessment and allocation of appropriate interventions across multiple and often co-morbid diseases

Healthcare Community Integration

Health Professionals believes that the fundamental relationship within healthcare is between the patient and their doctor.  The service extends the reach of this care and we will collaborate to actively engage local doctor involvement in the program.  To ensure the success of our approach worldwide we have already had successful meetings with various Australian medical bodies, the government, the Privacy Commissioner and other relevant groups who all see the validity of our work within the Australian context.

To help us to fully localise the service, Healthcare system is also build an Australian Medical Advisory Council to help incorporate the medical community into our quality assurance programs. Through the Medical Advisory Council, top doctors and recognised practice area experts from the leading hospitals, group practices and Universities will be asked to review and update the clinical best practices and evidence-based protocols utilised in our tailor made and world class systems.

Through employ Provider Service Managers (PSM) to work in the local community and with physicians who care for individuals in Healthcare programs. PSMs will make regular visits to the physician practices and to all other relevant local medical providers to review the progress of disease management program participants, promote the value of the service to individuals, and collaborate on supporting the provider’s patients who are enrolled with the system.  Through these efforts, we ensure regular contact is maintained with treating physicians and we ensure reporting is available to provide focus for this activity.

Individuals enrolled in our disease management program will each have a personalised care action plan.   These care action plans are driven by unique patient requirements and follow the patient throughout the course of their participation in the program.  The patient’s General Practitioner and primary care team as well as other health, social and preventative care services will be embedded in our system as resources in an effective and systematic approach to the care management of individuals with a chronic condition. Next appointment dates with providers are captured and member phone calls are scheduled accordingly. 

In addition, for “Supported Self Care” approach to work effectively, a high degree of localisation is needed such that our specially trained nurses and health coaches working over the telephone and all relevant written communications can emphasise local best practice, initiatives, help groups, resources etc.  I believe this is an important component in helping individuals best manage their on-going care.  The well designed system will be embedded with local and relevant patient resources pertinent to the geographic spread of any members and we will work together with you to maximise this information.