Virtualization of medicine
Telemedicine is changing the structure of the market in the USA
Geektimes, PAYSTO company blogModern medicine has seen a lot of technical achievements in its lifetime.
Heart surgeries that used to be performed on an open heart all day and required a long hospitalization after that, are now performed in the form of arthroscopic outpatient procedures for several hours. Tattoos can report vital signs, and contact lenses can monitor glucose levels. In third world countries, you can get the results of an AIDS test in a few minutes for just a couple of dollars.
At the same time, in a world-class hospital in Manhattan, in order to get to a doctor with a sprain, you still have to fill out a huge number of forms, wait for hours and pay cosmic amounts that your insurance hardly covers.
With the same stretch, you can go to a CVS clinic or similar that actively use telemedicine, pay $80-$100 and come out with a bandaged leg and a prescription in less than an hour. It is clear that improving the level of service is a challenge for the business model, not for technology.
In search of the best alternatives Quick-service clinics are becoming more accessible and ubiquitous (as they are opened in shopping malls like Walmart, Walgreens and CVS).
They offer a level of comfort, predictability and transparency of prices that is not available in ordinary hospitals. Even Whole Foods has joined the cause, and there are reasons for this.
The full cost of visiting the first aid station is not really known. Based on the available data, the average cost is $2,000. Even when visiting a network hospital, the patient may be required to pay for unforeseen expenses.
Many commercial chains (including Walgreens and CVS) have eliminated the surprise effect for customers by listing their prices online. And, unlike a hospital, where hundreds or even thousands of dollars can be taken for one analysis, most prices at Walmart do not exceed $ 40.
Fortune 500 companies and other large employers are also opening local clinics in an attempt to reduce medical care costs and offer additional benefits to employees. A little more, and treatment with a therapist or in a hospital will be the exception rather than the rule.
Opportunity or danger? A lot has been written about the dangers of such a transition for hospitals and doctors.
The American Academy of Pediatrics even expressed its extremely negative opinion regarding such clinics. However, this point of view is both naive and short-sighted. The traditional medical community should not struggle with such a change. Moreover, they should accept this trend as a way of survival in an evolving field in which they will make a profit based on their results (not actions), and in which they will have to provide services using network technologies.
The Battle for the best service Hospitals have begun to realize that they can only enter the game by offering a similar level of comfort and transparency.
Novant Health has decided to capitalize on growth opportunities by partnering with Target and opening rapid service clinics at Target centers where patients are received by Target nurse practitioners under the supervision of Novant doctors.
Temple University Health System is another organization that adheres to this model, having opened ReadyCare clinics in Philadelphia. One by one, some hospitals are investing in the ecosystem, trying to adhere as closely as possible to development trends and customer preferences (for example, UnitedHealth Group acquired Audax).
Slowly but surely Despite all the advances in the treatment and development of medical devices, providers of such services have never been at the forefront of progress, but the situation is gradually changing.
In the coming years, as telemedicine begins to fulfill its promises of continuous service, rapid service clinics will become the driving force and the most important partner of virtual health care providers.
Telemedicine companies such as WorldClinic, which provide continuous service through virtual systems and rarely see patients live, will push the network of quick-service clinics to work in laboratories and dispense medicines to patients. The network also provides conveniently located departments in which patients who have been assigned additional procedures or monitoring of chronic conditions are regularly examined. Thanks to such a network, continuous virtual provision of medical services can become the norm of how healthcare is provided and implemented.
Convenience, lower cost and transparency are the main advantages that all quick service clinics have. How do they differ? How to choose if you are an investor or a client?
Here are a few key factors to consider:
A wide range of services. Clinics should offer more than just diagnosis and treatment. Pay attention to those that include services such as monitoring of chronic conditions and laboratory tests. With such new offers as smoking cessation assistance at CVS and monitoring of patients with chronic diabetes and hypertension at Walgreens, it is not difficult to imagine physiotherapy and weight loss groups as clinic services.
Sufficient level of service. The clinic staff must undergo appropriate training and certification, and be aware of the latest treatment protocols. The clinic should also provide communication with doctors and specialists (for example, through a website or video conferences), providing support for a wider range of problems and more complex cases.
Electronic integration with healthcare networks and electronic Medical archive (EHR) systems. EHR systems become the basis of patient service continuity. All records are available online and include information from service providers, the number of which is growing every day. To date, CVS already provides access to data from more than 40 healthcare systems.
Internet devices. Clinics should make maximum use of modern technologies – from diagnostic devices that provide the results of crops and laboratory tests, to wearable devices integrated into the AppleHealth system. In addition to simple convenience and cost-effectiveness, these devices and systems allow clinics to collect standardized information about the patient's health and provide monitoring of chronic conditions.
There are more and more patients, and there are fewer and fewer doctors who can help them. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) predicts that by 2025, the United States will lack 130,600 doctors. Emerging fast-service clinics are confidently fighting this trend. Healthcare companies have the opportunity to reduce the cost and improve the level of services by following the trend of fast-service clinics through direct investment or partnership.
It will not be long before doctors will work completely in virtual mode, relying on video technology, medical devices connected to the Internet, electronic medical archives and a network of clinics, providing effective treatment of patients in the most effective way and guaranteeing the best patient experiences.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru11.03.2015