Digital Disruption in Healthcare: How Engagement Platforms Change the Patient's Role in Digitally Transformed Healthcare World

A friend of mine who is a reputable gastroenterologist made recently a Facebook post suggesting his followers, mostly other physicians, read an article. “It’s by the patient, but still worth reading,” he added. This comment immediately caught my attention.

As he explained, hearing back from a patient was a new concept for many in his profession. And indeed, the adoption of customer-centricity, which dominates companies’ strategies across most industries, is slower when it comes to the complex and sensitive world of healthcare. Why? Because in the health care world patients are not “customers” in the traditional business meaning of the word. And, to substantiate this claim, physicians still argue that patients should not be treated with the “customer service” attitude (see one of many articles on the point here: The danger in treating patients as customers).

Another aspect of present-day health care disruption is digital transformation. It is not surprising that medical providers adopt digital technologies at a slower rate than conventional businesses. Ongoing research of patient-centricity and digital transformation effects on patient care demonstrate that the issue is far more complex than in conventional business setting. Two Australian studies are of particular interest here, as they explore pitfalls and difficulties of digitalizing the healthcare.[1],[2] Most notably, they have found that there aretemporary disruptions of hospital workflows as processes are adapted to the new digital environment.

These two trends, customer-centricity and rapid adoption of digital technologies, form the healthcare provider dilemma: Who is the patient in the world of digital disruption and customer-facing transformation? Today hospitals and physicians cannot avoid the “customer is the boss” mantra. Top market research firms like Forrester conduct comprehensive analytical work which proves that business success is currently driven by the ability to provide quality customer experience[3].

CarePassport – a patient engagement platform

Given this context, the positive use cases of patient-centric digital transformation are increasingly important to support the digital revolution in healthcare. Among many other, one strong example is the case of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and CarePassport, a Boston-based startup focused on patient engagement solutions. As it was announced in early November 2018, CarePassport will provide MGH its digital engine for patient monitoring and medical research[?]. 

Real-time data aggregation, identification of patients in high-risk categories, and creation of a data-driven basis for informed healthcare decisions are among the key benefits of the platform. Moreover, the adoption of such software takes the unilateral, somewhat hierarchical model of physician/patient interaction, and transforms it into a two-way process of communication and exchange of the vital data.

For patients, it means better access to their medical data and better chances to communicate their conditions to the specialists. With the use of wearable technology and smart devices at home, patients can save time they otherwise will spend calling the provider’s office and explaining the condition or symptoms to the front desk.

Convenience is one thing, but saving a life is another. Even before a person experiences warning signs of a certain condition, the smart devices will identify, for example, abnormal blood pressure and heart rate, and communicate the data to the hospital. A timely response can be crucial, and, hopefully soon, studies will demonstrate the extent patient engagement platforms like CarePassport can improve the early detection of life-threatening conditions. A similar platform called HealthLoop reported life-saving stories back in 2016, suggesting it may be the case also for CarePassport.

On the hospital side, the adoption of digital platforms solves a whole range of problems, from providing better quality data for clinical trials to overcoming the challenges of management and documentation silos. While healthcare is undoubtedly one of the most technologically-advanced and science-enabled industries, it still faces the challenges when it comes to data handling, be it multimedia files, or health exam records, or any other form of media.

CarePassport complies with the  Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) and Health Level Seven International (HL7) standards for medical exchange, adopted by MGH. Still a draft standard, FHIR has already been introduced into hundreds of medical systems across the U.S., and global adoption is expected once more and more healthcare specialists, from hospital administrators to researches and physicians, learn the benefits of digitally-driven health care management.

MGH’s electronic health records system already operates on FHIR. Powered by CarePassport, this system allows a greater degree of customization for individual treatment plans. While assisting specialist in their treatment of patients with special conditions, this approach facilitates data collection. The open-architecture modular structure of the CarePassport solution, at the same time, makes the interaction between different departments and medical institution easier and more efficient by facilitating data exchange and reducing silos.

The raison d'être of the startup, its value proposition, aligns perfectly with the goals of both sides of the interaction, the healthcare provider and the patient: “CarePassport is a universal platform used to exchange medical documents and information between patients and providers, designed to improve efficiency and reduce costs for hospitals while helping patients make better, informed decisions throughout their medical journey.”[?]

Is patient the boss?

Even this short overview of the Care Passport case highlights the role of the patient in a modern, digitally disrupted healthcare. From being merely a consumer of medical services, the patient enters a sort of synergy with the provider, powered by a platform engine.

Another important factor is that the market reality where customers’ preferences dictate the way businesses operate is now affecting the healthcare industry as well. The empowered customer becomes an empowered patient. Their ability to review, criticize, and give feedback now stretches from bank apps, airlines, car dealers, laundry detergents and insurance companies into to the world of healthcare delivery.  

Even if the patient is not the one who has the final word in healthcare, engaging with the patient is not just a good thing to do: it is a must. And it is beneficial, as the MGH & CarePassport case demonstrates, to the providers as much as it is beneficial to us, lay people.

[1] Sullivan, Clair, MBBS, MD, FRACP, CHIAD, Digital disruption 'syndromes' in a hospital; Australian Health Review; Collingwood, Vol 42 (3), (Jun 2018)

[2] Burridge, Letitia, PhD, MPH, BN; Person-centred care in a digital hospital; Australian Health Review; Collingwood Vol 42 (5) (Oct 2018)

[3] Forrester's 2018 Customer Experience Index Reveals No CX Leaders Among US Brands; PR Newswire; New York [New York]19 June 2018.

[4] CarePassport announces Boston Hospital will use its digital health platform for clinical trials; PR Newswire; New York [New York]06 Nov 2018.

[5] CarePassport website, FAQ, https://carepassport.com/#FAQ

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