The Future of Electronic Health Records isn't what you think

My sturdy Eastern European frame had been showing signs of overload from too many steak dinners and business trips for the last few years. But hustling through airports with luggage in tow and long nights of networking was burning more calories than I realized. Suddenly, the pandemic hit and I found myself house bound and hungry for comfort food during a time of high stress. By June of 2020 I had piled another 15lbs onto my already burdened body.

Like so many adults, I had been on the merry-go round of weight loss for decades. This time I wanted to lose the weight for the last time. I knew it couldn't be just about weight loss, it had to be about lifestyle, health and wellness. I made the tough decision to seek professional help and not just another fad or quick fix. That came in the shape of a team of professionals, including a doctor, a nutritionists and a therapist. With the help of my Apple watch and virtual tele-doc platforms, we all got to work prioritizing my health in the middle of a pandemic.

A year later I am down almost 100lbs. Two times a week I wake up, step on my wifi connected scale and watch as it feeds metrics back to me on my body composition. Hydration, bone density, percentage of fat and muscle are all being tracked. The technology's ability to measure is more directional than perfect. (I know this because I also go for quarterly DEXA scans for comparison to monitor my physical health.) In addition to the scales metrics, I track my sleep, meditation minutes, calories, water intake and exercise. All of this data has been profoundly important to keeping me on track to my goals.

Why does any of this matter? Because I am nearing 40 years old and it took a revolution in my life for me to get to this place where I embraced a digital eco-system to transform my life. But virtual health care, device monitoring and at home wellness will be business as usual for the next generation.

The world of health care has been changing for a long time, but the pandemic quickly accelerated our comfort with the virtual world. Estimates prior to 2020 showed 75 billion internet of things (IOT) devices connected by 2025. Approximately 30% of those devices are related to healthcare. Do you think that number will accelerate given the current world situation? I certainly do. What would life have been like for me if I had access to such incredible at-home, self directed data and care when I was in my 20's struggling with my weight?

...75 billion IOT devices connected by 2025. Approximately 30% of those devices are related to healthcare...

The research shows that Gen Z wants a holistic, preventative approach to their own healthcare. They understand the interconnectivity of the mind and body, and look for whole-person proactive care instead of reactive treatment for illness. There is also an increasing comfort with biohacking and data sharing. This is a generation which won't wait until their 40's to get it together, because the devices monitoring their health will provide them with guidance and feedback.

Much of my current work in the insurance industry is centered on acquisition and usability of Electronic Health Records (EHR) and clinical health data. These highly sought after data points are gathered during interactions with care providers in a traditional setting, such as doctors visits or lab and diagnostic testing. Additionally, we are now leveraging the financial transaction footprint those interactions leave behind, in the form of billing and claims records.

If I applied for insurance today, the underwriter would be able to tell my story through my digital health data footprint. But the generations coming up, won't have a "traditional" clinical health data footprint. Without our continued evolution and understanding how individuals engage with their own healthcare, insurers will be in the dark. Or worse, wholly dependent on endless generic self-directed questionnaires and forms while trying to service a consumer who expects a personalized digital experience.

Without our continued evolution and understanding how individuals engage with their own healthcare, insurers will be in the dark.

Simply put, the electronic health record of tomorrow, does not look like the record of today.

As an industry I am keenly aware we are just scratching the surface of "getting it right" with clinical health data. There are miles to go before we are able to optimize our use of these newly accessible data points. We have to stay the course with our current efforts, but always with an eye on the future.

Lifestyle data underwriting via wearables and connected devices may not allow us to solve for a majority of the insured population today, but it certainly will shape our understanding of the applicant of the future. We need to be ready for it.

For me this means expanding the scope of our R&D and innovation teams to start to understand lifestyle factors and the data we via connected devices and wearables. While it might seem too early, now is actually the exact right time to experiment with new engagement strategies and track the progress of biometric devices, because, the stakes are low still. Let's learn, let's fail and let's iterate, before the house is on fire.

Let's learn, let's fail and let's iterate, before the house is on fire.

If you want more on the incredible work being done at Swiss Re to prepare us for underwriting the whole-person, check out The Big Six or drop me a line on LinkedIn. I'd love to chat about the future.

Opinions are my own and not representative of Swiss Re.