As virtual care continues to evolve, remote patient engagement systems are no longer just a nice-to-have option for healthcare organizations; they're a must-have.
During a March 23 webinar sponsored by Force Therapeutics and hosted by Becker's Hospital Review, two industry leaders discussed how a remote patient engagement system can improve outcomes, scale care programs and attract payers.
Participants were:
- John Grady-Benson, MD. Physician-in-Chief, Bone & Joint Institute at Hartford (Conn.) Hospital
- Mark Lieberman. President and co-founder, Force Therapeutics
Four takeaways:
1. The virtual care era. Hospitals and health systems in the U.S. are estimated to have lost $120.5 billion from July through December 2020, according to the American Hospital Association. Last year, virtual care became ubiquitous throughout the healthcare industry, driven by a need to lower costs and improve patients' access to care during the COVID-19 pandemic. "It has ushered in a new era of care," Mr. Lieberman said. "Technology has a proven ability in this battleground environment to improve patient care, digital coordination and care team workflows ... without sacrificing the quality that patients expect."
2. The key to scaling care. In addition to enhancing patient care and quality data collection, healthcare organizations are using digital care platforms to scale navigation capabilities and reduce readmission rates. Finding the right partner to scale operations is key to driving program value and market share, according to Dr. Grady-Benson. "Programs must scale intelligently to be set up for success and able to manage the subsequent growth," he said. "Scaling intelligently, with a like-minded tech partner, ensures that quality of care won't falter as you grow."
3. Superior patient data. Using the Force Therapeutics platform, Bone & Joint Institute is collecting pre-op hospital experience surveys to capture patients' subjective experiences, which provides concrete data that validates how it is engaging with patients. The technology allows providers to monitor patient data and outcomes in real time and benchmark that data "across our group of physicians at [Bone & Joint Institute] to ensure we're staying on track," Dr. Grady-Benson said.
4. Payers seeking proof of engagement. Force Therapeutics' episode-based digital care platform, often part of strategies to strengthen quality bonuses or achieve Center of Excellence status, has been used by healthcare organizations to demonstrate value to payers, Mr. Lieberman said. "Since the data now exists to show the level of patient engagement and their outcomes, payers are now asking for it. Soon, they will be requiring it."
Click here to learn more about Force Therapeutics and here to view the webinar.