The pandemic forced many enterprises to rethink their operational approach, especially when it came to reaching out to their customers. With this came a new willingness – driven by necessity – to adopt a digital-first approach. As the new normal started to take shape, those enterprises that already had strong digital capabilities successfully traversed the challenges of the last 18 months.
Healthcare has been no exception, with the sector having been forced to adopt a digital approach that centers on meeting the individual needs of patients.
In the post-Covid world, consumers have become accustomed to services that are convenient, intelligent and readily available. Consequently, patients are beginning to turn their attention away from the traditional structure of healthcare delivery models and are seeking frictionless and virtual healthcare experiences. In the US alone, research indicates that 50 million people would be willing to switch their family practice provider to have access to virtual visits.
That’s why it’s time for the healthcare sector to adopt the innovative practices used by those businesses at the cutting edge of consumer-focused delivery, and drive the shift to a more individualized approach to patient wellness.
Healthcare as a bespoke consumer focussed service
The implementation of digital touchpoints, adoption of social distancing measures and new hygiene protocols have altered traditional healthcare. While patients still value in-person interactions, in many instances they are happy to embrace the convenience of digital or telephone appointments, and to incorporate digital health into their treatment plans.
A shift that was initially driven by necessity is now being welcomed by patients who want personalized and relevant consumer healthcare services that are available around the clock. These include:
- Making use of web and mobile applications for the delivery of remote clinical care (telemedicine) to enable video consultations and personalized, digital care.
- Digitized pharmacy operations that provide multi-channel ordering, in-store pick up, and next day home delivery, while enabling the pharmacist to act as a coach, leveraging better AI systems to improve care based on patient histories.
- Wearable devices providing customized health recommendations and remote health status updates for solutions such as digitally connected elder care.
As an industry, telehealth is uniquely positioned to provide services such as home health tests, allowing healthcare providers to proactively engage with consumers, representing an opportunity to drive efficiencies by improving the patient experience and tailoring services to patient needs. It allows for the extension of care, shifting from treatment to wellness and enabling the remote management of patient recovery.
An industry that was propelled by the pandemic, the global telehealth market is now forecast to reach nearly $460 billion by 2030. Capgemini research shows that 93% of patients wish to make use of more digital solutions when engaging with their healthcare providers. At the same time, 83% of patients reported that they felt more satisfied because they could access virtual care.
From the healthcare providers’ perspective there are also significant benefits. In Australia, 53% of health systems reported that telehealth reduced their costs when compared with conventional care. And as well as making healthcare systems more efficient, telehealth is well positioned to ensure the widespread expansion of care. Healthcare services within the US are indicative of this switch, where there has been a 418% increase of people using telehealth in replacement of in-person visits. Additionally, 75% of US hospitals today connect with patients at a distance through telehealth services.
Telehealth as a tool
At its core, telehealth achieves two key factors that should be apparent in digital transformation – driving efficiencies and improving the customer experience. Healthcare as an enterprise is ripe for digital transformation, but any organization undergoing transformation must take into account access, regulation, security, training, and supply and demand throughout the process.
Not all patients possess high-speed internet, so decreasing the reliance on video chat and instead distributing educational materials can help drive uptake. Providers must ensure there is sufficient training and support to ease patients through their first telehealth experience. The same applies to employees. Gradually training and transitioning remote care professionals to digital health based on patient demand can help prevent staffing issues.
This new era of healthcare presents a unique opportunity for the industry. It’s not often that service providers find themselves in the situation where the supply matches the demand so swiftly. However, to meet the desired healthcare experience of patients, providers must accelerate their provision of frictionless, omnichannel digital services. If telehealth is successfully integrated into the current healthcare offering, it could digitally transform the healthcare industry.
By Scott Manghillis, Go-to-Market Lead for Healthcare and Life Sciences at Capgemini’s Business Services
