Industry Disruption
and Connective Care

Written By: BRITTANI DAY

Isn’t it interesting that one of the largest competitors in the hotel and lodging industry doesn’t own one property? Isn’t it fascinating that one of the largest taxi and transportation companies doesn’t own any vehicles? Airbnb is a privately-owned accommodation rental website which enables hosts to rent out their personal properties and rooms to guests from all over the world. For many guests, Airbnb can offer a cheaper alternative to paying for a hotel room. Because of this, hotels are losing their pricing power and are starting to feel the impact. Uber, a large transportation company, enables customers to book drivers that are using their own cars. They are fulfilling over one million rides on a daily basis and currently have over eight million users. Ubers great success directly correlates with the decrease in traditional taxi usage. With continual advancements in technology, disruption is happening in every industry. So how is traditional healthcare being impacted? Today more than ever people are using the internet to research medical issues. Have you ever looked up a symptom you or a loved one was experiencing on the internet? Most of us have. Have you ever looked up treatments or medications based off of your findings? While it is never a good idea to skip out on the doctor completely, technology has made it possible for patients to have greater access to healthcare professionals quicker and easier. This concept is called Connective Care.

Connective Care is slowly being implemented in many different forms. Wearable health monitoring devices, mobile health apps, and live video chats with health care providers are a few examples. Through connective care people can receive quick answers about their health instead of looking up their symptoms online. Instead of unreliable assumptions there are now methods to talk with a health care professional through something as quick and easy as an app on your tablet. Connective Care is helping with the integration of fitness and wellness information and health vitals all into a single platform. It helps simplify health management, and allows easy collaboration between patients and providers. Connective Care is convenient.

It is never good timing to be sick, but connective care makes it easier to see a doctor and get a prescription while you are out-of-town or when you don’t have time to sit in a waiting room. Connective Care is not only cutting time in waiting rooms but is cutting costs as well. The funds needed for traveling for both health care providers and patients are limited. Connective Care is especially helpful in rural communities where patients would travel hours to have a doctor’s appointment. Now they can receive a diagnosis without ever leaving their home. Results from the 2016 HIMSS Connected Health Survey estimate that 52% of hospitals in the United States currently use three or more connected health technologies. Forty seven percent of hospitals in the United States expect to expand their use of connected health technologies in the next few years. Results also explain that the most commonly cited technologies that hospitals plan to add include patient generated health data solutions, telehealth concierge services, and SMS texting.

All that being said, there are cases when Connective Care is not the best solution. You would not want to use connective care in cases of chest or abdominal pain, difficulty speaking, sudden or severe pain, and uncontrollable bleeding. In cases of sinus pressure, a sore throat, eye or ear infection, and rashes, connective care would be appropriate. During the connective care process you might have a connective care provider recommend that you make an appointment in person so the doctor can get a better evaluation. Visit intermountainhealthcare.com to see a full list of when connective care is appropriate.

Charles Darwin, best known for developing the Theory of Evolution once said, "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." Connective Care is a major change happening in health care industry. As the evolution of technology continues to advance, all industry’s will continue to be disrupted. These changes are not stopping. The good news is disruption often leads to advancement. One example of this is found in a quote from Dr. Glen Stream, Chairman of Family Medicine for America’s Health when he said, "We believe consumer health technologies — apps, wearables, self-diagnosis tools — have the potential to strengthen the patient-physician connection and improve health outcomes." As we embrace the changes that come with connective care we can also look towards improved health, which is something I think we can all support.

Sources:
www.airdna.co
www.businessofapps.com/
www.techmahindra.com
www.himss.org