What You Should Know:
Majority 90.5% of College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) members have adopted digital health, despite nearly half (47.6%) cited financial pressures and staff resource constraints (19.1%) as top barriers to digital health adoption, according to a new survey Xealth.
Conducted online between May 15 and June 20, 2023, the Xealth survey examines the digital health experiences and attitudes of CHIME healthcare executives.
Defining Digital Health & State
THe survey reveals 81% of CHIME members define digital health as downloadable apps and programs with a connected device, followed closely by patient education, pdfs and videos (not clinical references) (71.4%). Two thirds (66.7%) named remote patient monitoring (RPM) and downloadable apps and programs (no connected devices) as digital health.
Digital Health EHR Integration
According to the survey, the vast majority (81%) have integrated digital health applications into their EHR workflow and about 1 in 5 (19.1%) stated they had achieved advanced EHR integration of digital health applications with defined goals and metrics.
Digital Health Adoption Boosts Patient Enaggement & Bottomline
More than 3 in 4 (76.2%) respondents stated their health systems have experienced increased patient engagement due to increased digital health adoption. Nearly half (47.6%) of respondents noted clinician ease of use due to this increase. Respondents reported a better bottom line and reduced readmissions (14.3%) from increased digital health adoption.
Key Drivers for Expanding Digital Health
More payor or employer funded programs (81%), patient demand (71.4%), improved interoperability & ease of integration (66. 7%), clear CPT codes for digital interventions (42.9%) and more clinical evidence (33.3%) were top motivators in health systems expanding digital health.
“In an industry that is notoriously slow to change, digital health has been relatively fast at reaching a tipping point,” said Mike McSherry, CEO and co-founder of Xealth. “This research shows the opportunity with digital health. It is gratifying to see widespread C-level support and health systems beginning to tie bottom line growth and reduced readmissions to digital health. We expect that percentage to grow as digital programs mature and establish best practices.”
