A report from the Peterson Health Technology Institute (PHTI) found that many digital diabetes management platforms aren’t providing meaningful ROI for patients or the health system as a whole. Users of common technologies only see small, incremental clinical benefits, such as 0.23%–0.60% point reduction in HbA1c when compared to traditional care. Meanwhile, some health plans and employers are actually seeing an increase in overall costs as spending on these platforms can often exceed savings from improved clinical outcomes.
This is not news that anyone wanted to hear, especially in light of the enormous health plan investment in digital health platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have learned some incredible lessons from implementing and adapting digital health solutions quickly during the pandemic and can use these learnings to drive additional innovation in our new normal.
Why the disappointing disconnect? Because timing is everything when trying to change the status quo, and the pandemic hit at a critical juncture in the maturity curve of the digital health environment. While many of these platforms were on the right track to use virtual innovations for reducing the fragmentation and frustration of the face-to-face patient experience, the sudden urgency to shift everything fully online to meet basic care needs forced some of these issues to the back burner. As a result, some platforms are finding it difficult to loop back and address the gaps that have been unintentionally baked into their current models.
Now that the urgency of the COVID era has lessened, however, it’s time to regroup. Digital health innovators — and the providers and health plans they serve — should take this moment to reflect on solving the fundamental pain points of the patient experience, regardless of the channel, and then decide how to strategically apply digital tools to further improve the organic, fundamental relationships upon which all of healthcare is built.
Think in terms of relationships
Healthcare has built-in buy-in from consumers, but some people still think it’s not their “job” to take a leadership role in their health and well-being — it’s the job to be done by their provider and health plan. Worse yet, far too many healthcare stakeholders fail to realize that having this “captive” consumer audience doesn’t automatically mean they are engaged, educated, and empowered to own and lead their health journey. Digital health innovators cannot assume that checking off a to-do task in an app is an indicator of optimal adherence or that ordering medications and/or supplies regularly means the consumer completely understands how to use them to manage their health.
When digital care platforms rely too heavily on this transactional approach as a proxy for engagement, they lose the essence of what it means to live with a chronic condition. They can get overwhelmed. They can be less than forthcoming about their self-care. And they can struggle to seek out help without aid and encouragement from their care teams. Instead, virtual health tools need to be clear and direct conduits for relationship building, coaching, and support that is personalized and adaptable enough to meet consumers where they are in their individual health journey.
This is a major shift away from the traditional view of chronic disease management, which will require health plans to adopt a blend of digital tools and person-to-person outreach that prioritizes education and frequent check-ins to ensure ongoing adherence to critical diabetes care tasks.
Develop a more holistic view of consumers as patients
To forge strong relationships and keep consumers on therapy longer, digital health innovators need to work with peers across the care continuum to gather key data points such as clinical history, interactions with healthcare providers, health plan coverage, supply reorder history, and care management activities — as well as likely socioeconomic vulnerabilities based on geographical location and other factors.
Many outreach staff are already using these data points to better understand why users may be struggling with their care plans and how to best support them in moving back toward adherence. As analytics capabilities continue to mature, providers and health plans can use predictive analytics to not only identify individuals who are likely to experience issues in the near future, but, more importantly, to take action and pursue proactive, meaningful, and personalized interventions that are delivered in the right way, at the right time.
This level of responsiveness will be key for assisting people who are navigating complex barriers to care, such as the millions of people living with diabetes who also face socioeconomic challenges that limit their access to necessary resources for staying on track with their health.
Leverage trusted touchpoints to avoid adding more friction
As seen during COVID, a one-to-one swap of digital care instead of in-person care isn’t effective for solving the fragmentation, duplication, and friction embedded in the healthcare experience. Instead, digital tools must slot into the patient experience in an organic, seamless manner, leveraging and enhancing existing touchpoints that consumers already know and trust.
Finding these organic touchpoints has been a major blind spot for healthcare leaders across many areas of care, and there are likely still hundreds of undiscovered opportunities to positively influence behaviors by creatively adapting existing connections between patients, providers, payors, and manufacturers.
In the realm of chronic disease, extended care team providers with frequent and trusted interactions with patients, such as medical supply companies, can add value to existing touchpoints while reducing friction, thereby achieving the goals of relationship-building and simplifying the diabetes management experience.
Digital diabetes platforms need to rebalance their approach to care and consider best practice approaches to holistically supporting the consumer — approaches that don’t just throw more technology at consumers but focus on enhancing human connections and building a trusted and integrated ecosystem between consumers and the extended care teams. By taking this approach and more closely connecting the entire healthcare ecosystem, the healthcare industry — and the digital health innovators driving much-needed change — can mature faster, provide the tangible value necessary to accelerate adoption, and create a framework for improving other pain points across healthcare to foster optimal experiences and outcomes.
About Tony Vahedian
As Chief Executive Officer, Tony Vahedian brings the vision of a tech-enabled future of healthcare to inspire advancement across CCS – a leading provider of clinical programs and home-delivered medical supplies for those living with diabetes or other chronic conditions. Tony has successfully managed healthcare organizations for more than 20 years where he’s fueled accelerated growth and increased market share throughout his career. Now, Tony uses his expertise in integrated healthcare services and technology innovations to enhance the lives of individuals living with chronic conditions while driving growth at CCS.
