Knowledge is Power in Connected Health
By Greg Lillegard
Connected Health is a nuanced topic, with many names often used in its place: telehealth, telemedicine, mHealth, remote patient monitoring and remote care. Regardless of the name used, it is an exciting area of growth in professional medical devices, and the old saying, “knowledge is power” is exceedingly true in Connected Health. The rapid advancement of technology in telehealth, combined with consumer comfort using IoT devices, allows healthcare providers more data and more timely data than they could have hoped for just a few years ago, much to the benefit of all parties.
As providers are discovering, the primary benefit of Connected Health is an influx of reliable data, which makes diagnosis and treatment, especially of chronic conditions, more cost effective and efficient. In the past, healthcare providers often lacked faith in handwritten measurement logs. Were they accurate or recorded at the stated times? Were some “poor” readings excluded?
Now, measurements are logged automatically, which reduces error and confusion and increases reliability and consistency. The new, more trustworthy data empowers healthcare providers to make better, faster, and more informed decisions, as well as improving the timeliness of their patient communication.
Beyond having better, more complete and up-to-date data, providers often find that patients are more compliant with treatment due to their engagement in the process.
Providers also have the advantage of recommending connected home monitoring devices, which typically come with mobile apps that can be downloaded for free.
Patients can send their data via email at regular intervals, or if a threshold is met, they can call the office for additional instructions.
Further, Connected Health allows patients without easy access to providers – due to distance or disability – a more direct line of communication with their healthcare team. While access to healthcare is frequently a topic in the news, more patients yet can be reached as additional providers adopt Connected Health technologies and CPT codes that enable streamlined remote patient care.
Regardless of the method providers use when implementing Connected Health in their practice, the benefit remains the same: knowledge. And the resulting empowerment and efficiency often makes providers wish they had made the change sooner. For the foreseeable future, Connected Health will continue to transform the practice of medicine, allowing for more cost savings, efficiency and increased patient satisfaction at every stage of the patient’s journey.
About Greg Lillegard
Greg Lillegard is the General Manager for A&D Medical in the Americas, a world leader in the design and manufacturing of advanced biometric monitoring solutions, including pioneering connected devices, like blood pressure monitors, weight scales, activity monitors, and other health monitoring devices for consumer and professional use. Mr. Lillegard has been in the Medical Devices industry for nearly 30 years. Prior to joining A&D, Mr. Lillegard worked for Honeywell and GE in their medical businesses.
If you are interested in learning more about Connected Health or professional medical devices, please contact us at [email protected].
