NCPHN’S VISION FOR DIGITAL HEALTH
NCPHN’S VISION FOR DIGITAL HEALTH NCPHN’S VISION FOR DIGITAL HEALTH
NCPHN’S VISION FOR DIGITAL HEALTH OUR VISION FOR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION What comes to mind when you hear the words ‘digital health technology’? Most health professionals think of electronic health records, digital referrals and discharge summaries. But digital health technology is exploding in all directions and has enormous potential in the field of health and wellness. Health care is no longer about just prescribing care plans and interventions– now it’s possible to prescribe a digital device or app as a health solution.
BENEFITS FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS Digital health technology is here for us to use now, and with the costs of health care rising we need to work in cost effective ways. Digital health technology can play a major role in driving down health care costs, but without costing people jobs. It can save health professionals significant paperwork time, giving them more time to see patients. Technology can make clinicians’ jobs easier by providing them with personal health data and enabling them to use that data to deliver services in a more specialised way. Telehealth, used both in homes and aged care facilities, can reduce hospital admissions and presentations to Emergency Departments, and cut hospital bed days.
Health care ‘biosensing’ wearables include the Apple Watch and smartphones
through telehealth, and digital messages can also remind or alert patients to adhere to their medication regimen. North Coast Primary Health Network’s new Director of Digital Health and Marketing, Mason Andrews spoke to HealthSpeak about the organisation’s vision for Digital Health and the process of designing its Digital Health Strategy.
Mason Andrews
16
H E A LT H S P E A K | A U G U S T 2 0 1 9
2. NEW MODELS OF DIGITAL CARE:
Innovation will enable us to deliver digital models of care, and not just through the use of telehealth. For example, we’ll be using technology to better manage chronic disease and build better self-management, which ultimately results in a higher number of ‘activated’ consumers.
3. ENHANCING interoperability and SYSTEMS: It’s crazy that in 2019
we still have fragmented processes, the inability to share patients’ data to other clinicians involved in their care, or even to send referrals securely (not by fax!). We need to work with everyone involved across the health care journey and collaborate to break down these barriers.
BENEFITS FOR PATIENTS Already around 80% of the population goes online for health information with more and more open to using health care apps. Other notable developments are health care ‘biosensing’ wearables such as the Apple Watch and smartphones. Technology can improve access to health care for people with mobility problems. It can also monitor changes in the health status of patients at home
Business Intelligence (BI) technology, we can harness the possibilities together and look across our footprint with the data that we have to understand better the needs of communities, but also to measure programs and interventions in real time and adjust as required.
Mason: Digital technology underpins
and enables healthier communities and more efficient, effective care. Digital Transformation can be categorised in three ways. 1. BIG DATA: Using machine learning, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and
HS: Tell us about your vision for digital transformation? Mason: My vision is that, as a Primary
Health Network, whenever we make decisions we look at what can be done that is underpinned by Digital Health. For example, how can we address health