Every healthcare organization projects a brand built on how they deliver care. When integrating new technologies into the mix, an organization should not have to reinvent its whole brand.
In essence, technology companies should leverage what an organization already has in place, and expand it to meet value-based care demands, explains Phil Newman, CEO of ViiMed, a cloud-based technology provider in Washington, D.C.
"We've built a platform that enables healthcare organizations to create their own care plan and deploy that to their patients in a way they see fit," Mr. Newman says. ViiMed's ultimate goal involves listening to clients' problems and fixing them with simple solutions.
"In value-based care, everyone is chasing outcomes," says Mr. Newman. When taking on a new client, ViiMed executives first consider how their products will assist providers. Then, they tackle how to garner improved patient outcomes.
"If you're a digital health solution today, you should make sure that you employ the provider to improve how they operate their business — provide value to them first — so that those providers can more effectively get to their patients," Mr. Newman explains.
One aspect of ViiMed technology that alleviates provider burden involves rerouting communication.
"Patients do not know who to ask [questions or concerns], so they ask their surgeon," explains Mr. Newman. "It's a trickledown affect, because the surgeon is busy."
By redirecting those patient questions to another provider who is more readily available, such as the surgical care coordinator, the patient is not left in the dark and the surgeon is not overwhelmed.
"When the patient picks up a phone and calls, we failed," says Mr. Newman, highlighting the company's commitment to proactive communication. "We can provide insight into the patient's experience and what's going on in their care plan, to create a proactive method of engagement to a patient."
ViiMed's products are intended to engage patients, ensuring they don't feel alienated in the care process.
The company offers EXTEND, for example, which automates and personalizes joint replacement care coaching for patients. The technology also allows providers to pinpoint risk factors.
The patient is enrolled in a care platform that is predetermined based on his or her surgery plan. Utilizing ViiMed technology allows the patient to record themselves at home post-surgery and send those videos to physician assistants for evaluation. This process connects patients with providers the same amount of times as they would have experienced in a clinic, but in the comfort of their own homes.
"It's managing these gaps in between visits that's so important," says Mr. Newman. "Getting that patient home faster is really what it's all about."