The technology revolution in healthcare has provided the means for developing digital medicine with capabilities to leverage data in real-time and assess every dimension of a patient’s health and wellness. Humana Care Support, a recently launched digital pilot program, is honing this concept.
Humana members engaged in this pilot program are living with complex health conditions, such as congestive heart failure and diabetes, along with multiple chronic conditions. These health conditions can be challenging to manage, as a variety of clinical and social factors can play a role in maintaining stability. However, with a unique framework that revolves around an integrated care management model, Humana Care Support staff are able to assess “whole-person wellness,” with a particular emphasis on social determinants of health. Whole-person wellness is a multidimensional concept that is central to personalizing patient care – encompassing not only clinical and physiological factors, but also societal, cultural, environmental, and psychological ones.
Once the social and clinical assessment of the patient is complete, a multi-disciplinary team consisting of pharmacists, physicians, nurses, social workers along with a multitude of healthcare specialists can develop health goals and strategies best suited for that individual. Heather Cox, Humana’s chief digital health and analytics officer, explained, “When you have an understanding of what’s most important to the member, you can leverage that personalization to deliver comprehensive care that not only addresses medical needs, but also behavioral, social and financial ones. For example, when you see a patient who is not adherent to his or her medication, you can leverage our analytics to understand if the right outreach is from a social worker to explore social determinants of health and affordability, or from a pharmacist to discuss how to mitigate common side-effects.”
Cloud technology, leveraging data, and real-time analytics will be key in the healthcare technology revolution and have become increasingly possible and advantageous, particularly during the uncertainties of the coronavirus pandemic.