- MassChallenge Awards $220K To Five Digital Health Startups
- Mayo Clinic, ASU Select 6 Digital Health Startups for Accelerator
“The rise of the digital-native physician will have a profound impact on healthcare and patient outcomes, and will place digital health technologies under pressure to perform according to higher expectations,” Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH, board chair of the AMA, explained in a press release.
Physicians are attracted to digital health tools because they allow them to provide care remotely and help to reduce provider stress and burn out. Improved efficiency and increased patient safety are vital for value-based care.
But liability coverage is the most important requirement for physician adoption of digital health tools, the study said, with electronic medical record (EHR) integration and data privacy following close behind.
AMA mentioned key drivers in the shift to digital healthcare including adoption trends in telehealth visits, remote patient monitoring, remote monitoring for efficiency, clinical decision support, patient engagement, point of care, and consumer access to clinical data.
Although the use of all the digital tools included in the survey increased, physician adoption of telehealth visits saw the greatest increase, doubling from 14 percent in 2016 to 28 percent in 2019. This category included audio and video connections used to care for home-bound patients.
Another major jump was in remote patient monitoring, which increased from 13 percent to 22 percent from 2016 to 2019. Remote patient monitoring included smart versions of thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, scales, and other common clinical devices. These tools are connected typically by Bluetooth to fill patient data into the provider EHR.
“Driving this adoption is a significant increase in the importance of physicians place in providing remote care to patients,” the study highlighted.
There wasn’t much change in point of care or workflow technology from 2016 to 2019, increasing modestly from 42 to 47 percent. This included communication and sharing of electronic clinical data to consult with specialists, referrals, and/or transition of care, the study stated.
Similarly, use of patient engagement tools only jumped slightly from 26 percent in 2016 to 32 percent in 2019. This category is vital because it ensures value-based care and works to find solutions for chronic diseases such as medication adherence to promote overall patient wellness.
Consumer access to clinical data also only rose about five percent in the three years, from 53 percent to 58 percent. But this was the highest adoption rate among the digital health tools category. It included security to grant patients access to information such as lab results, receive appointment reminders, and ask for prescription refills, appointments, and speak with their physician.
Through their ongoing partnerships and leadership role, the AMA will continue to work to drive the idea that technology is an asset and not a burden and physician burnout a “thing of the past.”
“We are committed to ensuring physicians play a greater role in the leading trustworthy and equitable tech-enabled innovation that enhances patient care, shapes a better healthcare system, and improves the health of the nation,” the AMA concluded.
By 