Mobile technology supports collaboration among providers, payers and patients

Mobile technology is transforming healthcare because it is both real-time and ubiquitous, which gives providers the opportunity to access patient data at any time – and, most importantly, at the moment of care. Research indicates that more than 90 percent of physicians already use mobile devices – and more than 70 percent use tablets like the iPad. Tablet devices, in fact, are rapidly becoming the platform of choice because they easily fit into the very mobile workflow of providers.

In the traditional paper-based world, physicians entering an exam room with a paper chart review past history and jot notes while face-to-face with the patient. Physicians using PCs in exam rooms frequently find that not only is the technology expensive, it often impedes the patient/provider conversation. After all, it is difficult to look at a fixed computer screen and a patient at the same time.

Mobile technology, by comparison, restores patient rapport. It more closely mimics the feel of a paper-based workflow, but with far greater application. Even providers without access to an electronic health record (EHR) can leverage the smartphone or tablet computer they already own to retrieve clinical summary data or a plan of care. Providers with access to an EHR can use mobile devices to log on, view and document in the record. Mobile devices can be used to show a patient clinical literature, illustrations, or videos of procedures – all while still maintaining eye contact.

In short, mobile devices are transforming healthcare by moving us beyond strictly encounter-based data. Today’s healthcare delivery models are shifting rapidly toward pay-for-performance and care collaboration, causing mobile technology to become a significant component of the system. It lets all major players – health plans, providers, care coordinators and patients – seamlessly share clinical, administrative and financial information.

With mobile technology, providers and care coordinators get an integrated, real-time view of their patients to help guide clinical decisions and streamline workflow. This ensures that all stakeholders’ objectives are being met across the continuum of care. The key is to monitor trend data rather than getting deluged by details.

Enhancing care collaboration
In new reimbursement models such as the patient-centered medical home (PCMH), physicians and care coordinators are responsible for looking at the big picture, not just individual patient encounters. For example, a care coordinator may be monitoring a large population of diabetic patients. Each health plan has its own guidelines for these patients; without help, the care coordinator can easily get overwhelmed. However, with mobile technology, that information can be tailored and tracked for each patient at the point of care, greatly improving workflow and care coordination.

Similarly, when physicians look at integrated data on a mobile device during a patient encounter, they can tell, for example, whether the patient is adhering to guidelines established by his or her health plan. They can instantly see if there are any gaps in quality care, such as whether the patient has forgotten to get a prescription refill or a recommended preventive exam. Mobile technology easily provides critical information at the right time and the right place—at the moment of care.

Improving long-term quality of care
Perhaps the greatest benefit of mobile technology is its ability to strengthen the provider/patient relationship long after the encounter. It is an ideal tool for nurturing that bond in a non-intrusive way because patients, too, have embraced it.

For example, when a diabetic patient is due for a retinal exam based on evidence-based “best practices” or health plan rules, a timely text message from his or her provider or care coordinator serves as a welcome reminder. It is a natural extension of the provider/patient conversation.

Mobile health involves far more than just smart phones and tablet computers. Patients increasingly are comfortable with intelligent mobile biometric devices like Bluetooth-enabled digital glucometers. A diabetic patient who uses these devices to send test results electronically, for example, helps physicians and care coordinators spot trends early to head off potential health problems.

In healthcare, it is pointless to acquire mountains of data if that information cannot be aggregated into unified intelligence and shared to achieve effective patient care. The fastest, easiest way to do that is with the mobile devices patients and providers already have embraced because they fit well within modern workflows and lifestyles.

Physicians, care coordinators and patients do not have to be IT experts to use a smart phone or iPad. What is essential is that they have real-time access to information tailored to each patient’s unique situation. By aligning the objectives of health plans, providers and patients, mobile technology is taking care collaboration to the next level – greatly improving the quality of care delivered.

David Kates is senior vice president of product management and clinical strategy at NaviNet, America’s largest real-time healthcare communications network, which securely links leading health plans, industry partners and the government to physicians.