Wouldn’t it be nice to wave a magic wand and address all your health care needs, concerns and questions at once?
How much are my co-pays for that MRI? Question answered. Did I do my 30 minutes of activity today? Check. How’s my blood pressure today? Actually, it’s time to talk to your doctor about that.
Naturally, there is no magic wand, but today’s virtual and mobile technology is putting the power of health care management directly in the hands of consumers. Some tools are available now. Some arrive soon. Here are five reasons to let virtual and mobile health care do its magic.
1. Track eating habits
Old-fashioned “diets” don’t work for weight management, advises Betsey Miller, certified registered nurse practitioner with Pinnacle Health’s (www.pinnaclehealth.org) Good Hope Family Physicians in Enola. But reshape your eating habits through smartphone apps, and she sees a “huge difference.”
“These free apps really help people manage their diet in a way that they don’t necessarily have to change what they’re eating,” Miller says. Such apps as MyFitnessPal, SparkPeople and Lose It! allow users to assess calories and nutrition values of the foods they eat. Progress shows in pounds shed, and kept off.
“It gets them really thinking about what they’re eating before they put it in their mouths, because it gets them to be accountable for something,” Miller says.
2. Get moving In fitness, every step and every activity counts. Fitness-tracking apps, such as EveryMove and Fitbit, help turn wellness practices into daily habits.
Watch for insurers and health systems keeping things fresh and fun by regularly unveiling new incentives. Capital BlueCross’ (www.capbluecross.com) Move It! campaign recently partnered with EveryMove to encourage individuals and teams to earn points for fitness activities and win financial rewards for charities.
“People see results, and they want more,” says Capital BlueCross public relations manager Joe Butera. “They’re looking for the next challenge.” PinnacleHealth’s Health Hub of Central PA app helps users find fitness facilities by preference (maybe you want a yoga studio with child care) and search nearby restaurants by healthy menu options.
3. Manage the day-to-day stuff
You can check bank accounts online, or choose airline flights by time and seat assignment. Why not check medical records, see test and imaging results and schedule appointments remotely?
Welcome to the expanding world of patient portals, such as Lancaster General Health’s (www.lancastergeneralhealth.org) mylghealth. The increasingly popular portal provides health care transparency, says Corey B. Meyer, director of mobile and virtual health services. Graphs show trends in test results. Links go to clearly written explanations of all terms, “because no one ever keeps that piece of paper you get from the pharmacy.”
“The important thing for us is not only that they see this information, but they understand it,” Meyer says.
4. Compare costs and providers More and more, online and mobile options let consumers compare costs and quality.
Capital BlueCross members, for instance, can use their patient portal not just for checking claims and coverage, but for reading real, unedited reviews of providers. They can compare facilities’ fees and calculate total out-of-pocket costs before scheduling procedures. Soon, they can opt to receive alerts of savings opportunities.
“You log in. We know who you are and what sort of plan you have,” says Lori Duarte, Capital BlueCross’ manager of experiential marketing. “It’s very custom.”
5. In-home monitoring
Coming soon to your home: the ability to transmit health information to providers. Lancaster General Health is piloting “electronic visits,” allowing patients to enter symptoms or ask questions electronically. On the other end, doctors can respond and prescribe medications. It won’t replace direct contact, but it saves office visits and phone tag with doctors “just to see if you’re OK,” says Meyer.
PinnacleHealth is testing wireless remote transmission of patients’ weight, blood pressure, blood oxygen and pulse from home. Results are
reviewed and, if needed, flagged for follow-up.
Remote monitoring could help patients with congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes manage their chronic conditions, reports Jason Lato, Pinnacle’s senior strategic initiative developer.
The goal is preventing chronic conditions from deteriorating, “to help the health system keep an eye on patients to keep them healthy, before it gets to a critical point where they have to show up in an emergency room,” says Lato.
The next big thing
Imagine a world where you’re regularly reminded about due dates for your next tetanus shot, mammogram or colonoscopy. Imagine having a real-time doctor’s visit through video conferencing.
They’re under development, in the continuing drive to transfer control into the hands of healthcare consumers.
“People want to see more,” says Meyer.
Capital BlueCross is even developing “the mother of all apps,” an umbrella covering every function, says Duarte.
“All your health information, all your coverage information, all your fitness information, all your family profile information, right now, it’s all in separate apps,” she says. “If there’s a hub that houses all of that, you really only have one place to go.”
So maybe that magic wand is on its way, after all.
