In solving unprecedented workforce shortages, we must look to reduce demand on healthcare workers’ time. Recruiting and training more staff is basically treating the symptom and driving up cost. In order to solve this crisis, we must enable and drive patients to greater self-management and we must automate care management processes – particularly those relating to chronic conditions.
Better Patient Self-Management, better for all
The patient as a resource and active participant in their care must not be overlooked. The cost of managing patients with chronic conditions (frequently multiple conditions) is perhaps the greatest threat to the provision of healthcare in the US. We also know that chronic conditions are disproportionately prevalent among older adults as well as ethnic and racial minorities.
Driving patient engagement and self-management not only delivers a better patient experience and better clinical outcomes it also significantly reduces the use of clinical time – thus saving costs.
Here are some examples of what our healthcare partners have achieved using our Intelligent Health Messaging platform Florence:
- Diabetes: 64% less time spent with diabetes patients while improving A1c management
- Hypertension: 50% fewer appointments for hypertensive patients while improving BP management
- COPD: 81% of patients needing fewer appointments; 70% reduction in emergency admissions
Automation: Less work, more satisfaction
Automating more care management – including driving patient self-management – will not only reduce routine work but deliver more meaningful encounters between patients and their healthcare teams.
The US needs more than 1 million nurses, it needs more physicians, and more allied healthcare professionals. In March 2022 the American Nurses Association released the results of its COVID-19 Impact Assessment Survey, which found that 52% of nurses are considering leaving their current position due primarily to insufficient staffing, work negatively affecting health and well-being, and inability to deliver quality care.
It is not a question of whether to drive towards automation or not – there is simply no choice; with accelerating demand there is simply not enough staff.
With our platform Florence, we have successfully supported the management of over 200,000 patients through partial automation. Florence has exchanged over 20 million Intelligent Health Messages with patients: from medication reminders, diabetes education to requesting BP readings.
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