Over the last few years we all have heard and seen a lot of initiatives around digital health but I just can?t hep but think that we are just skimming the top of digital health. ?The changes that are being implemented due to the Affordable Care Act are going, I believe, to make more patients consumers of healthcare at the same time when consumers are learning the importance of digital devices to keep them connected and control the world they live in.
Average health insurance premiums for employer-sponsored family coverage soared 62% between 2003 and 2011, far outpacing the rise in wages, a new study found.
By 2011, there were 35 states in which the annual premium equaled 20% or more of income, according to a study issued Wednesday by?The Commonwealth Fund. This compares to just one state in 2003. ?Most consumers have no idea how much they pay for healthcare beyond premiums and co-pays.
Until they do it will be difficult to temper the rate of cost growth in healthcare, says Paul H. Keckley, PhD, executive director of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions.??Our surveys show that about 53% of consumers are oblivious to costs and tend to go along with whatever is suggested. Only one in 10 is inclined to be price sensitive,? Keckley says. ??That is a pretty bad starting point for reducing healthcare costs, especially if the incentives in the system are for doing more, which leads doctors and providers to recommend tests and surgeries that shouldn?t be done, or even medications that don?t work.?
A study from Deloitte?The hidden costs of U.S. health care: Consumer discretionary health care spending?finds that out-of-pocket expenses accounted for about 13% ($402 billion) of the estimated $3.2 trillion in healthcare spending in 2010.?
Government spending accounted for 40% of the spending. Of this, Medicare accounted for 16% ($527 billion); Medicaid, around 13% ($404 billion); and other public spending just under 11% ($346 billion). Private insurance paid for 27% of expenditures ($861 billion).
If we are serious about lowering healthcare costs a number of things have to happen. First, consumers have to take more responsibility for their personal health and wellness. ?This means we ALL have to take better care of ourselves and take steps to get healthy via better diets and exercise. ?Second, healthcare marketers need to stop selling so hard and provide clear and concise reasons for patients to ask for or use their medications. ?Non compliance and adherence costs billions of dollars in healthcare dollars. ?Finally, digital has to come together to provide a better overall patient experience.
As I have said many times and what research has shown is that the digital search for health information does not start and end in one place. ?Consumers want more information and want to hear others experiences when it comes to healthcare treatments. ?Some believe that mHealth is the answer but I would argue that we are far from having mHealth become a major part of the patient healthcare experience. ?This doesn?t meant that healthcare marketers shouldn?t invest in mHealth it just means that they need think about mHealth in terms of adding real value to patients.
Comscore recently indicatedthat consumers and patients are still using pharma sites but most pharma sites try too hard to sell and most don?t give users what they want which is information they can understand and use. ?Click stream analysis of many sites shows that consumers usually go from one site to another site to collect health information. ?The bottom line is that healthcare marketers need to get users involved in their marketing, from strategy to execution. ?They need to ask consumers ?what they want in digital health? and the need a system that keeps on building on learnings.
Digital health is at a very early stage but with a new tools coming online and with more and more consumers learning how to integrate digital into their lives their is a wealth of opportunities.
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