Evolution of technology and changing consumer behavior in healthcare space in India’ for World Health Day
CXOToday has engaged in an exclusive interview with Prashant Kashyap, Co-Founder, and COO, Connect and Heal
- How technology is making primary healthcare accessible to all at the right time and at the right place?
Technology has transformed the way primary healthcare is delivered, making it more accessible to people. For instance, telemedicine enables patients to consult with healthcare professionals remotely, eliminating the need to travel long distances to access healthcare services. Similarly, the emergence of electronic health records and information exchange has made it easier for healthcare providers to access patient data from anywhere, anytime, helping them make informed decisions and provide timely care.
- What are the current technological trends in healthcare?
While some healthcare startups are now being vertical-focused, others are getting merged or acquired by larger players to expand their services under a single umbrella.
Machine learning and personalization are other innovations being widely adopted by healthcare companies to make a more accurate diagnosis and offer instant assistance to patients. Likewise, health wearables and apps have also become popular in the last few years, with users becoming more health-conscious, and looking for more personalized care. As technologies evolve, we will see more such innovations in healthcare, transforming healthcare delivery like never before.
- How companies are adopting technology to solve healthcare challenges?
Today, many healthcare companies are leveraging technology to provide reliable care throughout the customer journey – making it easier to discover, make choices and avail services online – through either web, app, or messaging. This enables faster access to primary care to everyone irrespective of their geographical location.
Using technology, doctors in their practice are equipped with tools like differential diagnosis, automated dosage calculators, and health risk assessment forms. Technology is empowering healthcare providers to offer high-quality outcomes to patients.
There is an opportunity to further leverage technology – especially a combination of heuristics and Machine Learning to provide personalized care journeys based on individual requirements.
- What is the next big thing in healthtech in India? How does the future look like?
Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), launched by the government, is building a digital bridge that makes interoperability between different digital health systems possible. ABDM is a catalyst pushing digitization of longitudinal records by allowing patients the power and control to share it with various service providers.
The other big thing we are likely to witness in healthtech is a massive improvement in healthcare accessibility. Currently, a significant part of the family health expenses goes to OPD, whereas the In-Patient Departments (IPDs) requiring hospitalization make up a smaller part of the expenses. The concept of Out Patient Department (OPD) insurance will play an essential role in making healthcare more accessible in India as it will cover out-of-pocket medical expenses. The National Health Authority (NHA) is also setting up a health exchange platform to digitize and simplify the process of filing health insurance claims. It will also streamline workflow with a standardized communication protocol between payer and provider to enable the digitization of claims.
- How has Technology evolved in the healthcare industry and what are the changes seen in customer behavior?
The rapid advancement of technology in healthcare has brought about significant changes in consumer behavior in India. With the widespread availability of digital health platforms, consumers are now more informed and empowered to make better healthcare decisions. They can easily access information on medical conditions, treatment options, and healthcare providers. This has resulted in a shift towards a more tech-enabled patient-centered approach, where consumers are actively involved in their own healthcare decisions. Also, with more viable telemedicine options available, it is slowly becoming the first port of call for the customer/ patients.
Moreover, telemedicine has made healthcare services more accessible to remote and underserved populations, enabling consumers to receive medical consultations from the comfort of their homes. At Connect and Heal, we see Ayushman Bharat to be an important milestone in the evolution of the Indian healthcare ecosystem. With Unified Health Interface coming in, we will witness growth across a wide variety of digital health services. Further, Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) Number will make accessing and sharing health records digitally a lot easier and put complete control in the hands of the patients. In line with the government initiatives, Connect and Heal’s tech stack is aimed at making healthcare more accessible and affordable.
We are also leveraging technology to provide personalized care journeys based on individual requirements.
6. What are the major digital challenges in the healthtech industry?
The major challenges in this space are healthcare connectivity, lack of awareness, and digital literacy, mainly in remote regions. According to a study by Nielsen, rural India has 352 million internet users, almost 20 percent higher than urban. However, possibly because of low digital literacy, almost 60 percent of the rural population is still not actively using the internet.
The fragmented healthcare infrastructure is another significant challenge that is hindering the seamless delivery of healthcare services. To address this, Connect and Heal is building a robust patient-centric ecosystem with an outcome-based approach. As an end-to-end healthcare management services company, we aim to deliver superior health outcomes transparently and affordably across India.
