HIMSSCast
HIMSSCast: How digital health can lower costs, streamline ops and much more
Jan 17, 2025
Thom Bales, U.S. Health Services Advisory Leader at PwC, delves into the pressing challenges in healthcare, such as skyrocketing costs and the impact of digital health. He highlights how digital advancements can enhance efficiency and reduce costs, especially in home care. The conversation touches on disparities in digital health access, particularly for complex Medicaid patients, and innovative solutions like street medicine. Bales emphasizes meeting diverse patient needs through personalized digital health strategies that engage busy demographics.
17:52
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Quick takeaways
- Digital health technologies, such as telemedicine and remote monitoring, significantly enhance care delivery efficiency and lower overall healthcare costs.
- Addressing disparities in digital health adoption among diverse patient populations is crucial to ensure equitable access to cost-effective care solutions.
Deep dives
Rising Costs in Healthcare
The healthcare industry is currently facing significant challenges, with medical inflation reaching its highest rate in over a decade. Key drivers of these rising costs include the increased utilization and pricing of GLP-1 drugs, which are being used more frequently for chronic care. Additionally, general economic inflation is compounding these issues as healthcare providers struggle with rising labor costs and expenses for medical supplies. Notably, behavioral health has emerged as a major cost driver due to growing recognition and reimbursement for mental health services, but this also highlights a shortage in availability to meet patient demands.
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