Experts across the country are focusing on how to make health care a better experience for patients, including using new technology, as part of efforts to reach the Triple Aim of better care and better health outcomes at lower costs.
Apple, for example, unveiled a new data integration system called HealthKit on Monday that will collect, track and monitor individuals’ activity and health. Users will receive their biometric data.
Apple is partnering with the Mayo Clinic to allow health care providers to add patient information to HealthKit. Epic Systems, an electronic health records vendor, is working to make HealthKit data available to hospital information systems.
“We believe Apple’s HealthKit will revolutionize how the health industry interacts with people,” said Mayo Clinic CEO Dr. John H. Noseworthy.
So, will this tool help to improve the patient experience? Only time will tell.
Meanwhile, we can look to the 2013 Colorado Health Access Survey (CHAS) for insight into how Coloradans currently view the patient experience and the health care system.
The good news? Nearly seven of 10 Coloradans (69.1 percent) agreed that the current health care system was meeting the needs of their families. But that still left roughly one in five Coloradans who strongly disagreed.
Coloradans’ views on whether the health care system meets the needs of their families appear closely linked to whether they have health insurance. (See graphic below.) About two of three uninsured Coloradans (65.5 percent) don’t think the health care system meets the needs of their families, compared with 25.2 percent of insured residents.
Clearly, there is room to improve Coloradans’ views of the health care system, especially for the uninsured population. It will be interesting to see whether technology, including HealthKit, can play a role in improving how patients perceive their health care.
