3 MIN. READ

Amazon, Spotify, Netflix, companies we interact with any given day, set a new norm for personalized experiences. With that, consumers now want more customized care and communications when it comes to their most valuable asset, their health.

As the trend continues, well-designed digital platforms can equip healthcare and insurance providers with more comprehensive data and insights. Such technology enables organizations to anticipate healthcare consumer needs better and meet their expectations, essential to personalization and customizable care.

The shift toward customizable care

Customer experience will soon surpass price and product as the key brand differentiation, meaning that meeting patient expectations will be all the more important for staying competitive. One area in which personalization has been lacking is healthcare insurance. Archaic policies that don’t treat consumers as individuals stunted the industry to less than 1.5 percent expected growth in 2019.

Innovative insurance companies use digital solutions to create a more-personalized experience and engage their customers in their own healthcare. Data-driven, interactive healthcare services are expected to gain popularity continually as companies tailor premiums and discounts to individuals.

Digital tools can also encourage healthy behaviors by tracking and rewarding compliance with personal goals and wellness plans. Consumers are motivated to work toward a healthier lifestyle, insurance providers reduce claims costs, and employers can reduce employee sick days and premiums, a win for all.

Defining customized care

With a wealth of information available online, consumers have more knowledge and freedom to choose their providers. And, with 33 percent of patients finding providers on peer-review sites, healthcare organizations must meet consumer expectations to stay competitive.

With digital tools and data-driven services, providers can provide patient personalization and customizable care treatment and plans. To provide what consumers now expect, providers need a better understanding of them. That means adopting data-driven technology and building patient profiles to group individuals into distinct categories and customize their care options and preferred communications. For example, they can group the elderly based on medical criteria such as vulnerability and alternative therapies, and religious and cultural customs.

Information technology’s role

For targeted data, customizable care uses cutting-edge technology that transforms big data into usable patient categories. Deep learning analyzes data with unprecedented speed, and precision apps and online portals facilitate remote information exchanges. The patient-care team can more accurately exchange treatment information, manage side effects, and adjust medication.

Beyond treatment, a well-designed platform with a strong user experience can provide a patient with insight into an involved procedure such as surgery. And, providers can use it for enhanced disease management.

When providers are not present, digital sensors can send alerts via apps and connected devices when a change in the patient’s condition requires immediate attention. Also, healthcare consumers can use technology to manage their health at home, such as diabetes patients using apps to log blood sugar and other readings to track patterns, goals, and progress.

Customizable care as a new expectation

Customizable care will soon become the new norm. Providing technology that engages consumers in their health, in a personalized way can equip organizations to meet patient expectations, ultimately increasing market share, boosting revenues, and enhancing wellness.

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