Home Care Association of Florida - The Florida Home Care Connection Magazine, Spring/Summer 2019

20 Home Care Association of Florida HomeCareFLA.org FEATURE How Virtual Care Technology is Key to the Future of Home Care Lee Horner, Synzi E lder patients represent a significant share of the home care market, with specific demands on how and when care is “consumed”. BDO’s Candid Conversations on Elder Care recently studied the future of elder care and highlighted that consumerization is critical; these patients prefer that their remaining years be “measured by quality of life and autonomy” instead of quantified by the actual number of days. Because seniors wish to spend their last days “outside of the hospital and in the comfort of their own homes,” providers see great opportunity in home care and palliative care — as well as in technologies that will improve both types of care. Sixty- three percent of health care organizations surveyed indicate that home-based care was most ripe for tech disruption by 2020. The greatest opportunities for technology to improve elder care are care coordination (58 percent), drug pricing (24 percent), and delivery of services (24 percent). The consumerization of healthcare was also a subject of great interest at the 2019 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in January. Consumers are being asked — and also expressing interest — in taking a more active role in their care and increasingly leveraging digital tools to assist in their efforts. With a focus on patients (consumers) and their families, health care will need to embrace better business models and consumer-centric innovation. Factors such as the aging baby boomer population, the rising cost of care, and the shifting reimbursement policies are requiring health care organizations to rethink how care is delivered without compromising the quality and timing of care. High Tech & High Touch Health Care Patients are increasingly using technology and devices to manage or conduct other aspects of their life including shopping, finance, and social media. Across all generations, devices such as smartphones