Guest commentator: Michael Bova, Managing Director, Accenture

What can the business community expect from current and future trends in digital health?

Our recent study suggests that growing demand for digital-based health services is ushering in a new model for care in which patients and machines are joining doctors as part of the healthcare delivery team.  The survey of 2,301 U.S. consumers highlights the role of patient self-service and artificial intelligence (AI) in making care more personalized and productive.

The survey found consumers are increasingly using various digital self-service tools for managing their health and selecting care on their own terms. For example, consumer use of mobile and tablet health apps has tripled over the past four years, from 16 percent in 2014 to 48 percent today. Over the past year, for example, one in four (25 percent) consumers have received virtual care services, such as a video consultation or remote monitoring. Local health systems, such as Penn Medicine, are using these advances in technology to extend the reach of specialty care.

The findings also suggest consumers are becoming more accepting of machines — ranging from AI-powered virtual assistants to home-based diagnostics — having a significantly greater role in their overall medical care. For example, a fifth (19 percent) of consumers have already used AI-powered health services. And most said they would likely use AI-enabled clinical services, such as home-based diagnostics (cited by 66 percent), virtual health assistants (61 percent) and virtual nurses that monitor health conditions, medications and vital signs at home (55 percent).

We are seeing these trends from our study come alive in Philadelphia.  As part of our innovation capabilities, Accenture actively works with digital health accelerators, such as Philadelphia-based Dreamit, to help our clients advance their innovation agenda with connections to a broader ecosystem of digital startups.

At Accenture, we have more than 20 years of experience helping our clients in the healthcare space invent their future. We bring our health and life sciences innovation capabilities together to help develop and deliver disruptive innovations for our clients and to scale them faster.

Upcoming Health Care Event

Converging for Care: Pioneering Digital Health
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
8:00 – 10:00 a.m.
WHYY
For more information and to register: ChamberPHL.com/converging2018.