The COVID-19 pandemic has put the focus on home healthcare due to the many challenges. Home healthcare agencies such as chronic disease management and care services for the elderly are thinking about proactive ways to continue to meet the high demands from patients. The main aim is to optimize workflows and offer the best care to patients. The trends clearly show that digital transformation can help home healthcare agencies provide continued care opportunities without a delay.
Home Healthcare Market
The global pandemic has stressed the need for home care and the main reason is due to an increase in the number of elderly or aging patients and patients with chronic disease conditions. Roughly, every fourth patient of a home care agency is over 85, and half of the patients have some sort of chronic illness.
Some industry predictions reveal that the existing COVID-19 situation will cause an increase in governmental assistance for nursing care in the United States. Many elderly patients are choosing home care as an option because they see nursing homes as prisons as nobody can visit.
Digital transformations and tools such as Telemedicine EMR Software solutions, remote patient monitoring, and healthcare wearables are now even more critical for healthcare providers as they keep them informed about their patient’s conditions in real-time, and patients can get the right care without having to leave their homes.
Major Home Healthcare Industry Trends 2021
Healthcare technology and digitization are here to help home care agencies to keep up with the increasing demand whilst there is a global shortage of healthcare workers.
Telemedicine
Telemedicine adoption rates boomed from 11% in 2019 to 46% in 2020 reflecting that providers see it as an effective platform to offer remote care to patients of any age group. CMS has allowed home care agencies to use telehealth solutions for cancer and immunocompromised Medicare patients. Video consultations are fruitful in getting important insights about patients’ conditions and keep track of their health.
Specialized Help within the Home healthcare setting
The COVId-19 pandemic has further stressed that patients with underlying conditions should not visit the hospital because they have a risk of catching the virus. Home healthcare agencies will now expand specialized care options such as pediatric care, mental health care, brain injury, and ventilator care.
IoMT (Internet of Medical Things)
The IoMT market share is predicted to touch $142, 45 billion by 2026. The increase in market share is due to an ever-growing demand from patients with chronic diseases and the elderly in the population. IoT devices such as clinical-grade wearables and remote patient monitoring devices are important for acute care.
Final Takeaway
Digitization is revolutionizing the home healthcare market by empowering healthcare professionals like never before and reducing the number of hospital readmissions, thus improving patient outcome levels.
