Care Management in Healthcare

Care management faces numerous challenges like inadequate funding, large geographical distances, and many more, which make care management costly not only for patients but also for health care providers. Thanks to information technology (IT), challenges affecting care management have been addressed. Technological advancements in web solutions, telecommunication as well as social networks can support care management. IT usage can result in a fundamental redesign of care management processes with the integration of electronic communication. IT systems are empowering and transiting patients from a passive role, where the patients were the recipients of care management services to an active role where the patients are informed, have choices and are involved in the decision making the process.

This transition is possible with the active involvement of patients in the care management of their diseases with the use of home monitoring devices and software, using personal health records by the patients themselves and access to information and online communities. IT has been introduced in care management in many ways. One of them is active monitoring and control which requires end-user involvement and participation. For instance, telehealth applications for home-based care management. They are used to link the patient, his/her family to the health care provider. Web-based communities have also been used for caring for patients at home. They link the patient, his/her family to health care providers, peers, and the community. We also have personal health records. They enable the patient to create and store their personal health information.  It has also been introduced in passive monitoring and management. Examples include robotic applications such as standalone artificial intelligence that support care management for patients at home.

IT has also enabled easy access to medical information in care management. It is becoming common for us to consult the internet when we have questionable symptoms to get answers. Easy access to medical information saves our money when we avoid unnecessary doctor visits for care management.  IT care management solutions have led to improved patient health care relationships. Health care providers can nowadays, easily access patients’ records, making it better for them to provide exclusive knowledge about all the patient’s medical past and care. Due to a lot of patient’s files lining the halls of practices, it created a lot of paperwork, and this eliminated the likelihood of getting years-past medical records. Technology has made it easier for medical records to be transcribed online making it available to the patient and the medical provider. Now, patients are more confident with their health provides since they know their whole health history.

It is an exciting time for care management with technological advancements in health care. We will still see many technology improvements and innovations leaving the current technology in the past. Care management is becoming fast-paced and patient-friendly than before. It will only improve from there.

In case you are looking for care management solutions, Pronix is your answer! At Pronix, we provide the best care management IT solutions as well as offering operational and technical solutions to our customers.