Harnessing the Power of Technology to Improve Chronic Care Management
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Harnessing the Power of Technology to Improve Chronic Care Management A Whitepaper Harnessing the Power of Technology to Improve Chronic Care Management Contents Executive Summary .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 3 The Cost of Care .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Self-Management Scenario .............................................................................................................................................................................. 6 Care Coordination Scenario.............................................................................................................................................................................. 8 Caregiver/Patient Collaboration Scenario ................................................................................................................................................. 11 Improved Decision Support Scenario ......................................................................................................................................................... 13 Future of Healthcare .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Start Building a Better Future Today ........................................................................................................................................................... 17 Appendix: Microsoft Technologies Supporting Chronic Care Management .............................................................................. 18 Why Microsoft? .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 19 Appendix: Microsoft Solutions at Work Today ....................................................................................................................................... 20 2 | P a g e J a n u a r y 2 0 1 2 Harnessing the Power of Technology to Improve Chronic Care Management Executive Summary The prevalence of chronic conditions is increasing in Canada, and the financial impact on health system is mounting. In the current environment, technology can be harnessed to support new approaches of coordinating and managing chronic conditions benefiting providers, patients and all Canadians. The Canadian healthcare system is perceived to be a successful model by international comparison. However, governments and providers of healthcare services will need to develop new approaches in order to address key trends and challenges such as long wait times, growing consumer demand for access to higher quality healthcare, rising costs, rise in chronic illnesses, and an aging population. Overcoming these challenges will require a combination of initiatives such as coordinated disease management, patient self-care programs, and timely interventions to identify early warning signs of potential problems that could result in costly acute situations. In particular, Canadian healthcare can benefit from both existing information technologies, as well as adaptation of newer information technologies and services that facilitate: Improved on-line patient interaction: Web based technologies that enable patients to self-manage conditions, access and share critical information about their health, and connect to biometric devices such as blood pressure monitors, glucometers and more. Improved coordination of care: Empowering health professionals to have access to critical patient information as patients move across the continuum of care. Remote monitoring and virtual communication: Tools that enable telehealth scenarios where consultations and collaboration take place via low cost and pervasive web conferencing tools and commodity devices, rather than face-to-face. Population health intelligence: Making data readily available to provide a clear view of patient populations, helping drive better treatment for both the individual and the broader population health initiatives. This thought paper illustrates the financial impact of chronic disease in Canada, and how a move towards the use of technology has the potential for improving the delivery of services, while helping to keep costs down. Many healthcare organizations in Canada as well as across the globe are realizing the benefits of taking advantage of existing infrastructure and information technologies. Advances in web and mobile technologies, and telehealth services are helping improve efficiencies in care team collaboration, patient-doctor consultation, and patient education. Gaming technologies are gaining recognition for their potential in supporting health and wellness, physical activity and even rehabilitation scenarios. Cloud technology gives healthcare providers an opportunity to rapidly build and deploy scalable and interoperable systems without a large capital investment in infrastructure. Microsoft has made significant investments to develop technologies that connect the health community, enable healthcare providers to unlock the power of data to help improve care, and to provide consumers the tools they 3 | P a g e J a n u a r y 2 0 1 2 Harnessing the Power of Technology to Improve Chronic Care Management need to better manage their own health and specific conditions. In this paper, you will learn how technology can help improve chronic care management in the areas of: Patient Self-management Care coordination across the health continuum Caregiver/patient collaboration Improved decision support and analytics The Cost of Care The Canadian healthcare system is perceived to be a successful model by international comparison. Spending on healthcare was expected to reach 11.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2011,1 which compares favorably to the United States’ expenditure of around 17 percent of GDP.2 The future of Canadian healthcare, however, is facing serious risks. The current system is grappling with long wait times, growing consumer demand for access to high quality care, rising costs, and an aging population. Canada needs to find affordable ways to meet the increasing demands on their healthcare system. The cost of healthcare is perhaps the most pressing issue. It’s rising rapidly in Canada – from $39.7 billion in 1975 to $200.5 billion in 20111 – an increase that more than doubled per-capita spending. Costs are being driven by a number of factors – data show that hospitals make up the largest component of healthcare spending, accounting for 29.1% of total health expenditures in 2009. Drugs represent the second-largest share at 16.2%, while physicians make up the third-largest share at 13.6%. While hospitals, drugs and physicians account for almost 60% of the total healthcare spending, many experts believe that one important way to reduce healthcare spending is to shift care delivery from costly acute settings to more cost effective community and home based settings. There are a number of critical factors required to make this shift, including policy enablers (such as payment models), information and communication technologies, and consumer empowerment – to help individuals take a more active role in managing health. The largest single driver of healthcare costs in Canada is chronic disease. In 2010, the direct cost of care for chronic disease in Canada reached $68 billion, more than half of all health care spending3. Take diabetes, for example. The number of people diagnosed with diabetes in Canada [was] expected to double between 2000 and 2010, from 1.3 million to about 2.5 million. By 2020, another 1.2 million people are expected to be diagnosed with diabetes, bringing the total to about 3.7 million. As that number grows, diabetes will consume a growing share of healthcare budgets. By 2020, diabetes is expected to cost Canada more than $16 billion. It now accounts for about 3.5 percent of public healthcare spending in Canada, a share that is expected to rise significantly. Other chronic disease costs driven by obesity, cardiovascular conditions, and other illnesses, are expected to increase in a similar 1 Canadian Institute for Health Information, CIHI, (2011), National Health Expenditure Trends, 1975 to 2011, http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/products/nhex_trends_report_2011_en.pdf 2 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, National Health Expenditures 2009 Highlights, National Health Expenditure Data, Historical, https://www.cms.gov/NationalHealthExpendData/downloads/highlights.pdf 3 Public Health Agency of Canada, Chronic Diseases – Most Significant Cause of Death Globally (2011), http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/media/nr- rp/2011/2011_0919-bg-di-eng.php 4 | P a g e J a n u a r y 2 0 1 2 Harnessing the Power of Technology to Improve Chronic Care Management fashion.4 The Canadian healthcare sector can make strides toward managing these costs and improving chronic disease management through the use of existing information technologies, and leveraging new innovative technologies and services. Many healthcare organizations in Canada and worldwide are already realizing the benefits of the technologies. These technologies enable greater patient self-management,