We’re excited to share the topic and questions for this week’s #HITsm chat happening Friday, 12/6 at Noon ET (9 AM PT). This week’s chat will be hosted by Jay LaBine, Chief Medical Officer at @naviHealthPAC on the topic “Seniors and Technology”.
The senior population is growing at an unbelievable pace. Every day, nearly 10,000 people are aging into Medicare by turning 65 years old. In fact, the number of 80 year olds will triple, while 90 and 100 year olds will quadruple by 2050.
Not only will there be more seniors than ever, but as they age, they are also becoming more tech-savvy than you may think. According to a study published by AARP, by the year 2030, nearly 132 million Americans ages 50 and over are projected to spend nearly $84 billion a year on technology. That same study found that today, more than 80% of Americans between the ages of 50 and 64 have smartphones.
Healthcare consumerism has become one of the hottest topics to date and will continue through 2020. It is accelerating significant investments in the technology sector, as companies like Amazon, Apple and Google improve the technology behind their wearable devices, particularly health-related functionalities. Users can now track all of their daily physical activity as well as perform electrocardiograms on a smartwatch from anywhere or even detect a hard fall and alert emergency services, for example.
As more and more seniors prefer to age in place, partnerships among major tech titans like Apple or Google with healthcare organizations continue to speed up. Apple’s HealthKit includes partnerships with Duke University School of Medicine and Stanford University Hospital to allow chronically ill patients remotely track and manage their symptoms by using their updated Health app.
Not only does this new technology help the average consumer, but health systems and health plans are seeing the potential benefits for their patients and members firsthand. As these providers embrace the value-based trajectory of health care, it is important for them to educate their patients, members and their caregivers on how they should take care of themselves once they leave the four walls of the hospital to optimize their recovery and overall well-being. Technology plays a key role here as it can help improve patient engagement and the overall patient experience, driving higher-quality outcomes, and reducing spend.
With the number of seniors increasing and the opportunity for new technologies to keep seniors healthier and at home, the question becomes: is the medical community doing enough to help seniors better understand the opportunity that these new clinical technologies can present? If not, what can we do?
Join us for this week’s #HITsm chat on seniors and technology.
Topics for this week’s #HITsm Chat:
T1: What are some of the biggest hurdles for seniors and their adoption of new or evolving healthcare technology? #HITsm
T2: How can today’s technology better serve the senior population in keeping them healthy and/or better equipped to manage their chronic conditions? Are there non-clinical solutions to address social determinants of health such as transportation needs, housing, meals, etc? #HITsm
T3: What factors/functions in wearable technology should be specifically designed for seniors to enable engagement? What are some current barriers with the technology? #HITsm
T4: Seniors want to stay in their home as long as possible – how can we encourage seniors to embrace technology that will help them ‘age in place’ whether it’s by helping with their overall care plan, creating a more open channel of communication to their providers, tracking their rehab schedule or reminding them to take their meds? #HITsm
T5: What is the best approach to acclimate seniors to new clinical technology? Is it a different approach if it’s non-clinical technology? #HITsm
BONUS: Are doctors, hospitals, payers and providers doing enough to equip seniors with the right information regarding new healthcare technologies available to them in the digital world? What more could or should they do? #HITsm
Upcoming #HITsm Chat Schedule
12/13 – 2019 Health IT Year in Review
Hosted by John Lynn (@techguy)
12/20 – Christmas Break – No Chat
12/27 – Christmas Break – No Chat
1/3 – New Year’s Break – No Chat
1/10 – Operations and Roles in Healthcare
Hosted by Michelle Currie (@mshlcurrie)
We look forward to learning from the #HITsm community! As always, let us know if you’d like to host a future #HITsm chat or if you know someone you think we should invite to host.
If you’re searching for the latest #HITsm chat, you can always find the latest #HITsm chat and schedule of chats here.
