How Digital Addresses The Healthcare Crisis Of Capacity, Cost And Care

Rajan Kohli, CEO of CitiusTech. Inspiring new possibilities for the health ecosystem with technology and human ingenuity.

Escalating disease burden from an aging population, rising costs and a shrinking workforce—these pressures are exposing deep flaws in the existing care models in the U.S. that rely mainly on physical infrastructure and human resources. What healthcare needs is a transformative approach that can reimagine care delivery.

As the CEO of a healthcare technology company, I think digitalization could be the answer to manage the current crisis and lay the groundwork for a more sustainable future of healthcare.

A Disproportionate Burden

The significant demographic shift in U.S. sheds light on a pivotal factor: about 1 out every 5 Americans is expected to be of retirement age by 2030. The aging population has been linked with a rise in chronic conditions such as Alzheimer’s, which could affect nearly 13 million individuals by 2050.

The financial pressure on the healthcare system is mounting, and there is a projection of an 8% rise in costs by 2025. Up to 30% of healthcare spending is due to administrative tasks, notably high when compared to other developed nations. Innovative solutions such as telehealth platforms and AI-driven health management systems are now looked upon as the Avengers that can combat these inefficiencies. The need of the hour is to streamline administrative processes, reduce overhead costs and improve patient access to care.

Covid-19 pandemic burnout has led to a reduction in the healthcare workforce, leading to a projected shortage of 86,000 physicians by 2036. Enterprises can leverage automation tools and remote monitoring technologies and reduce the workloads for existing staff to address this. Take the instance of wearable health devices—they track chronic conditions and movements, and provide an easy access to the records, making it easier and faster for healthcare professionals to prioritize treatment and enhance care delivery.

Digital: The Disruptive Force For A Shift In Healthcare

To manage the triple threat effectively, healthcare can take a digital-first approach to reimagine care delivery. Advanced digital technology offers scalable, cost-efficient solutions to address gaps in accessibility and workforce capacity. It allows healthcare to scale in ways that brick-and-mortar systems cannot, enabling faster, broader and more flexible reach at a fraction of the cost. But most importantly, a digital-first approach can fundamentally rewire healthcare to enable:

1. Wellness: Shift focus from reactive treatment to proactive care

2. Accessibility: Drive alternative models that meet consumers’ needs anywhere, anytime

3. Capacity: Augmenting capacity by helping the workforce do more with less

Wellness At Scale

Chronic diseases account for about 90% of U.S. healthcare spending, yet many are preventable. New-age digital technologies are fostering a culture of preventive care and self-management to shift the focus from treatment to wellness.

People are increasingly using mobile applications like MyFitnessPal and wearable devices like Fitbit and Apple Watch to monitor their health, adopt healthier lifestyles and manage chronic conditions proactively. Some mobile tools also promote early detection, allowing healthcare systems to intervene before conditions worsen.

In addition, preventive care programs delivered remotely, augmented by compassionate AI agents, can have a significant impact at scale. For example, the CDC’s Diabetes Prevention Program has helped participants reduce their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 58%.

Virtual Front Doors To Accessibility

Virtual care solutions such as telemedicine, remote monitoring, self-management programs and miniaturized medical devices are breaking down barriers to access. These digital front doors help healthcare systems scale their reach without proportionally increasing physical demands on staff.

For instance, telemedicine platforms enable patients to consult with healthcare providers remotely. A 2017 study found that telehealth visits cost, on average, $79 compared to $146 for in-person visits, saving patients and providers time and money while being just as effective. In addition, remote patient monitoring (RPM) devices like wearable heart monitors and continuous glucose monitors allow providers to track patients’ health in real time.

Augmenting The Healthcare Workforce To Build Capacity

Intelligent and agentic systems can help healthcare professionals manage workloads more efficiently and allow physicians to perform at the top of their license.

For instance, AI-powered clinical decision support systems can assist doctors in diagnosing and treating conditions, improving accuracy and reducing the time spent on complex cases. Virtual care channels and remote monitoring tools allow providers to handle routine cases remotely, freeing specialists to focus on more challenging cases. Additionally, digitized administration reduces the burden of paperwork. AI-driven scheduling systems optimize hospital operations, enabling staff to spend more time on patient care.

Generative AI As The Catalyst For Integration

While the obvious benefits of generative AI-powered digital healthcare have made it an investment priority, interoperability issues continue to derail digital transformation at scale. A fragmented healthcare system with siloed data wastes money on inefficiencies while delivering poor quality care. There is a need to build a universal data infrastructure that connects information from electronic health records (EHRs), wearables and community health sources.

With a holistic view of health, healthcare providers can develop better, more personalized interventions. Generative AI can accelerate interoperability of multimodal data exchange across stakeholders, enabling a seamless patient journey. An agentic framework is capable of processing a complex and wide variety of data structures originating from EMRs, devices and payer systems, providing a seamless orchestration of patient journeys.

Addressing The Challenges Of Digitalization

High costs, operational disruptions, fragmented point solutions and unclear transformation strategies result in fragmented transformation efforts and affect ROI. Data silos and disconnected systems hinder comprehensive patient care and cross-departmental data integration, while poor change management further derails progress.

To overcome these challenges, I suggest healthcare organizations prioritize robust strategies, including clear goal-setting, building strong data foundations for AI-driven insights and shifting to interconnected, cloud-based systems. Aim to optimize data management and system integration, driving cost-effective innovation. In addition, strengthening cybersecurity and regulatory compliance ensure data protection and ethical standards.

This transformation cannot succeed with piecemeal efforts. The need of the hour is to drive technology foundation that enables vertical integration where payers, providers and med-tech players work seamlessly together to build a healthcare system that helps people stay healthier, independent and more engaged in their care.

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