Home Monitoring for Underserved Populations

Reimagining healthcare to better support vulnerable underserved populations requires thinking that is counter-intuitive to that of most traditional healthcare delivery systems. However, if traditional healthcare delivery systems are invested in maintaining the health of underserved populations (and by extension keeping them away from the emergency room or other expensive venues of care) then non-traditional thinking is essential.

Illustrating this point, one can begin to imagine the benefits that might derive from healthcare delivery systems’ investments in technology driven / digital products to monitor the home environment of underserved asthma patients. The use of home-based monitoring systems to passively record, control and alert connected care givers to adverse home conditions such as smoking, humidity, excessive temperatures, and gas levels from heating systems is but one example of the out of the box thinking needed to leverage innovative technologies for this population.

Our healthcare reimbursement system stifles this level of creative thinking as it doesn't fit nicely into traditional payment mechanisms. With the application of commercial solutions such as in home monitoring for health maintenance, industry is poised to redefine the traditional relationship between patient and care provider, reducing cost to employers and insurers.

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