It’s an exciting time for the healthcare market, with the pandemic changing attitudes to health as well as the way we access treatment.
These shifts will have significant ramifications for the cost and design of corporate health and wellbeing programmes. Virtual healthcare has been the number one winner, as lockdown and social distancing meant face- to-face consultations lost their appeal. “The last 12 months have been a massive catalyst for accelerating digital and remote healthcare,” says Gallagher regional director Chris Evans. “A lot of the digital initiatives that were launched during the pandemic were planned for launch over the next few years but, out of necessity, providers brought them forward.”
Digital doctors
Alongside digital GP services, insurers have rolled out virtual specialist c onsulta tions; physiotherapy triage, giving employees access to exercise videos to support recovery; mental health support and online counselling; and health and wellbeing programmes. Remote dental screening, with an oral examination undertaken via a smartphone camera, has even made an appearance.
As well as more remote services, Aon head of wellbeing solutions UK Charles Alberts says that providers have also focused on making their offerings broader. “Health and wellbeing apps are much more well-rounded and holistic now,” he explains. “We’ve seen Fitbit launch mindfulness and Headspace roll out physical activity. This trend is very positive and will lead to more powerful interventions.”
Another key shift is consumer attitude. Although digital health services have been available for many years, Evans says that consumer acceptance of them has changed during the pandemic. “People are more willing to engage with healthcare professionals remotely now,” he explains. “It’s easy and convenient: I don’t think we’ll go back to where we were before Covid-19.”
This is echoed by forecasts from the analysts. Frost & Sullivan predict the virtual care market in the US will grow by a compound annual growth rate of 40.4 per cent between now and 2025, with the pandemic transforming it from an essential innovation to a must- have model.
Medicine at home
The shift to digital may be the dominant trend coming out of the pandemic but the healthcare market has also seen some significant advances. Sharon Shier, head of product development at WPA, says that the availability of more digital diagnostics and home testing is a game changer. “These encourage people to take more ownership of their health,” she explains. “For many people, having an intimate physical examination by a healthcare professional can still be a big deal.”
The advances made in home health screening are demonstrated by a couple of NHS developments made over the course of the pandemic. In February it announced it was sending cervical cancer screening kits to more than 31,000 women across London who were 15 months overdue for a check. This enables them to carry out a simple swab to detect the human papillomavirus, which can lead to cervical cancer.
A month late, the NHS rolled out the colon capsule endoscopy, or PillCam. Rather than undergo the inconvenience and, for many, indignity, of an endoscopy in a hospital setting, patients simply swallow a pill shaped capsule. This passes through the body, taking two pictures a second to check for signs of cancer and other conditions.
Tech revolution
Some technologies stand out according to Dr Bertalan Mesko, director of The Medical Futurist Institute. “Health sensors can provide insights about lifestyle and disease management for patients while artificial intelligence- based algorithms support medical decision making for physicians. It’s also possible to 3D print medications at customised dosages; living tissues; and protective equipment during the pandemic.”
He’s also a fan of services and apps that show patients how their health might deteriorate if they maintain an unhealthy lifestyle habit. “Through a smartphone app’s camera, an ophthalmologist can show patients how their vision could get worse in five years if they keep on smoking,” he says. “This can be very powerful.”
The use of health sensors in wearables means there’s much more health data available, with the latest models measuring everything from heart rate and steps to blood pressure and oxygen saturation levels.
Alberts adds: “This encourages a more proactive approach to health management by helping the wearer identify health conditions before they’re established. This makes them easier to treat and, in some cases, prevent altogether.”
Linking the data available through these wearables will enable an even more personalised approach to health management. But, Dr Umang Patel, clinical director at Babylon Health, says there’s some work to be done in this space. “Everything needs to be integrated to maximise the potential,” he explains. “At the moment, hospital systems aren’t set up to allow seamless healthcare management. This will change though.”
Patient empowerment
The other key change that is taking place in the healthcare market is the way in which individuals manage their health. “Digital health makes patients the point-of care,” says Dr Mesko. “They should be able to get diagnosis, treatment or monitoring wherever they are by using digital health technologies. This might include getting their genome sequences and learning about their genetic predisposition to medical conditions; doing at-home tests; or measuring vital signs and health parameters from ECG to fitness tracking. It makes them much more involved with their health or disease management.”
This patient empowerment trend has been accentuated by the pandemic. “Covid-19 has made people reassess their life values and the importance of their health,” says Evans. “It’s also made people more open to consider a broader range of health issues. As examples, over the last year the stigmas around mental health have fallen away and menopause has gained a much higher level of attention.” Alongside this, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of seeking medical advice early, as Shier explains: “Many cancer appointments were delayed during the pandemic, and some people will find that what was curable a year ago, no longer is. We are moving to a point where more of the population will be healthy. Prevention is definitely better than cure.”
There have even been advances around health improvement strategies over the last year. As an example, Dr Patel points to a pre-diabetic patient. “Losing 10kg could reverse the condition but the size of the goal puts them off. Health improvement apps suggest smaller targets, personalising the diet and fitness plan based on the individual’s data. This makes it much more engaging and much easier to achieve the goal.”
Insurance implications
As well as boosting our wellbeing and improving our waistlines, these trends will also shape corporate healthcare programmes. With employees able to manage their health more proactively, the need for surgical interventions should fall, potentially bringing the cost of cover down. “With employees more focused on prevention, we may see a higher frequency of claims but at a lower cost,” says Shier.
A lower price point coupled with the broader range of health interventions turns it into a product that can be rolled out to the entire workforce, rather than something where only those likely to claim will stomach the P11d charge.
Dr Mesko points to a health insurer in the US, Oscar Health, as an example of a potential model. This is built around virtual care, providing a higher chance of catching diseases earlier or outright and rewarding policyholders when their data shows they’re leading a healthier life.
Turning health insurance on its head to become a proposition that helps employees lead healthy lives and prevent claims may seem a big shift, but with the pandemic pushing digital health forward five or more years, it’s time for reinvention.
