Digital Platforms encouraged to integrate different Software Applications

Market Guide for Digital Health Platform for Healthcare Providers

To keep pace with changing business, clinical and consumer expectations, healthcare provider CIOs are shifting from monolithic IT to a digital health platform (DHP) architecture. CIOs can use this research to identify the capabilities and vendors best suited to their digital transformation journey.

Overview

Key Findings

• Healthcare providers are shifting from their current monolithic, EHR-centric IT application suite to successfully navigate changing business, clinical and consumer requirements.
• The digital health platform (DHP) is an architectural approach that delivers unique contextualized digital experiences to a range of users and an application portfolio that is more modular and adaptable to business change.
• The digital giants and healthcare specialized vendors have launched a range of cloud-first platforms that can liberate and connect siloed application data, provide prebuilt digital business capabilities and include tools to compose new digital experiences for end users.

Is it worth the cost?

Can we demonstrate improved efficiency?

Strategic Planning Assumption

By 2024, healthcare providers that have adopted a DHP approach will outpace competition and partners by 80% in the speed of digital transformation and new feature implementation.

Market Definition

This document was revised on 11 October 2021. The document you are viewing is the corrected version. For more information, see the Corrections page on gartner.com.

Digital health platform (DHP) technologies enable a new architectural approach to rapidly deploying digital capabilities using modern cloud services. DHP-enabling technologies and services combine three key elements:

• A healthcare data fabric that provides data connectors and clinically relevant data models that help liberate siloed application data from operational systems
• A library of prebuilt software components, application modules, or packaged business capabilities (PBCs) that providers can leverage to create new digital experiences and composing applications
• Composition tools that enable providers to build tailored digital experiences across a broad range of stakeholders

Market Description

DHP technologies and services, when properly deployed, enable healthcare organizations to be more proactive and agile in how they source and implement new business capabilities in support of digital transformation and optimization. The DHP architectural approach represents a major shift in how provider organizations will build and buy applications and digital services. The vendors in the market offer elements enabling the DHP across three layers (see Figure 1).

These DHP-enabling elements include:

• An integrated data fabric layer that providers use to connect and interface with existing healthcare applications to deliver data and metadata management for the other layers.
• A packaged business capability layer where applications and data are repurposed using published APIs and/or standards-based interfaces. These PBCs become a library of business functions providers can draw from to orchestrate or compose into new applications. PBCs are provided directly by vendors or through application marketplaces, and can also be obtained from partners or custom developed by providers in-house using tools delivered within the composition layer.
• A composition layer where providers connect and orchestrate PBCs and data into new digital experiences that have much-improved user interfaces (UIs)/user experiences (UX). Providers create these end-to-end experiences to meet clinical or operational workflow needs and reduce screen time wherever possible. The composition layer includes tools that support low-code development and rapid deployment of new applications.

Cloud Service Providers and EHR Vendors Are Starting to Become More Open

We are seeing healthcare providers increasingly making a shift to cloud. We have seen cloud service providers (CSPs) – such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google and Microsoft – position healthcare-provider-specific cloud software in response to provider’s needs. These healthcare-specific technologies and services include capabilities that increase data liquidity across operational systems and aim to solve one of the industry- defining problems – the limited interoperability and poor usability of core clinical systems of record.

A number of companies featured in this Market Guide have been leaders across other industries outside of healthcare or have delivered clinically focused digital healthcare products and services for some time. These organizations also help providers to navigate regulatory requirements across many global regions (e.g., GE Healthcare, Philips). These established healthcare IT vendors build from a large footprint through products spanning medical devices, imaging solutions, patient monitoring and, more recently, healthcare command centers.

Additionally, we have noted a refreshing change from the tightly controlled and highly monetized integration challenges we have seen with EHR megasuite vendors in the last decade. The strategic partnerships forming between the CSPs and health systems, such as Kaiser Permanente moving IT services to Microsoft Azure, indicate a willingness to be "all in" on public cloud and API-centric.

EHR Megasuite Vendor Aspirations Are Adjusting

EHR megasuite vendors are also starting to use public cloud to deploy new capabilities, although vendor opinions appear to vary on how the digital giants will influence healthcare (see quotes below). One example is Cerner’s shift to embracing cloud and its partnerships with Xealth to develop digital health solutions for clinicians. Also, Allscripts extended its partnership with Microsoft to enable cloud-based health IT solutions. In the next three years, we foresee more increased focus on capabilities outside the core EHR from the EHR vendors as they build on their core competencies of health record capture and data processing.

"Moving forward, I think Cerner will look more like a health platform company and less like an EHR company. As you play out the trend in healthcare, I see Cerner/Oracle very much operating at the health network level, so beyond the enterprise of a single health system. Given the power of the cloud and the work we’re doing, I see Cerner having much more relevance in broader networks and providing nationwide capabilities."

ServiceNow

Wysa - Everyday Mental Health

Wysa, a mental healthcare startup that provides an artificial intelligence-based chatbot service, has raised $20 million in series B funding.Wyse is currently in use in the U.K.  They plan to expand into the U.S. and India with the Venture Capital Funding.

Wysa's AI chatbot leads users through cognitive behavioral therapy tasks. The chatbot can refer users to crisis support or in-person mental health services. Wysa has about 4.5 million users, according to a July 14 news release.

Studies from the U.K. reveal it ranks in the 92nd percentile for excellence.

The artificial intelligence chatbot will add to the effectiveness of remote mental health treatment. It will offer services to user in a very cost-effecive way with little need for additional manpower. This will augment the already shortage of mental health workers. It has the potential to triage patients that need to be seen by a mental health professional.  Globally, there is a huge demand-supply gap in the mental health space. One in eight people in the world live with a mental disorder, according to the World Health Organization. With high treatment cost and limited access to qualified therapists, employers, healthcare providers and insurers are seeking ways to help people manage their mental health and well-being through clinically proven, cost-effective and scalable solutions.

Wysa uses AI (Artificial Intelligence) to triage users according to their personal needs, guiding them through appropriate, evidence-based CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) exercises within the app, towards other mental health services or crisis support. Wysa’s platform provides employers and health services insights into usage rates of Wysa and digital well-being tools, while maintaining user privacy. 

WYSA meets clinical validation standards

ORCHA HEALTH.   

The device delivers cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) via a smartphone-based conversational agent to reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety, reduce pain interference, and improve physical function.

The designation follows an independent peer-reviewed clinical trial, published in JMIR, that found Wysa to be effective for managing chronic pain and associated depression and anxiety, which was found to be more effective than standard orthopedic care, and comparable to in-person psychological counseling. 

“We’re thrilled to achieve this meaningful designation from the FDA and look forward to working closely with the Agency to continue the development of AI-based cognitive behavioral therapy,” said Jo Aggarwal, CEO, and co-founder of Wysa. “Our mission is to help those in need of support with an always-available platform, and during these challenging times it’s more crucial than ever to provide mental health options.”

The FDA Breakthrough Device program is designed to help accelerate the development and approval of medical devices and products that have the potential to provide more effective treatment or diagnosis of life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating diseases or conditions. The FDA designation of Wysa’s platform will enable Wysa to efficiently communicate with FDA’s experts through various program options, facilitating the development of the product prior to the premarket review phase.  

About Wysa:

Wysa is a global leader in AI-driven mental health support, available both to individuals, through employer benefits programs and healthcare services. Wysa supports individuals with the help of an “emotionally intelligent” conversational agent which guides users through evidence-based cognitive-behavioral techniques (CBT), meditation, breathing and mindfulness exercises, as well as micro-actions to help build mental resilience skills. For employers, Wysa offers a workplace solution that caters to the full spectrum of behavioral health needs. This solution embeds into existing company benefits, such as Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) or external health care provider networks, and can be customized by geography or cohort. Currently, Wysa has facilitated over 400 million conversations with 4.5 million users in 65 countries. Wysa’s customers include Accenture Global, Aetna International, NHS, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and the Ministry of Health in Singapore. 

For more information visit www.wysa.io

 

Wysa - Everyday Mental Health

Our Digital Consulting Client Success Stories | BCG

Introduction

 

The page link will bring you to a series of video blogs expanding on the use of deep learning in each area.

Examples are from real life situations.  The source is. BCG (Boston Consulting Group) BCG offers a wide range of services for health applications, financial, industrial and other sectors. The digital technology service is closely connected with the MIT digital transformation program.

How We Help Health Care Payers, Providers, Systems & Services

Creating value for patients is both the ultimate goal and a critical competitive advantage for health care payers, providers, systems, and services worldwide. We use our deep industry knowledge to generate health care business models and health system strategies and solutions customized to each client’s situation. Key aspects of our work include the following.

GROWTH AND EVOLVING HEALTH CARE BUSINESS MODELS

INNOVATION AND DISRUPTION

PATIENT JOURNEYS OF THE FUTURE

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

HEALTH SYSTEM TRANSFORMATION

ADVANCED ANALYTICS

NEW WAYS OF WORKING

CLINICAL EXCELLENCE

PAYER COST AND PERFORMANCE TRANSFORMATION

What is DigitalBCG?

DigitalBCG helps clients harness the power of digital, technology, and data to launch new digital ventures, drive digital transformation, and push the boundaries of innovation.

AI Helps Doctors Spot a Lethal Condition in ICUs

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is costly and deadly, so BCG developed an easy-to-use model for identifying those patients at the highest risk of developing the condition—before it becomes a problem. It is public health and a cost factor for health plans healthcare, hospitals and renal dialysis units.

Helping a Health Insurance Provider on Its Digital Journey

The health care industry is facing transformational change. BCG helps health care leaders build innovative responses to COVID-19 and develop new initiatives to reposition—and reimagine—their organizations for the future. We’re working to help the industry thrive in a postpandemic world.

Our Digital Consulting Client Success Stories | BCG

Physicians are unaware of the potential for Artificial Intelligence

Only a third of U.S. physicians are already using AI in their practices, and many believe there is ample reason to think this advanced technology can help address diagnostic errors, the largest cause of malpractice claims. 3 However, there are still unresolved questions about the risks.

How effective is artificial intelligence in the medical field?

Initially, AI will be most effective for dealing with specific problems. “A program that does the whole CT of the abdomen is going to take a while,” says Fishman. “There are so many organs and there’s so much variability.

Could AI improve the delivery of health care?

AI could be particularly beneficial in places with limited access to health care. “Machine intelligence presents us with an opportunity to significantly improve the delivery of health care, particularly in high-disease or low-resource settings,” says Antani.

How will ai transform the healthcare industry?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to transform how healthcare is delivered. A joint report with the European Union’s EIT Health explores how it can support improvements in care outcomes, patient experience and access to healthcare services.

The roadmap to success of AI in the medical industry lies in effective implementation in enhancing productivity and efficiency to transform care delivery services by way of workflow optimization; reducing unwarranted variations while expanding precision medicine and improving and speeding up diagnostic accuracy.

How is Ai revolutionizing healthcare industry?

AI in healthcare has produced some of the most advanced machines to aid in the treatment of patients and increase hospital productivity. In healthcare, robotic arms and medical robots were used to assist in surgeries and to teach residents practical skills. Shortly, artificial intelligence is expected to take over the healthcare business.

Growing Impact of AI in Healthcare Industry

AI in healthcare brings on a variety of benefits. AI often makes use of an online database that gives physicians and practitioners access to hundreds of diagnostic materials. Because physicians have a thorough understanding of their area and are upgraded based on current research, AI makes it faster to get these results that can be demonstrated with their clinical expertise.

Many people have become concerned that artificial intelligence will someday replace or reduce the necessity for human doctors, particularly in the clinical context. However, new studies and statistics suggest that rather than reducing physician necessity, this tool will likely help and enhance clinical diagnoses and decision making.

Many times, patients exhibit many symptoms that might be linked to a variety of disorders based on both hereditary and physical traits, causing a diagnosis to be delayed. AI benefits a practitioner not only in terms of efficiency, but it also gives quantitative and qualitative data based on input feedback, enhancing accuracy in diagnosis, treatment planning, and result prediction.

Because AI can "learn" from data, it has the potential to enhance accuracy depending on feedback replies. Many back-end database sources, as well as information from practitioners, physicians, and research institutes, are included in this feedback.

Assembled data is made up of a variety of medical notes, electronic recordings from medical equipment, laboratory imaging, physical exams, and demographic information. Practitioners have almost infinite resources to enhance their therapeutic skills because of this collection of constantly updated knowledge.

Keeping Health Well

One of AI's significant advantages is that it helps people stay in good shape and health. So people don't need to call for a doctor as frequently, and if at all. People are already benefiting from the usage of AI and the Internet of Medical Things in health applications.

Many individuals have been encouraged to adopt the habits by using different technologies, tools and apps to aid in the proper maintenance of a healthy lifestyle. It also gives customers control over their health.

Also, AI improves healthcare providers' capacity to better perceive the regular patterns of cared individuals, allowing them to give greater feedback and support to help them remain healthy.

Early end Effective Detection

AI is being used to diagnose illnesses more precisely in their early stages. According to research, a large percentage of mammograms provide misleading findings. AI is allowing mammograms to be reviewed and translated 30 times quicker with 99% accuracy, decreasing the need for unneeded biopsies.

Consumer wearables are also being used in conjunction with AI to monitor and diagnose early-stage cardiac disease, allowing physicians and other caregivers to monitor and detect life-threatening incidents at earlier, more curable stages.

Systemic Diagnosis

Watson for Health from IBM is a digital tool that enables healthcare businesses to use cognitive technologies to access massive volumes of health data and improve diagnostic accuracy. Watson can examine and retain exponentially more medical knowledge than any person - every medical article, symptom, and case study of therapy and reaction worldwide.

Different organizations collaborate with physicians, academics, and critical patients to address practical healthcare issues. The approach blends machine learning, artificial intelligence and neuroscience in order to incorporate sophisticated general-purpose cognitive algorithms into human neural networks that simulate the human brain.

AI in Imaging,             Electrocardiogram

CT scans,

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Show Promise in Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Proper Decision Making

Improving treatment involves aligning massive health data with appropriate and timely judgments, and predictive yet near-perfect analytics can both enhance clinical decision-making and following actions and prioritize administrative duties.

Using different pattern recognition techniques to identify patients at risk of getting a disorder - or having one worsen - as a result of lifestyle, environmental, genetic, or other variables is another area where AI is gaining traction in healthcare.

Unachievable Treatment

Apart from scanning records to assist providers in identifying chronically ill patients at risk of adverse episodes, AI can assist clinicians in taking a more comprehensive comprehension of disease management, better-coordinating care plans, and assisting patients in managing and adhering to their long-term treatment regimens.

For more than three decades, robots have been utilized in medicine. They vary in complexity from small laboratory robots to very complicated surgical robots capable of assisting a human surgeon or doing surgeries on their own. They are also utilized in hospitals and laboratories for repetitive jobs, rehabilitation, therapy, and to assist persons with chronic diseases.

Artificial Machine Learning in Drug Discovery

The Necessities of Life Care Becomes Obsolete

TAn average human has a longer living capacity than past generations, and as we near the end of our lives, we are dying differently and more slowly from illnesses such as dementia, heart failure, and osteoporosis. Additionally, it is a stage of life that is often marked by loneliness.

Robots possess the potential to transform end-of-life care by enabling patients to stay independent for longer periods of time and so lowering the need for hospitalization and care facilities. AI, in conjunction with developments in humanoid design, enables robots to go even farther and engage in 'conversations' and other social activities with humans, therefore maintaining the sharpness of aging brains.

Conclusion

The largest hurdle for AI in healthcare is not determining if the technologies will be sufficiently competent to be beneficial but rather guaranteeing their widespread acceptance in everyday clinical practice. Clinicians may eventually gravitate toward work requiring unique human abilities, activities requiring the greatest degree of cognitive function. Perhaps the only healthcare practitioners who will miss out on AI's potential are people who refuse to collaborate with it.