Hospital Management

Daily Newsletter

09 August 2023

Daily Newsletter

Ochsner Digital Medicine has formed an alliance with Hawaii's AlohaCare, a community-led nonprofit health plan.

Starting 1 September 2023, this collaboration will offer digital medicine services to AlohaCare's members, focusing on individuals with Hypertension and Type 2 diabetes.

AlohaCare CEO Francoise Culley-Trotman said: “Diabetes is an epidemic in the United States and the same is true in Hawaii.

“Given the prevalence of hypertension and Type 2 diabetes across our island community, we are committed to giving AlohaCare members additional resources to monitor and manage their health.

“We look forward to collaborating with Ochsner to improve the quality of life and health in our communities.”

Through remote patient management and personalised plans, Ochsner Digital Medicine will assist AlohaCare members in managing their conditions.

Besides, this partnership seeks to provide resources for health monitoring and control in the face of conditions that significantly impact the local community.

According to the press statement, Ochsner Health's Digital Medicine programme allows patients to manage chronic illnesses and cut down healthcare expenses.

Ochsner Health executive vice-president and chief digital officer Denise Basow said: “The Ochsner Digital Medicine programme successfully manages chronic conditions through our unique care team approach with a health coach and licensed clinicians assigned to each member.

“We are excited to bring this expertise and high-quality care to thousands of AlohaCare members through our digital platforms.

“We believe remote patient management is vital to effective management for members with these conditions, and this partnership reflects our ability to improve access and support members nationally.”

Healthcare companies are hesitant to invest in the metaverse

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the healthcare industry to rapid digitalization. Increased use of telehealth, telepresence systems, remote diagnostics, predictive AI, and wearable technology is changing how healthcare is delivered and improving patient outcomes. Emerging technologies such as AR and VR are becoming increasingly routine for professional training, surgical assistance, and treatment of psychological and neurological disorders. In the pharma and medical devices industries, AR, VR, and AI are rapidly accelerating drug discovery and manufacturing and generating supply chain efficiencies. New digital opportunities will look to build upon disruptive technologies. However, affordability is a limiting factor to widespread adoption. Per GlobalData estimates, the metaverse market is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 33% between 2023 and 2030. Although metaverse technologies could reinvent healthcare approaches and bring new experiences to healthcare providers and patients, adoption is still at an early stage. There are currently few use cases in the healthcare industry. The metaverse needs to overcome major challenges for healthcare, including regulation and data privacy concerns. Evidence of proven use cases and participation by a critical mass of users are imperative to drive a shift in metaverse investment.