IN MY OPINIONBy Dr. John Loughnane, Chief Innovation Officer, Commonwealth Care Alliance®Imagine this: A patient is prompted to take their weight at home. The patient steps on the scale. The scale transmits via Bluetooth to a device that texts the clinician, informing the clinician that the patient has gained five pounds. The clinician, remotely, directs a medication dispensing device to provide the patient with a dose of medication to treat the weight gain and avoid exacerbation of their congestive heart failure. The result is a perfect combination of a medical and technological care plan. It also meets the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) quadruple aim: high-quality, patient-centered care that is efficient and allows providers to provide the care that they aspire to each day.Not long ago, this scenario seemed like a distant goal, but today, it is a real possibility. It is also the vision that Commonwealth Care Alliance® (CCA) and its subsidiary, Winter Street Ventures, had in mind three years ago when they began exploring several innovative technologies that had the potential to positively impact members' lives, fulfilling the promise of leveraging technology to improve care. CCA is a community-based healthcare organization that is nationally recognized for its innovative care model that serves individuals with complex medical, behavioral health, and social needs. Its two health plans serve over 30,000 members who are dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare, a population considered to be high-cost, high-utilization healthcare participants. The innovations CCA has explored are technologies that augment the ability of CCA's clinicians to care for our patients in the environment, which is most effective: their home. These have included medication adherence devices, seamless Bluetooth aggregators to connect to home monitoring devices such as scales, blood pressure cuffs, oximeters, and telemedicine platforms. By testing these innovations, CCA anticipates that when clinicians have accurate and actionable data, the vast majority of both acute and chronic medical issues can, and should, be triaged, then appropriately treated at a patient's home. And when we treat patients at home, there is tremendous potential for improved care and lower costs.The most exciting development for CCA and Winter Street so far has been the adoption of voice-first caretaking technology. Why? Voice is everywhere. It is the preferred way that humans choose to communicate and it is enabling innovation across industries. The adoption of smart speakers such as Amazon Echo and Google Home have skyrocketed. Yet, barriers to effective use of voice-first technology remain, and engaging with such devices can be difficult. Wake words are not intuitive and hard to remember. This is especially true for those with cognitive or other disabilities. At CCA, we found this out early on. This helped us seek proactive voice-first technology that utilizes a programmed structure to engage with patients multiple times a day. We also wanted a programmed structure that was or could be developed with patients and providers.This innovation journey led us to LifePod ­ a voice-first caregiving solution. LifePod allows patients and providers to create an individualized journey throughout the day that blends medical reminders with activities of daily living. Theoretically, LifePod can engage with patients thousands of times a day. Once programmed, it offers patients reminders about mediations, movement, diet, hydration, news updates, weather, and sports, and the ability to contact friends, families, and caregivers ­ both professional and non professional. The decision of how, when, and why LifePod interacts with patients is up to those who know the patient the best: the patient, A Connected Home Equals Improved, Efficient High-Quality Patient Care | | MARCH 20198UTLOOK Healthcare Tech
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