Since the launch of various technological platforms and the recent growth of the same, the available opportunities have been unimaginable. Healthcare has not been spared of this concept either. SMAC; which stands for Social Media, Mobile, Analytics, and Cloud; has caught the fancy of many experts in different industries. Healthcare, however, can be one of the leading beneficiaries of this program because of the way it has been crafted.
SMAC is a boon so far in healthcare industry and for rural patients like Little John, who has to visit nearest lab daily for his diagnosis, update his specialist who is located in urban city daily about the report so he / she can evaluate report in real-time and alter John’s medication therapy or drugs.
John has a decent 2G connection on his basic smart phone on which he can access social media tools like facebook, twitter, whatsapp most preferred by his Specialist, stay connected and update him / her about his reports immediately. Moreover, the nearest rural lab uses cloud based video-conferencing tool through which they can transmit real-time video stream to the Specialist on certain tests or diagnosis procedures being consumed by John. Thus the Specialist is able to get a complete understanding on John’s condition in real-time remotely. This Rural Lab is further integrated with the Federal Government Sponsored Drug Store platform on which its authorized personnel can login, check inventory or availability of the prescribed drug for John and place an order. The Drug Store is integrated to Federal Healthcare and Payment system from where it can access John’s Medical Profile, assign rebate if applicable on the drug for his long term illness, generate invoice after verifying the digital signature of John’s Specialist and dispatch it via Integrated Logistics Company to the Rural Lab immediately. On other hand, the Specialist is able to see when the drug is delivered to John, his latest reports and approve his request for in person examination if needed online. The appointment notification is pushed to John on his mobile who, just needs to drive to the Clinic on given date without any need of carrying reports, prescriptions, etc (paperless). John, upon his successful examination can share the updates on his improvement on his social media account; give feedback on the Specialist on Federal Healthcare System, which can further help the respective Pharma Company also in knowing about its drug and conduct research through online reports of John and with repetitive discussions on therapy provided by his Specialist.
Besides this, patients can fill in their forms online or through their cell phone. Moreover, all patient records will also be available on the mobile form. This makes for improved efficiency.
Staying Connected
The use of social media can open up another chapter in the healthcare industry. Gone are those days when social media could only benefit certain types of companies. Today, everyone can make use of it. Not only can customers and hospitals stay connected, the patients can also track reviews of various hospitals and medical practitioners. Moreover, they can share their experiences to educate the others.
Improved Healthcare
Finally, analytics will allow healthcare agencies to make sense of the large volume of information that they possess. This big data can be converted into insights about treatments, patient experience, and symptoms of less known ailments.
Also, read the blog on Patient Engagement Solutions
