As digital health has experienced substantial growth due to the COVID-19 pandemic, commentators are now beginning to refer to the telehealth market as being crowded and over-saturated. Despite this, healthcare communication remains siloed, fragmented and complex. While the uptake of telehealth solutions have proved to be undoubtedly useful and necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic, the fragmentation of the healthcare delivery system has been reflected in the multitude of disparate patient engagement and communications solutions being adopted.
Patients lack a single, simple communication platform that can be used both inside and outside healthcare settings, and that seamlessly connects them to all of their providers. According to the Harris Poll 2020 Consumer Experience Index, almost two-thirds of consumers find the healthcare system complex, confusing, and overwhelming. In addition, more than two-thirds reported wanting their healthcare providers to correspond with them by using more modern solutions and technologies.
The high level of fragmentation that exists within healthcare communication is at least partly due to the market-driven focus on the investor and the buyer by the majority of existing solution providers. As a result, we see an abundance of provider-specific applications that leave patients having to use multiple, non-interoperable solutions. These existing platforms deepen disparities with regard to healthcare access in underserved communities by excluding these populations from their revenue-driven market reach.
At Tell Health, we put patients at the center by allowing them to connect with all of their healthcare providers and receive healthcare information and updates via text, picture, video messages and telemedicine. Our platform also allows patients to easily share this information with family members, caregivers and everyone in their network of care.
