The healthcare industry must adopt a value-based approach to improve patient outcomes in the Middle East

Despite the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic, #healthcare providers across the Middle East face mounting pressures to meet #patient_demands in the face of a growing and ageing population, combined with the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases. Together, these trends are driving the need for more cost-effective healthcare solutions, encouraging the regional healthcare industry to focus on delivering greater value. Accordingly, many healthcare providers are looking to provide value-based healthcare which, according to the Centre of Evidence Based Medicine, University of Oxford, UK, “… is the equitable, sustainable and transparent use of the available resources to achieve better outcomes and experiences for every person.”

Digitalization is crucial to delivering more patient-centric value-based healthcare, by enabling the collection of essential data necessary to assess value. For example, data from a large patient cohort must be available to evaluate the medical impact of a specific prescribed medicine. Shifting to digital means of data collection can also facilitate greater collaboration and coordination between healthcare providers as they find value in exchanging information, which can further value-based healthcare. That shift is already starting to occur in the #UAE, where the healthcare authorities are moving toward an integrated healthcare database designed to support the flow of information between health insurers, providers and patients in the public and private sectors to improve services.

Under a value-based healthcare model, all stakeholders have a financial incentive to achieve the best outcomes possible for patients. By utilizing data to understand the impact of medical treatments better, healthcare providers and payers can develop more and equitable innovative payment models. By determining pricing based on outcomes, payers and providers can better manage uncertainty around real-world clinical performance and the economic impact of innovative medicines. Moreover, it allows sustainable R&D investments, particularly for diseases with low prevalence.

The practical and widespread implementation of electronic patient records will be a vital first step to achieving value-based healthcare. However, the broader digitalization of healthcare will also be critical to supporting the trend toward value-based healthcare. Digital tools that enable patients to adhere to and better manage their treatment programs with healthcare providers will play an important role. Among them, digital therapeutics, wearables, remote patient monitoring, coaching, and education can all help support the management of chronic conditions remotely. Using these tools, healthcare professionals (HCPs) can better monitor patient progress and adapt treatment programs according to individual patient needs through improved insights from real-world data collection, driving greater value while alleviating pressure on healthcare infrastructure.

Otherwise referred to as telemedicine, the use of digital tools to facilitate remote communications between patients and HCPs is growing significantly across the Middle East and North Africa. It is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 18.08% from 2018-2025, and projected to reach USD 3.75 Million by 2025. Demonstrating that patients are keen to empower themselves through digital healthcare tools, a global Cisco survey found that 74% of patients ) “prefer easy access to healthcare services over in-person interactions with providers”. These tools can be integral to improving healthcare access, with considerable advantages for disabled patients, those living in remote locations, and others unable to access fixed healthcare services for any reason.

While the benefits of digital healthcare for improving patient outcomes are significant, the electronic systems used to gather healthcare data must adhere to ethical standards and collect data responsibly. However, to deliver a value-based system while maximizing patient outcomes, the sector must continue to embrace digitalization. As we embark on the shift toward value-based healthcare, the healthcare sector will need to maintain a flexible and agile approach toward the needs of patients while ensuring appropriate incentives for healthcare providers and the pharmaceutical sector to innovate across the sector.

To fully realize this value-based healthcare potential, we must allocate our healthcare resources better, and that begins with the shift to electronic patient records to serve as the foundation for collaboration. Shared patient-level real world data databases will provide the basis for broader healthcare stakeholder collaboration so that Middle East-based healthcare providers can deliver high-value and individualized care while empowering patients.

#Takeda #MiddleEast #Medical #PharmaIndustry #ICMEA #ME #Covid19