On the path to people-centric care, one step at a time

A new healthcare system, one radically different from the fragmented, inefficient and largely analog system we see before us today, is within our grasp.

We’ve heard quite a lot about this system already. It empowers people to engage in their own health while utilizing a care system that is incented to keep people healthy rather than providing only sick care. It provides 24/7 care anywhere, rather than only at brick and mortar hospitals. And it is able to weave together vast amounts of data to help care teams to collaborate, pro-actively coach patients and perform early interventions, based on insights and joint decisions.

Earlier this month I was invited to speak at the annual Techonomy conference. We focused on how to realize this vision and dramatically reshape health care in the years to come. Perhaps most importantly, we began to discuss the barriers that stand in our way and how we might navigate those. As I’ve noted before, there are many issues that must be addressed, including the need for new reimbursement models, strong organizational change management and better data interoperability.

This week, Philips will take part in the largest radiologist conference in the world, the Radiological Society of North America Annual Meeting, and it seems a fitting time to describe why I think radiologists have a key role to play in this transformation.

The radiologist uses imaging to diagnose disease. This diagnosis is then used to identify the best possible treatment for the patient. Today that is still largely a discrete activity. So, as it relates to this new vision of care, how can we use radiology to get a fuller, more longitudinal profile of the patient and a better understanding of all the relevant drivers for the patient’s health? How can this promote collaboration among the care team members? How can we get feedback from the outcome of each diagnosis and treatment and use this for continuous learning of the entire health system?

If we can help the radiologist become more connected, they can further expand their role beyond imaging diagnostics and become an integral and structural part of the care team, throughout the health journey of people. And if we can provide the right information technology we can help them see a more complete story of someone’s health.

By applying Artificial Intelligence we could help the radiologist perform deeper diagnostic analysis for each individual.

By applying Artificial Intelligence we could help the radiologist perform deeper diagnostic analysis for each individual. Combining all kinds of patient data– images, patient records, lab tests, digital pathology, genomic information– and following each case, will both improve the outcome of this patient and also the larger population.

We are now putting radiologists in position to play a more proactive role in definitive diagnostics for specific patients, while at the same time acting as data scientists in population health studies. By providing tools that allow them to look at things from a much different view, we will be able to stratify patients according to a number of factors and influence how health systems manage their populations. For instance, if we apply our understanding of risk factors for breast cancer to detailed patient profiles (including attributes like family history or genetic information) across a population, we can create personalized screening programs that aim to lead to better outcomes and lower cost.

There’s another perspective. Again and again I hear that we must transform the patient experience. As people are empowered to look for the right care for themselves, for their kids, or for their parents, they’ll demand better services and the tools to manage their health. With this lens, imagine the potential for radiology to improve the overall patient experience. In a world of connected care, we see increased patient engagement: communicating with patients to help them understand their condition and their treatment options, and to come to a joint decision about a personalized treatment plan. Next to other care team members radiologists will be central to this vision.

My hope is that we recognize the potential for a holistic view of care: a patient-centric approach, where every study contributes to better outcomes and adds to the overall body of knowledge of medicine.