Our mission at AcuityMD is accelerating the adoption of medical technology because we know that ultimately leads to better patient care. That’s why we’re so excited to share our newest solution, AcuityMD Care Journeys. This first-of-its-kind experience shows a full view of longitudinal patient data to provide a clear understanding of the journey for patients with complex clinical histories.
In competitive markets, healthcare organizations have a distinct interest in knowing where a patient has a follow-up procedure performed. But if a patient elects to receive treatment at a different facility, executives have had little visibility into where, why, or when patients leave the diagnosing health system. Patient leakage could occur because of the lack of a particular technology, a doctor’s referral, or selecting a more convenient location near home or work.
MedTech companies may be confident that they have a solution to a system losing patients, but without direct data to confirm, it’s difficult to make a clear ROI case to healthcare administrators and executives that purchasing a new technology will actually stop patient leakage.
This complexity and lack of visibility inspired the development of Care Journeys. We knew that if we could show the opportunities over time and at the intersection of multiple clinical conditions or procedures, it would be incredibly beneficial for the MedTech companies we serve and the healthcare organizations that they serve. And today, Care Journeys empowers MedTech commercial teams to more precisely identify and prioritize opportunities to treat patients with complex clinical histories, or that have experienced negative health outcomes.
Critically, our product design and engineering teams have created wonderfully visual tools that are intuitive and customizable on the fly. Tools that present a remarkably rich data set in a way that’s immediately understandable for all viewers. I’m incredibly proud of our team for what they’ve achieved here.
This will have immediate benefits for MedTech companies that are working to build an ROI case for next generation surgical robots, capital equipment like cancer imaging towers, and new and emergent procedures. It also gives MedTech reps the resources to shift towards becoming a trusted advisor to health system executives and the broader hospital administration, which can be very powerful. Moving from transactional sales conversations to true strategic partnerships can drive hospital ROI while improving patient outcomes.
Take aortic disease as an example. With surgical treatment rates below 10%, many patients end up on long-term medication. Low adherence to these medications leads to high mortality. Minimally invasive, safe, and effective surgical options are available, but often hospitals may not understand the entire addressable patient population in their area. By creating visibility into these nearby patient populations and benchmarking the hospital’s clinical market share, MedTech teams can quantify the financial and clinical impact to hospital executives, creating win-win scenarios that truly transform patient care.
But another powerful impact is the effect it has on patient care and convenience. Think about what happens when you’re at a facility and given a diagnosis, even a minor one. Most people’s first instinct is going to be, Well, my doctor’s here and I’m here so I assume my first treatment will be here. But that’s not always the case.
There are multiple reasons why a patient may leak out of one health system and into another, but they can generally be categorized as an issue of expertise, equipment, or convenience. On one end, if you receive a serious cancer diagnosis, you may seek out a follow up at a renowned cancer center, even if it’s hundreds of miles from home.
On the other end, if you need a simple 30-minute outpatient treatment, all things being equal, you’ll likely want to schedule at the facility closest to home, no matter what health system it’s a part of.
But related to this, a much more serious issue is that it’s been shown that some patients simply will not schedule follow-up treatment if it’s difficult to book for any reason. By making sure hospitals are offering the latest technologies for the best patient experience, MedTech can stay true to their mission of improving patient care. Health systems care about this because it’s convenient and financially beneficial to centralize all care. But you have to be able to offer that care in order for it to work.
Most healthcare administrators already have a general awareness that they experience patient leakage, but with Care Journeys, MedTech companies can now clearly delineate what diagnoses or procedures lead to the highest leakage, where patients go when they leave the system, and whether they’re gaining or losing regional market share relative to their competitors. And most critically, they can pinpoint the opportunities for reversing that leakage.
Longitudinal patient journey data is crucial to unlocking these outcomes. It makes care more accessible for patients while helping your business grow. That’s the power of AcuityMD Care Journeys.
When we announced our latest funding round this summer, we promised to directly invest in our engineering and product development teams. The release of Care Journeys and AcuityMD Contracts represents a significant step forward for where we’re taking AcuityMD. We hope you’re ready to come along with us.
