In this second post in this Connected Community Care Models series, I’ll focus on how healthcare organizations can transition to this model.

There are several transitional care platforms already in production that can be used to bridge potential healthcare gaps in population health programs. These various platforms all have a variety of care plan options and device integration solutions to choose from in order to size up the cost-benefit analysis from an IT perspective.

However, one major factor I see overlooked in most models is directly related to the engagement of caregivers in the patient’s community. The patient’s treatment team of healthcare providers will play limited roles once the patient has left the doctor’s office or hospital. So, engaging a patient’s own community of family members, caregivers, etc., is crucial in ensuring increased rates of compliance with care plans and treatments.  Advances in technology and available remote patient monitoring platforms facilitate the seamless integration of the patient’s community.

Today’s generation of connected individuals is paving the way for the Connected Care Community. Smartphones, video, chat, wearable devices and other clinical grade consumer technologies have created a systemic shift that is evolving in relation to this healthcare equation.

With a Connected Care Community in place that includes the patient, family members, caregivers and physicians, health it becomes a meaningful exchange of real time health, behavioral and situational information that is needed to achieve positive health outcomes, particularly in the areas of behavior change and the management of chronic illnesses.

Stay tuned for the third installment in this series where I look at the elements of the Connected Community Care Model.