Page 38 - Mobility Management, January 2018

5Apply and Leverage Contemporary Technology
There is no shortage of innovation when it comes to developing mobility equipment and accessories. Improvements have been made in performance, ease of use, access and adaptability. Modern engineering and technology are advancing at an aggressive rate, and we’re seeing the benefits in standing devices, all-terrain chairs, advanced control systems in CRT and much more. Many established companies, as well as start-ups, are investing to build better functioning products and services.
We’re also seeing innovation in areas like the “internet of things” (IOT). Chairs are being instrumented to gather more movement data — including recline frequency, geo-tracking to gauge overall mobility and cushion instrumentation to understand patterns in wear, positioning and weight shifting. Apple has recognized the potential of this market — building functionality into their Apple Watch with heart-rate monitors, and optimizing the Activity app for wheelchair users, taking into account different pushing techniques for varying speeds and terrain. Eventually this will lead to even greater data
and insight for outcome studies and for even more targeted investment and improvement for our customers.
While we need this progress to continue and accelerate, there are other aspects of our industry that could also benefit from increased innovation.
Interoperability
Healthcare in general is challenged with horizontal and vertical system integration. A hospital system should theoretically be able to pass information to/from its stakeholders (customers, insurance providers, equipment providers, service entities) via simple “handshakes.” Systems from all stakeholders should
be able to easily get data, coordinate appointments, and significantly shorten the cycle time to complete a transaction. The technology is available to make CRT a seamless, and fairly short transaction within the system. By integrating all parties, the entire ecosystem would be better, faster, and much more customer-focused.
Data and Analytics
Technological advances in predictive analytics are making marked improvements in industries worldwide. Bots and artificial intelligence are applied to large data sources looking for trends, correlation, and causation ... and finding them! This is available technology, but we need for the data to be somewhat consistent and with some level of standardization. In our industry, improved efficiency-based data analytics would result in much shorter wait times, less re-work in document processing, streamlined billing and simply a better overall customer experience. On the clinical side, having access to equipment performance data regarding precisely how someone is using (or not using) a mobility device would provide tremendous insight to shape the clinical analysis and associated recommendations. While instincts and experience go a long way in a clinical setting, nobody has ever said they would turn away data and information if it will help to make better decisions. We can, and should, aggressively mine that data and invest in getting results for our customers.
While this future with sensor data and collaboration will
take some time to build-out, we can still do something now. Data on order history, parts failures and payment detail is increasingly available today. By harnessing and aggregating it, we can spot trends that can inform our operational decision making, as well as how we interact on an individual basis with a given customer. The customer experience will benefit greatly — this is starting to happen now!
Mobile Tools
Mobile apps are ubiquitous in so many aspects of life today and provide tremendous functionality, yet we don’t seem
to be applying this same drive for innovation and use of contemporary technology in the CRT space. Apps for things like tracking an equipment order, scheduling appointments, paying bills and tracking medications are not yet prevalent in our industry, but need to be.
What you can do to help:
• Be more forward thinking and invest in modernized IT
capabilities and infrastructure
• Push your partners and suppliers to do the same
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