Challenge
The healthcare technology solutions market is saturated with companies vying to stay relevant by delivering game-changing ideas. A leader in diabetes-care solutions had an idea regarding managing diabetes patients in long-term care settings, and they asked Fusion to be the technology partner to bring it to life.
The stakes are high for diabetics in long-term care settings. Any number of seemingly simple-to-avoid missteps may lead to a snowball effect of negative outcomes, ranging from worsened health to patient deaths, not to mention the financial impact on caregivers and facilities.
Identified problem for customers
After significant research, our client identified a frequent, expensive, and potentially fatal problem: unreviewed test results. It is common practice for diabetes patients in long-term care facilities to have standing orders for blood glucose monitoring every few hours. But if the physician did not review the results before the next test was conducted, the insurance company often would not reimburse the facility for the cost of the initial test.
And because test results weren’t being reviewed in a timely manner, caregivers often did not intervene as quickly as necessary during diabetic episodes, resulting in adverse outcomes such as amputation, diabetic comas, and subsequently higher payments for insurance companies.
Envisioned solution to drive customer loyalty
The client wanted to develop a patient-event notification system that would automatically upload the standard diabetes test results and securely send them to the provider. If the provider did not respond within a set amount of time, the system would automatically follow an escalation protocol, sending the results to the next level provider, etc.
The process would continue to escalate until the issue was resolved. If the results revealed a diabetic event that needed immediate attention, the provider would be able to create the necessary care plan to minimize negative outcomes. And if the company could create a notification system that worked specifically with its own diabetes-care tools, it would strengthen customer loyalty to its specific product and brand.
Converted an idea into a technology solution
The challenges of building the technology solution would be compounded by a multitude of security and privacy regulations. The company chose to work with our team because they needed a partner with deep experience in regulated industries, broadly integrated technical proficiency, a clear understanding of security and usability issues, and the ability to meaningfully engage and wrap solutions around business processes.
We would need to navigate complex relationships with patients and providers, ensuring the solution would comply with industry regulations and patient confidentiality standards. Our team was excited to get started.
