The COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan began in late April, pushing hospitals to their limits and prompting many mild cases to self-manage at home. However, those experiencing symptoms or anxiety still hoped for assistance from medical institutions, as well as proper monitoring of their physical condition and access to appropriate medication. The pandemic acted as a stress test, highlighting the shortcomings of existing home and community care models for both hospitals and the public. The short-term impact of the pandemic, coupled with the medium- to long-term trend of an aging society, necessitates a more proactive approach to addressing this issue.
In fact, the use of digital technology to assist home and community care has been piloted for many years. For example, through the automation of smart medical devices, physiological data is collected and transmitted to medical institutions for remote care, which, together with call centers, provides real-time care consultation. In recent years, artificial intelligence technology has been used for risk assessment to improve service quality and allow nurses to serve a larger number of people receiving home care. For example, during the pandemic, the Central Epidemic Command Center temporarily opened video clinics, allowing patients to obtain medical services without having to travel long distances. All of these examples demonstrate the immense potential of applying digital technology to home and community care.
However, expanding from the initial pilot program to large-scale implementation has also revealed some systemic and regulatory issues that need to be addressed. On the regulatory front, regulations concerning telemedicine and home delivery of medications by pharmacists require careful review to ensure the effective use of limited healthcare resources. Regarding reimbursement, the acceptance of more out-of-pocket telemedicine services and reimbursements beyond those covered by national health insurance needs to be carefully designed and tested, and private insurance companies should be encouraged to innovate their product designs. Finally, in hospital services, we will see more innovative service processes from a holistic care perspective, truly extending care from hospitals to homes.
The pandemic is accelerating this transformation, and we've already witnessed the efforts of governments, healthcare institutions, and technology companies. Governments are actively relaxing regulations on telemedicine, and more regional hospitals are collaborating with local governments to innovate new home and community care services. Technology companies are seizing the opportunity, working with hospitals to solve problems through SaaS (Software as a Service) cloud services, home medical devices, and artificial intelligence technologies. Once this new holistic service and business model is established, we will see healthcare services that are more closely aligned with the needs of the public: large medical centers will handle acute and critical illnesses, while regional hospitals and clinics will address the needs of the elderly and those requiring home care. Taiwanese technology companies can also provide comprehensive solutions and expand into international markets.
Source: Financial News Issue 659
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