New frontiers in healthcare

In healthcare, the phrase business as usual is now one from the past. The last two and a half years of battling the pandemic has caused an upheaval in healthcare systems, unlike anyone could imagine. Spurred by exponential advances in medical science; an explosion of digital technologies, data access, and analytics; informed and empowered consumers; a movement from disease care to prevention and wellbeing and of course battling Covid-19 – we now witness a transformation to new frontiers in healthcare delivery.

The pandemic has accelerated numerous existing and emerging healthcare trends – among them, shifting consumer preferences and behavior, rapidly evolving digital health technologies, new care delivery models, and clinical innovation. However, at its core remains maxi­mizing the value for patients – by means of convenience, clinical outcomes, and accessibility. And this is exactly what we at Ruby Hall Clinic strive to do for our patients.

In this light, our one-touch laboratory app helps patients book and access diagnostic reports like never before. Then, there is also the concept of connected care where central hubs play a prolific role. For instance, our ICU plays a key role as the heart of critical patient monitoring – not just within our hospital walls, but for our peripheral centers too. To add to this, the future of healthcare involves the use of wearables, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, machine-to-machine communications, and the internet of things (IoT) to develop and deliver new treatments and services.

We are looking to significantly invest in newer technology such as Varian’s Ethos, a linear accelerator, that will change the way cancer is fought. With this machine, we will become the only hospital in all of Asia to host three linear accelerators by Varian Medical Systems. This year, we will also be acquiring Pune’s first bi-plane neuro cath lab to add to our existing gamut of exceptional technologically advanced medical equipment.

I strongly believe that AI is the biggest game changer we will see in the industry. The high-level use case for AI in healthcare, as in other sectors, will continue to help us make sense of unstructured data that is available for capture and analysis. AI will continue to support clinical decision-making, improve care orchestration and efficiency, and power workflow automation.

Another factor I think is that the Indian healthcare payments system is ripe for disruption. The relationship between a healthcare consumer and their healthcare financing will not be so fraught. Mobile-based health savings accounts, low interest loans, and remittances used specifically for healthcare could be the future of payment-oriented fintech solutions. It will increase the access and affordability of care for low- to moderate-income populations that might otherwise be difficult to reach. Keeping this in mind, we have tied up with a healthcare finance company to offer patients zero-interest, fee-free payment plans akin to the buy-now, pay-later options.

In terms of expansion plans, we are well on our way to open a 200-bedded facility at Amanora Park Center in Pune. We are also looking to expand our diagnostic services with a new center at Warje, while adding to our long list of expansion plans.

Truth be told – the technology behind telemedicine, IoT devices, AI, and healthcare apps did not just start appearing in response to the pandemic; we’ have had it for years. But it took the pandemic to push healthcare forward, and for health institutions, providers, and patients to embrace digital health trends and new technology. One thing is certain – there is no stopping innovation in the delivery of care. The open question is how we as healthcare providers can support that innovation and take advantage of it to the benefit of consumers and society in general.