Digital technology is transforming the healthcare industry, and at such times, patient-centric care is becoming the focus of attention. Healthcare leaders are increasingly adopting patient-focused strategies and digital health technologies. Patient-centricity is helping to improve both patient engagement and patient satisfaction, and healthcare providers have realized this. Implementing a patient-centric approach can enable healthcare professionals to achieve better patient outcomes. It can also help to foster trust between the patients and the providers, which is a crucial ingredient for successful treatment. 

This episode was a part of the webinar series ‘Health Leadership Insights,’ which aimed to discuss patient-centric care and the role of digital health in accomplishing this goal. OSP welcomed  Dr. Rasu B. Shrestha for speaking at this webinar episode. Rasu is a doctor, an expert in healthcare IT, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, and Executive VP at Atrium Health. He shared his perspective on the need for patient-centricity and how healthcare innovation can serve helpful in promoting patient-centric care. The webinar was hosted by Stacy Hurt, a HIMSS Digital Health Influencer, Patient Advocate, and Senior Health Advisor at OSP. 

“Technology shouldn’t be a barrier to care, rather an enabler to care offered to the patients” – Dr. Rasu Shrestha. 

Rasu said that health technology and informatics are both critical in radiology. While asking why he chose to be a radiologist, Rasu mentioned his childhood goal of saving lives and creating positive impacts. He always wanted to be a doctor and specialize in radiology. 

“TRUST is perhaps the most sacred currency in healthcare”– Dr. Rasu Shrestha. 

The healthcare industry needs to build trust with patients to implement patient centricity and improve patient engagement. The current healthcare challenges can produce desirable results if the health sector can focus on patients and their needs. This approach would also help increase patient satisfaction and participation in their treatment. 

Among many questions, Stacy asked Rasu how COVID-19 changed healthcare and witnessed the emerging technologies. He responded by saying that COVID-19 killed as many Americans as in the 1918 flu, which is approximately 75000 lives. He further added that the pandemic exposed loopholes in the healthcare system and emphasized the need for patient-centered care. The power of community was also realized due to COVID-19 and healthcare providers implementing data-informed decisions for vaccine distribution. Rasu believes healthcare providers learned to use health informatics and insights to focus on patients. 

The webinar with Rasu was engaging and insightful, where he shared a lot of information about existing and emerging healthcare technologies. 

“Virtual care and telemedicine should not be an on/off switch”– Dr. Rasu Shrestha. 

Rasu also discussed that virtual care cannot be an on-off switch and must be constantly integrated and upgraded to meet patients’ needs. He added that connected care everywhere would be the future of medicine with innovations supporting patient-focused care. He also said that patient-centric care might be broadened to person-centric care, where patients would be seen as individuals. 

About OSP: 

OSP provides cutting-edge, flexible healthcare payer software solutions and integrated experiences in the healthcare domain. We have pioneered unique cloud-based software services designed to help the entire healthcare ecosystem, including providers, payers, and billing companies.