According to the Centers for Disease Control, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, attributing to more than 877,500 deaths annually. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute reports that more than 18.2 million American adults have coronary heart disease, making it the most common type of heart disease in the United States. Heart disease and stroke have a staggering economic impact, costing $216M per year and $147M in lost productivity on the job.
Patients are advised to maintain a healthy weight, incorporate more fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins into their diet, manage stress, and begin a smoking cessation program to take steps toward a heart healthy lifestyle. Doctors, healthcare professionals, and insurers are increasingly leaning on technology as an ally for improving the health of their patients.
Digital Innovation in Patient Healthcare
Driven in part by technology democratization—as more than 85% of U.S. adults own a smartphone—combined with the increase in remote work and the high adoption of IoT devices in the home (including ambient technology like Alexa and wearables that track basic and advanced biometrics), leveraging technology to support a healthy lifestyle has become easier than ever.
Connection has built a broad offering of remote patient monitoring solutions and population health tools that give healthcare providers, insurers, and patients access to technology that they can be used to track their health habits. Weekly and sometimes daily tracking of steps taken, floors climbed, weight, blood pressure, and glucose levels can help patients take a more active role in managing their chronic health conditions using medical-grade devices that can connect to their smartphone. Integration back to the patient’s electronic health records empower the clinician to adjust treatment and care needs in near real-time.
The promise of “Doc-in-a-Box” technology has been available to some extent for years, particularly with large retailers. Today, the devices themselves are more cost-effective, the reimbursements through CMS and private insurers are more favorable, and the technology has evolved such that a large swath of patients with varying chronic conditions can be managed using a single dashboard. When combined with population health applications or an applied AI algorithm, technology and empathy can improve clinical decision-making and patient outcomes.
Connection’s healthcare IT experts are here to help you find, customize, and implement the right technology to achieve your organization’s goals. Visit us online or contact your Account Manager to learn more.
Jennifer Johnson
Jennifer Johnson, Director Healthcare Strategy and Business Development, joined Connection in 2010 starting in field sales and joined the healthcare practice in 2015. Jennifer has more than 20 years in IT, including prior roles in distribution and manufacturing. Jennifer holds her Certified Digital Health Leader designation from the CHIME organization and is a member of HIMSS, where Connection is a diamond sponsor. Jen was named CRN Women of the Channel in 2023 and 2024 and holds certifications from NVIDIA (AI Advisor- Sales) and Dell Technologies (AI Champion- Partner Sales).
