Like most folks, you don’t make enough dough to hire a professional caretaker. Had your mother not kissed your booboos and made you peanut butter jelly sammies without the crust, you might’ve even considered moving her to a nursing home, but no- You, a loving child, have decided to take care of her in her time of need.

Last month, you rushed to the ER after receiving a frantic call from your mom- She had suffered a heart attack. After hours of pricey tests and a dozen visits to different specialists, your mother was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation. On top of that, she’s going through the early signs of dementia and has arthritis. You’ve taken so much time off from work to drive your mother to her appointments that you’re wondering if your boss will tell you not to come back the next time you leave.

Your mother, on the other hand, is sick of having to call you every time she sneezes; She hates waking you up at odd hours or infringing on your workday, so she waits until her symptoms are severe enough to make a trip to the ER or urgent care- This worsens her conditions and drives up expenses. Like most patients, she doesn’t understand her health well enough to know when to visit the doctor, and sometimes even forgets to take her medications. Even receiving basic care is difficult for her, with long wait times between appointments and at hospitals.

Meanwhile your mother’s doctors are dealing with fragmented snippets of her health data, which makes it difficult to create a holistic and preventative plan that manages all of her conditions effectively. They risk over-treatment, clashing medications and morbidity. Having an integrated approach to care plans is vital, and yet, virtually non-existent. 

Medical insurance providers have to bear the brunt of the costs. Many payers are shifting from a fee-for-service model to outcome-based care, which focuses on quality and value over volume . In today’s fee-based system, payers are spending massive amounts on easily preventable expenses such as unnecessary provider visits, exams, and treatments, hospital re-admittances, and over-treatment. An at-home health management solution for elderly patients would aid in prevention, increase patient and caretaker literacy, and inform providers of vital patient info through a holistic record and process. 

Would you invest in such a solution?