Over the past twenty years, technology has been the catalyst for significant change in the healthcare industry. But, we’re not just talking about advancing disease treatment and research. Today, healthcare tech has become much more personal and portable. Day-to-day care delivery—otherwise known as telehealth—has taken centre stage.

It’s easy to mistake the rise of telehealth as a result of the pandemic. In fact, telehealth’s history extends as far back as the 1960s. Medical journals at that time show that a closed-circuit television link was set up between a psychiatric institute and a hospital for remote consultations. Later in that decade, an American airport adopted a telemedicine solution that linked to a hospital to provide direct patient care 24 hours a day. NASA also embraced telehealth by embedding health monitoring sensors in astronaut spacesuits that transmitted information to care providers.

Decades later, video technology is now critical for virtual health visits, and chat apps are being used for real-time communication between patients and providers. In addition, voice messaging is a life support for those unable to read, and even basic SMS technology is an important channel for patient notifications and reminders.

The reality is that our dependence on technology has taken a sharp turn, and it’s not going to turn back. Across the world, patient perspectives on telehealth have improved at breakneck speed, and healthcare ecosystems need to adapt to the changing times or risk deteriorating patient outcomes.

While there's no doubt that telehealth technology is already available, the question remains: can the conservative healthcare industry adopt an agile approach, and can it navigate complex regulations and much-needed patient privacy fast enough? The key to accelerating adoption rates lies in the potential of communication APIs. From easing the pressure on hospitals and clinics to reducing patient travel time, we are just beginning to discover how these cloud-based embeddable solutions can bring a wide range of quality of life improvements.

This will be the topic of conversation at an upcoming webinar hosted by 8x8 and Kalix, an EMR and practice management solution provider. Experts will share their insights on why digital adoption in healthcare is overdue, whether or not customers are ready for digitalized healthcare, and how communication APIs are a more affordable and easy-to-implement option.

Mass digital healthcare adoption is long overdue

The demands for digital healthcare are anything but new. The rapid shift toward digitization and telehealth over the past two years has only really begun to meet that demand.

In 2019, nine out of ten employees were in favor of insured telehealth services (Bain and Company).

Driven, of course, by pandemic-related movement restrictions and distancing measures, the need for telehealth has only increased since then.

MyDoc, a Singapore-based telemedicine platform, nearly tripled its user base with a 272% surge in monthly active users between January 2019 and January 2021 (Bain and Company).

The undeniable benefits of accessing healthcare remotely also mean that virtual care is likely here to stay. This is supported by many health ministries across APAC, including Singapore’s Ministry of Health, who have already placed their stamps of approval by subsidizing telehealth initiatives.

Are APAC consumers ready for digitalized & personalized healthcare?

At present, APAC is trailing behind the US and EMEA in terms of telehealth adoption rates. Yet, it should not be ignored that the conditions are ripe in APAC for widespread adoption in future.

It’s not just because APAC will soon make up more than half of the world’s population, but rather, it's the purchasing power of the region's 4.3 billion people. Home to the fast digitalizing economies of China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore, by 2025 APAC will form the world’s largest pool of people with both the financial capacity and technological know-how to navigate digital healthcare solutions.

Digital preferences in this region are also evident in the changing customer preferences within other industries, such as e-commerce and ride-hailing. Digital healthcare is quickly mirroring these industries and becoming the preferred choice for a population attuned to accessing services at their own convenience, in their own time, and wherever they happen to be.

How to be successful in healthcare from anywhere

However, despite the evolution of hybrid virtual/in-person patient care, we must acknowledge that digital healthcare can not succeed by only promising efficiency. It also requires an environment of trust, and that requires all industry stakeholders to come together to ensure a safe patient experience.

McKinsey & Company has shown that a gap between consumers’ expressed interest in digital health solutions and their actual usage is evident. This is due in part to patient privacy concerns, but it's also because the complexity in upgrading legacy infrastructure inhibits desired patient outcomes.

The webinar panel will show how easily communications APIs can accelerate digital transformation journeys without having to upgrade IT infrastructure. They'll discuss how both technical and non-technical teams can benefit from communications APIs to meet the demands of patients and provide secure remote experiences.

Block your calendar on March 16th for a conversation on healthcare from anywhere

It’s clear that the ingredients for digital healthcare success in Asia are readily available. What’s left now is to put them together and cook up an innovative solution and engaging patient experience. Join us to get this conversation started on digitalizing healthcare and be a part of the revolution. Experts from Kalix and 8x8 will show you exactly how your organization can use the power of communication APIs to quickly, and cost-effectively, create a connected healthcare experience that benefits everyone.

Register now to save your seat!

8x8 Inc.