Bonus Features – October 30, 2022 – 46% of Americans have gone into debt paying medical bills, 41% say retail and virtual care experiences are disjointed, and more

Welcome to the weekly edition of Healthcare IT Today Bonus Features. This article will be a weekly roundup of interesting stories, product announcements, new hires, partnerships, research studies, awards, sales, and more. Because there’s so much happening out there in healthcare IT we aren’t able to cover in our full articles, we still want to make sure you’re informed of all the latest news, announcements, and stories happening to help you better do your job.

News and Studies

A survey from digital health platform Babylon found that 46% of Americans have gone into debt from their medical bills, while 34% are currently struggling to pay their medical and insurance bills. In addition, 10% of Americans said they wouldn’t be able to afford any out-of-pocket expenses in the event of a health emergency, while 22% could only afford to pay $100 or less. Only 38% of Americans have a dedicated savings fund for healthcare emergencies.

The latest patient engagement survey from Stericycle Communication Solutions found that nearly half of patients have booked appointments online (48%) or sought care from a non-traditional provider (45%) in the last year, with half of those patients using retail care and one-third using virtual care. While 95% of these patients said they’d seek care from these types of providers in the future, 41% said the experience felt disjointed. (Learn more about the survey, and the role of automation in supporting patient scheduling, communication, and engagement, in the recent Healthcare IT Today interview with Stericycle’s Matt Dickson.)

A survey of Medisafe users found that 51% of patients say accessing mental health support is one of their primary health challenges, with women and younger patients more likely to express concerns about their mental health. In addition, 28% of patients – including 55% of those ages 18 to 24 – said they experience isolation in dealing with their physical and mental health.

Partnerships

Products

Sales

Awards

People

If you have news that you’d like us to consider for a future edition of Healthcare IT Today Bonus Features, please submit them on this page. Please include any relevant links and let us know if news is under embargo.

Happy Halloween!

About the author

Brian Eastwood

Brian Eastwood is a Boston-based writer with more than 10 years of experience covering healthcare IT and healthcare delivery. Brian also writes about enterprise IT, consumer technology, corporate leadership, and higher education for a range of publications and clients. He got his start as a professional writer as a community newspaper reporter in 2003.

When he's not writing, Brian is most likely running, hiking, or cross-country skiing in Northern New England. When he needs a break from cardio, he's usually reading a history book.

   

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