Moving Towards Making Equitable Health a Reality: Insights from the WSJ Health Forum

But there is a path forward for the world to achieve health equity and to provide a fair, balanced standard of care for all people through collaboration, innovation, and action, says Julia Strandberg, Chief Business Leader of Connected Care and Monitoring.

Strandberg recently joined other influential industry leaders at the Wall Street Journal Health Forum. During her on-stage discussion, Strandberg shared how Philips is successfully partnering with other leading institutions to tackle an issue that is layered, complex, and historical.

One of the biggest health disparities is inadequate access to care in rural areas, underserved communities, and other “medical deserts.” Strandberg said it is time to simplify traditional healthcare delivery models and meet patients where they are. The healthcare landscape is moving beyond the hospital to community care. We must continue innovating not just in the hospital, but around the patient.

Traditionally, patient care has followed a hub-and-spoke model, where hospitals were at the center of where care could be delivered, and alternative care methods served as the spokes. As we look ahead to where healthcare is headed, patients will be at the center of the model, allowing care to be delivered to them from virtually anywhere.

Rather than requiring underserved patients to travel to a clinic or hospital to receive care, Philips, in collaboration with universities, state agencies, and others, is bringing remote monitoring and mobile apps to deliver care to them.

Strandberg shared several examples of Philips’ patient-centered approach, including a two-year collaboration with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to deliver the Philips Pregnancy+ Advent mobile app to mothers and soon-to-be mothers on Medicaid. The app is having a tremendous impact, reaching 35% of Medicaid-eligible mothers in Michigan – or eight times better than the average Medicaid level of engagement.

“We connect mothers with resources and programs that are otherwise scattered and hard to find,” said Strandberg.

Working with Medicaid insurers, Medicaid participants using Philips’ connected devices were able to test themselves 24% more often than those without the technology. Strandberg said, when you combine collaboration with technological innovation, the result is powerful: Those participants in rural areas using connected devices and coaching from dieticians and nurses test 74% more often than compared to those with commercial insurance.

Collaboration and innovation are at the core of creating a healthcare system that is more resilient, equitable, and accessible for everyone.

Take the Emory Farm Worker Family Health Program, which is bringing essential healthcare services to the largest migrant population in the fields of southern Georgia. Emory University and field clinicians are using Philips’ Lumify portable ultrasound technology to diagnose conditions on-site. The program anticipates providing care for as many as 9,000 farmworkers and their families. It speaks to the power of a coalition of willing partners coming together to address a critical health equity issue for their community.

Strandberg called on other leaders, within and outside of healthcare, to come together to address the urgent need that is impacting our communities, referring to health equity as the “the greatest challenge of our time” in healthcare.

"We need to unite as a community and build a coalition of the willing. I ask you to raise your hands and let's play a role in building the right ecosystem. Together, we can bridge the gap and ensure equitable access to quality care for everyone.”