Future of Healthcare Deserts Report Spotlights Access Innovations Across the U.S.

Innovations have not only accelerated in the last decade but also scaled broadly across a number of sectors. Banking, entertainment, fashion, food, and more are available at your fingertips and, in some cases, at the tip of your tongue... “Hey, Alexa."

Yet as access expands and enhances in nearly every major industry, it remains elusive in healthcare.

In fact, nearly one-third of the U.S. population (121 million people) lives in a healthcare desert, an area with insufficient access to primary care providers, pharmacies, hospitals, trauma centers, community health centers, or more. However, products, services, and models—from direct-to-consumer to on-demand—that have been the engine of growth in other industries are beginning to find traction in healthcare.

In the Global Innovation Center’s latest Futurist Report—The Future of Healthcare Desert Solutions— we examine the trends, technologies, and startups transforming the future of how people in healthcare deserts receive care. Here are the four core categories where access innovations are taking shape: 

• Patients to care. Solutions include non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) and logistics software, like ride-hailing apps, fleet management, and digital logistics hubs that can get patients to the care they need, and “patient in, doctor out” platforms, that connect remote doctors to patients that are physically in a clinic or practice.
• Care to patient. Solutions include integrated apps and hybrid care systems enabling physicians to talk to patients, assess and diagnose them, monitor their condition, and prescribe medicine—all remotely following or preceding an in-person interaction. Multiple startups are also working to scale at-home testing and diagnostics as a potential new frontier in vision care.
• In-store innovations. Retailers are filling gaps that traditional clinics cannot by bringing wellness kiosks, clinics, and novel health and wellness products to rural areas. From clinics in stores to emerging models using innovation and technology, retailers from Dollar General and Target to Hy-Vee supermarkets are providing new options for patients.
• Software and technology. Several trends are shaping the evolution of digital health, including enterprise partnerships, new categories like telepharmacy and teletherapy, and ambient, non-invasive remote patient monitoring. 

Across each of these categories, one takeaway is clear: Because healthcare deserts come in many forms, so too will the technologies that increase access to care. Together, these solutions may be combined and harnessed to alleviate geographically distinct issues and help accelerate access, in whatever shape it’s needed. 

At VSP Vision, we empower human potential through sight, and that includes increasing equitable access to vision care across the country. This important research is one part of our ongoing journey to expand access to quality eyecare. 

The full report is now live and can be download at: https://www.vspvision.com/innovation/futurist-report.html.

And check out our promo video for the report here.

For more vision innovation news and updates, check out the Global Innovation Center's LinkedIn page.