What exactly does Microsoft do in healthcare?
At HIMSS16, we took people on a patient journey to experience how Microsoft empowers better health
What exactly does Microsoft do in healthcare? It’s a question we get asked all the time. And it’s not always simple to answer because our technologies do a lot of work behind the scenes. So at HIMSS16, we and 11 of our partners took attendees through the patient journey to show how the Microsoft platform empowers better health throughout the entire care continuum.
When people arrived at our booth, they could follow the journey of fictitious patient Joe through the healthcare system. For example, after Joe hurts his knee on the golf course, he uses an online scheduling tool to find a doctor on his health plan who is near where he lives, and he makes an appointment. He can even see how much his appointment will cost. As Joe goes through the process to get a diagnosis and then surgery for his torn ACL, his information is shared securely among his care teams. And after he’s discharged from the hospital, Joe does guided physical therapy exercises at home using a telerehabilitation solution that tracks his movements via sensors. He also meets virtually with a physical therapist using the solution to get feedback on his progress and discuss next steps.
Online scheduling tool
Guided physical therapy exercises using a telerehabilitation solution that tracks movements via sensors.
All the tools along Joe’s journey were created using the Microsoft platform. The online scheduling is enabled by Microsoft Azure cloud services. The care team collaboration is facilitated by Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Office 365. And the telerehabilitation is powered by Kinect for Windows. These are just a few examples of the 11 empowering healthcare solutions we showcased as part of Joe’s journey back to optimum health.
We were delighted by how well our partners worked together to help us tell patient Joe’s story. We couldn’t have pulled it off without all their incredible work and collaboration.
I also want to thank Dr. Clifford Goldsmith—who is our Microsoft Managing Director focused on the needs of US healthcare providers—as well as Andrew Tran and Juliette Brown for their expert help in crafting the patient journey at HIMSS16 in a way that was real and relatable to everyone who experienced it.
And the feedback from our booth visitors? “Now I get it. Microsoft builds the platforms these partners use to create healthcare solutions that improve care quality and efficiency.”
How are you using technology to improve the patient journey? Tell us via email, Facebook, or Twitter. And please also let us know if you have any questions or comments.
