Enabling Technology Owning Your Health

Learning from a Kenyan Village

Recently, international health researchers discovered a village in Kenya that had significantly better health scores than similar villages elsewhere in the country. A team was sent to find out why. They saw the same lack of resources, the same social conditions, and the same health issues. So, what was the difference? Then they witnessed the local doctor meeting with a young girl. He used a worn notebook as a health record to chart the visit notes and then something interesting happened. At the end of the appointment, he gave the book to the girl. It was her health record, not his. And when she saw the next caregiver, she could share the book and receive the coordinated care that ensured her health, not simply the specific condition, was looked after. She owned her record, and thus, her health. And the difference in her health, as well as everyone in the village, was dramatic.

Going to “Kenya”

At Crossover Health, we embrace the power of technology to transform the care experience. We’re digital natives, using solutions to help patients communicate better with our care team, our team to communicate better with each other and gather and analyze health data at an individual and population level. And when we can’t find the solution, we build it, such as our Crossover One platform. Our members love the ability to schedule online, email or text our care team and receive the information they need to optimize their health.

While we provide exemplary care, our brand is really about helping people embrace a lifestyle of health and wellness. Our vision is that people are inspired to take ownership of their health. And like the girl in Kenya, that includes owning their record, even if we are able to use tools far more sophisticated than her worn notebook. It’s this lens that continues to guide the development and use of our enabling technology.

But it’s far more than simply grafting on the latest technology advances onto old ways of practice.

The Non-Portal

The most visible and central technology outcome of our unique, patient-driven approach to care and health is Crossover One. We don’t call it a “portal” because that signifies a traditional attitude to health records and information. A patient portal is a window into a selected view of someone else’s collection of health information, even if it’s all about you. Crossover One is your information, all of it, all in one place, to which you grant the provider access, not the other way around.

Crossover One has thus been designed to be first and foremost for the patient. It’s a communication platform, with secure messaging, scheduling links and the ability to post of picture to a provider and will soon have video conferring capabilities. It’s a data aggregation tool, bringing in and pushing out information from electronic health records. And it’s the patient’s story, presenting a health narrative in a chronological fashion, like a Facebook timeline with context. It is designed for mobile use with iOS and Android integration, as well as Apple Healthkit, allowing the patient to gather data from the fitness and health sensors she is using and share with her provider. And it’s elegant, designed to be as engaging and delightful as it is simple to use.

Crossover One is also how and where the patient and care provider interact. During a visit or an online encounter, there’s no separate provider and patient view. It’s one view, because the patient is in control. The provider enters notes and results in the patient’s Crossover One electronic logbook and the patient can take this information anywhere, to be added to by other providers when necessary. Coordination is seamless. Integration with hundreds of EHRs suddenly becomes irrelevant.

Health Ownership from Kenya

Crossover One is just first step. We will continue to implement remarkable technology solutions that help us provide high-quality and efficient care, but when looking at what enabling technologies we need to adopt or create, we’re guided by the patient’s relationship to and ownership of their own health information. “What does it do for our member? How does it help him understand and take ownership of his health?” Therein lies the opportunity for Crossover One to truly have the impact – by providing access to personal health information and an opportunity to engage with that information in new and novel ways. All inspired by a little worn notebook from Kenya.