Insights
Pivoting on 5G telemedicine
One of the original high-profile use cases for 5G was telemedicine, particularly in areas like remote surgery. While progress has been made and solutions are currently in the field, telcos should re-evaluate other aspects of 5G telemedicine that may offer a greater contribution to network monetization.
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Original 5G telemedicine use cases
5G’s coverage, low latency and high bandwidth enable a series of telemedicine use cases, including:
- Robotic surgery: Surgeons can perform minimally invasive procedures remotely using 5G-enabled robotic systems. High-speed and low latency enables transmission of a surgeon’s movements in real time with precise control.
- Remote ultrasound: 5G allows healthcare professionals to remotely guide ultrasound procedures, diagnose conditions, and provide expert consultations without requiring patients to travel to specialized facilities.
- Virtual consultations: 5G videoconferencing platforms offer high-definition video and audio quality, facilitating effective communication between patients and providers regardless of geographical location.
- Remote monitoring: Patients with chronic conditions like heart disease or diabetes benefit from 5G-enabled remote monitoring devices. These devices transmit real-time data on vital signs, medication adherence, and other health metrics to healthcare providers, permitting timely intervention and personalized care.
These applications were a way of highlighting 5G’s capabilities rather than major drivers of network traffic or key factors in monetizing 5G network investments. Robotic surgery, for example, is now a well-established part of the medical landscape, with companies like Intuitive Surgical offering robotic solutions in a market valued at USD 3 billion. However, in most instances, the robot is controlled by a surgeon in the same room. Remote robotic surgery has been conducted but to a limited degree. Widespread adoption (outside the US healthcare system) may be driven more by government sponsorship.
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The real 5G healthcare revolution
The paradox is that 5G has enabled a healthcare revolution, but not in the way it was originally intended. Personal fitness trackers–Apple watches, Fitbits, and Withing’s ScanWatches–have changed the way that people manage their health. Many of these are 5G enabled, especially when used in “connected worker” situations as emergency devices. Increasingly, standardized devices available off-the-shelf utilize 5G to give feedback and analyze a wearer’s biometrics in real time.
If we measure overall health outcomes, these devices may have a transformational effect, especially as new sensors offer blood oxygen saturation and ECGs are available within the same form factor. Non-invasive glucose monitoring is seen as a potential inflection point for growth. The drawback is that this impacts a small proportion of the population–people who track their health this way tend to be healthier. This may change over time as devices become cheaper and more functional, or as monetary incentives to wear these devices develop.
Aside from wearables, virtual consultations via smartphone are now the standard in the UK’s National Health Service, but adoption is low among both patients and general practitioners. Similarly, services like telepsychiatry or remote rehabilitation expect a degree of in-person service. However, 5G offers an additional engagement channel once initial introductions have been made.
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Pivoting on 5G telemedicine
Given this context, how should telcos focus on the healthcare industry? The first step is to assume that the wearable consumer healthcare market will continue to grow. As a telco, it is not necessary to develop additional consumer health use cases. Telcos don’t need to develop or identify them any more than Nvidia needs to decide what the use cases for its AI chips will be.
An aging population with chronic conditions is prompting a move from central facilities to a web of local clinics and at-home services that can manage care more effectively. This shift in the care model is more than moving to a different building; it’s about “active health maintenance,” with hospitals reserved for diagnosis and specialist services rather than chronic illness, which most acute hospital admissions are for today.
A 2020 McKinsey study estimated that about ten million people in US counties with low physical access to care and no broadband access are impacted. With the US government offering over USD 100 billion to close the digital divide and broadband access seen as a social determinant of health, this should be a primary focus for telcos, even if restricted to basic communications offerings. Local clinics–both greenfield and brownfield–could benefit from a combination of 5G broadband connectivity externally coupled with internal fixed and wireless options.
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Beyond basic communications
Monetizing the 5G infrastructure means offering additional value-added services in the healthcare vertical - for example, security or building private 5G networks - but beyond this, it requires specialized skills in a highly regulated industry.
New digital platforms and tools for managed care organizations (MCOs) that address care needs are available. In the US, some states are mandating that MCOs subsegment their members based on risk profiles to close care gaps. Changes in Medicare programs permit separate billing for remote patient monitoring and chronic care management. Finding partners that understand this landscape is critical for telcos if they truly are to address healthcare client business needs. There are several key elements to this:
- Collaboration: Telcos typically collaborate with partners designing, building, and rolling out 5G networks. Telcos understand this existing ecosystem well, but it is not broad enough. Depending on the use cases, telcos must consider the discrete endpoints and devices that must be controlled or generate data. Shaping and developing a solution means working with integrators that can pull various aspects together, with healthcare platform providers, cloud providers, and data managers contributing to the intended solution.
- Open collaboration: The goal should be open collaboration, with everyone incentivized to participate. Unless telcos are proactive about building these healthcare ecosystems, they will be positioned as simply the transport mechanism. These ecosystems will emerge regardless of a telco’s actions, so proactive management is critical.
- User experience: Telcos must focus on the user experience for both healthcare professionals and patients. Understanding what customers are trying to achieve functionally and economically is crucial for adoption. The ease with which these solutions are managed and controlled - the user journey - is critical.
5G can underpin transformative solutions in healthcare, but it requires telcos to embrace and lead an ecosystem of partners. To learn more about how 5G is changing the face of telemedicine, visit ust.com or speak to one of our experts.