Healthcare professionals and industry stakeholders have canvassed innovative, future-forward, and actionable strategies, including telemedicine, for improving healthcare accessibility and delivery in Nigeria.
They made the call at a recent annual healthcare providers’ forum held in Lagos.
The forum with the theme, “Enhancing Provider Collaboration for Sustainable Healthcare,” was organised by Nigeria Leadway Health HMO Limited.
A panelist at the event and Chief Executive Officer of Donolush Healthcare Solutions, Dr Babatunde Olujobi, canvassed for improved health data management to aid Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs) identify care gaps and address them.
Speaking on strategies for optimizing hospital operations and increasing management demands from patients and health insurance providers, Olujobi stressed the importance of improved health data management to achieve this goal.
According to him, “The HMOs leverage analytics from the providers’ database to make informed decisions, thereby identifying lacunas in care that can be addressed appropriately.
“So, the providers must also use the customer-centric approach by ensuring that the enrollees’ experiences in their facilities are not eventful.”
Olujobi, a former board member of Ekiti State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, noted that the proactive selection of a network of providers by the HMOs would enhance cost balance, quality, and geographical accessibility.
He explained that “The primary care providers act as a gatekeeper in the HMO network to evaluate patients’ medical concerns and determine if specialist care is required.
“So, understanding the referral process allows the enrollees to navigate their HMO’s provider network more effectively and thereby ensures they receive the care they need.
“That is why the effort is a matter of matching cost with quality care and convenience.”
While emphasising that using telemedicine to enhance HMOs’ efficiency would help to reduce claims by providing cost-effective access to specialist consultations, Olujobi declared that “Telemedicine also helps to reduce operational costs and ensures administrative processes are streamlined”.
Addressing technological gaps, a paediatrician, Dr Atinuke Uwajeh, stressed the importance of adopting digital tools, streamlining access to patient data through electronic medical records is essential for effective healthcare delivery.
Uwajeh said Leadway Health was paving the way, urging providers to follow suit to bridge the technology gap in the sector.
In his contribution, the Chief Executive Officer of Leadway Health HMO, Dr Tokunbo Alli, highlighted the importance of sustainable partnerships in transforming healthcare delivery.
He said such a partnership would greatly help Nigerians access quality healthcare in the country.
He said that the Leadway Health HMO has over 700 corporate organisations under its care demonstrates its strength and commitment to work collaboratively with the partners.
“So, together, we can create diverse and dynamic operational strategies to ensure our services reach as many people as possible,” he added.
Alli, however, expressed satisfaction with the focus of the forum, where discussions centred on bridging the gap between HMOs and providers, leveraging technology for seamless communication, and enhancing enrollee satisfaction in healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
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