R. Kirk Huntsman on How Technology Empowers Patients

R. Kirk Huntsman

Credit: Vivos Therapeutics

In an interview with The Educated Patient, R. Kirk Huntsman, chairman, CEO and co-founder of Vivos Therapeutics, discusses the transformative impact of technology on patient care. From wearable devices and health apps to telemedicine and advanced diagnostic tools, Huntsman explores how these innovations empower patients to take charge of their health, improve clinical outcomes, and foster a more informed and collaborative patient-provider relationship.

How do you think technology has transformed the way patients manage their health and wellness today?

R. Kirk Huntsman: The fundamental role of technology in transforming healthcare is that it drives information directly to the patient and bypasses traditional data gathering and knowledge dissemination structures. This trend empowers patients by making them better aware and informed, allowing them to ask better questions and expect better answers from their doctors. In sleep medicine, for example, patients have historically been presented with a variety of symptoms and have left it to their physicians to sort it out and make a diagnosis. Now, however, patients come to their providers with actual data from a sleep quality screening app on their phone and valuable insights gained from their own online research.

What are some of the biggest advantages you see for patients using digital tools to take control of their own healthcare?

KH: The biggest advantages of patients using digital tools to take control of their healthcare are (1) patients are forced to own what is happening with their personal healthcare; (2) patients are better informed and educated; (3) providers are held to higher standards and expectations to be on top of things and current with the latest technology (which many are not); and finally, (4) improved clinical outcomes from earlier intervention, better patient buy-in, and better [adherence to] treatment through ongoing monitoring and seamless reporting.

Health apps and wearables are becoming popular for tracking things like symptoms, medication and exercise. Can you share some of the most effective ways patients can use these tools to manage their health?

KH: Both the nature and quality of the data being captured by the latest health apps and wearables have dramatically improved. That means we can gather and track more key health metrics with a high degree of confidence that the data are reliable and actionable. Real-time, high-quality health data mean earlier identification of potential problems. Earlier intervention typically means greater odds of success in treatment.

There are a number of very effective wearable devices now coming to market that all have the potential to be powerful tools in monitoring and maintaining optimal health and wellness. The most important things for patients to measure and monitor are breathing/sleep quality and cardiovascular health. Each of those things is fundamental to good overall health and wellness, and each of them can be readily captured and tracked by wearable devices against well-established norms.

How has telemedicine changed the way patients can access healthcare? What are some examples of how patients might benefit from virtual visits?

KH: Telemedicine may well prove to be one of the most impactful positive developments of our time. Patient access is improved. Providers can spend more time with each patient. Costs per patient encounter are dramatically lower. More frequent patient/provider interactions are possible. Patients who are homebound or who have transportation issues can be seen. Odd-hour or after-hour schedules can be accommodated.

In what situations would you recommend telemedicine over an in-person visit?

KH: Telemedicine works best when whatever required diagnostic tests have been completed and the doctor has as much relevant information in front of him or her. That allows the doctor and patient to get right into the situation and be efficient with everyone’s time. Telemedicine is also indicated whenever the circumstances do not require the doctor to have a physical encounter as they must with broken bones, sprains, ligament tears, wound care, surgery, etc. Psychiatry and mental health care are also routinely and effectively handled via telemedicine. In-person visits are preferred when doctors need to touch, feel, probe, listen, or physically examine or cut something. Many situations require a little bit of both telemedicine and in-person visits.

With so much personal health data involved, what should patients know about privacy and data protection when using health apps and devices?

KH: Most reputable apps and telemedicine platforms today are fully encrypted and HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) compliant. However, it never hurts to ask and inquire. In my recent experience, I’ve found most healthcare apps today are very aware of the need for security, privacy and full compliance with HIPAA regulations.

Looking ahead, what emerging digital health trends do you think will have the biggest impact on patient empowerment and self-care?

KH: Technology is allowing patients to gather more data than ever before, and data that previously were only able to be captured using costly in-lab or in-office technology. Nowhere is that trend more apparent than in the recent advances with breathing/sleep diagnostics. For example, as recently as five to seven years ago, an in-lab polysomnogram (PSG) used to be the only real option for diagnosing most sleep apnea patients. A one-time cost for a PSG ranged from $2,500 to $6,000. Today, a medical-grade home sleep test can be conducted for under $100, making such diagnostic tools and services available to the masses. When patients discover that they can obtain a high-quality, medical-grade sleep study along with a medical interpretation of the results for such nominal costs, it empowers them with insights into a whole new world of knowledge about how they can monitor and maintain optimal health.

What is your vision for the role of technology in patient care over the next five to 10 years? How do you think this will change the patient-provider relationship?

KH: The latest patient-accessible technology is uncovering and bringing to light a huge weakness in our allopathic Western medicine model. That is the fact that all our health conditions are interrelated, and nothing happens in isolation. For example, our hypertension must be addressed as a downstream symptom of something more fundamental, such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and cannot be addressed adequately by a sole reliance on a pharmaceutical treatment. Physicians are coming to the realization that they must become more holistic in their diagnostic and treatment approach to optimize patient outcomes.