The digital age has changed every corner of our lives, one of which is how we manage and access healthcare. Overall, our healthcare has evolved so much ever since it went digital. According to McKinsey’s research, Asian digital healthcare’s $37 billion value in 2020 will become $100 billion in 2025. This is supported by investments in Asia’s digital health, which experienced a 38% CAGR growth over the second half of the 2010s. As much as our healthcare improves in quantitative value, it has also improved in terms of quality, suggested by the emergence of new innovations, such as telemedicine.

The Rise of E-Health and Telemedicine

Dariya Lopukhina from Health Works Collective noted that governments around the world have facilitated the way for IT to support healthcare. In Germany, for instance, there’s an electronic health card project. The US passed the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act. The UK’s NHS National Programme for IT also played a role in integrating IT and healthcare. In addition to these governmental supports, the world has also witnessed the swiftly growing telemedicine and other e-health apps. 

Indonesia certainly also learned from the Covid-19 crisis back in 2020 and 2021, where almost all hospital beds were almost occupied. The peak of bed occupancy in Java occurred in July 2021, where 90% of hospital beds were occupied. This prompted the Indonesian government to support telemedicine services, especially for Covid-19 patients who do not require immediate treatment for having less severe symptoms. Ever since the crisis, Indonesian e-health and telemedicine experienced significant growth, due to the rising demand.

Current Challenges for Healthcare

Despite experiencing exponential growth, there are challenges that may obstruct the development of our healthcare system. For instance, McKinsey noted that consumer expectations rose along with their increased spending on health and wellness. As customers pay more, they demand more convenient and secure services. Speaking of security, there are also concerns regarding privacy in telemedicine, as noted by Rahul Varshneya from Arizona Telemedicine Program.

A2P SMS Integration as A Support for the Healthcare Industry

If modern problems require modern solutions, then technological problems in the healthcare industry also require technological solutions. This is where a lot of healthcare managers turn to A2P SMS, a tool that can support them in overcoming the challenges. Due to its usefulness, the global A2P SMS market in the healthcare industry alone is forecasted to amount to USD 5.3 billion in 2022. Although conventional healthcare providers haven’t taken advantage of A2P SMS’ benefits, many others have experienced A2P SMS’ perks, such as:

• Easier Ways to Advertise

A study by Dataintelo found that A2P SMS services are used by healthcare providers to create improvement in customer engagement and service quality. With A2P SMS, healthcare providers can share information, offers, and promotions to customers in a much easier way.

• Better Security 

As mentioned before, security was one of the major concerns in the current digital health landscape. A2P SMS, however, can provide a solution for this challenge. A2P SMS is commonly used for two-factor authentication, which can securely send a one-time code that can be accessed only by a particular user.

• More Effective Reminders and Notifications

A2P SMS can effectively remind healthcare providers’ customers of their appointment. This also improves booking efficiency while preventing customers from missing their appointments. In addition to saving everyone’s time, A2P SMS can also notify customers about billing updates, keeping them informed if there’s any change.

A2P SMS for Your Healthcare

The pandemic creates not only growth in the healthcare market value, but also increasing customer expectations. Aside from the rising customer demands, there are also challenges and concerns regarding e-health services and practices. To address these concerns and overcome these challenges, A2P SMS can be a powerful tool that supports your healthcare management, as it improves service efficiency and customer experience. You can work with Telkom DWS right now to get excellent support and high-quality services from the frontrunner of A2P SMS services. 

Find out more information about this opportunity by contacting us at marketingdws@telkom.co.id.