HEALTHTECH: How did the idea for this skill come about?
GABORIAULT: We are always willing to do deep innovation and strive for change. The Alexa skill emerged from a problem encountered by clinical leaders in our home health business. When patients were discharged, a nurse would show up a day or two later to help with exercises. Yet when patients were left to do it on their own, they often forgot or had questions. The goal was to have a deployment where patients could ask for help anytime about the exercises or care plan.
HEALTHTECH: How did the team develop it?
GABORIAULT: It was developed internally in our Innovation Center. We have various skill sets to do that work, including design, software, hardware engineering, business analysis, UX experts and graphic design people. The care plan is ordered, customized for the patient, designed by the clinical team and uploaded into Alexa, and then it stays behind in the home as an extension of the caregivers.