So you've got a Fitbit and you're tracking activity, calories, sleep -- what happens to all that data? In order to really make a difference, the data has to be gathered, interpreted, and made available to doctors and other providers, who can use it to help you make the right health care decisions.
As Chief Consumer Officer for UnitedHealth Group (UNH +1.17%), Tom Paul works hard to understand the evolving needs of today's health consumers. He also helps UnitedHealth's customers become more engaged with their own health and wellness outcomes. In this video from the 2014 International CES, Tom talks about the role data plays in consumer health.
A full transcript follows the video.
Tom Paul: The other thing that's transformed is, in the past, consumers mainly engaged on health when they were faced with a situation. Now, it's moving way up front. Most people are tracking their activities, they're monitoring their activities through digital and through technology, and all of that continues to generate data.
The important part of all that data is to really take it and harness it in such a way that it becomes intuitive for a consumer, and it actually becomes supportive to their decision-making process. It's taking the data, organizing it and simplifying it, and then giving it back to the consumer and their health care provider -- their doctor or their nurse -- in order for them to make better health outcome decisions.
