Insights from the ISSA Forum: the possibilities of analytics and digital services
The development of digital services is on the rise. Especially in countries where social and healthcare services have been less accessible or not available, digital services are seen as a great opportunity. Attitudes towards digital services are more critical in countries where clients are used to traditional face-to-face services. Therefore, digital services may develop faster in countries with less or no resistance to change.
In June 2024, the International Social Security Association (ISSA) Forum for Technical Commissions took place in Geneva at the headquarters of the International Labour Organization (ILO). More than 90 organisations from 54 countries attended the ISSA forum. The Finnish member organisations of ISSA are the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela), Keva, Employment Fund, Farmers’ Social Insurance Institution, Finnish Centre for Pensions, and Finnish Workers’ Compensation Centre.
Kela’s Research Unit is a member of the Technical Commission on Social Security Policy Analysis and Research (TC PAR). Our goal was to gain a deeper understanding of what international cooperation has to offer, and is expected from us.
ISSA’s goal for 2022–2025 is to promote innovation and transformation in the provision of social security services and insurance coverage for the workforce. In addition, the flexibility, long-term sustainability, responsibility, and resilience of social security systems for different life situations will be developed. The goal is to draw up recommendations and analyses of social security as well as to produce publications, organise events, and implement programmes.
Before the TC PAR meeting, we familiarised ourselves with the activities and discussions of other technical commissions. Of the several themes available, we focused on information and communication technology (TC ICT) as well as healthcare and health insurance (TC Health). We also participated in a few innovation hubs, where experts exchanged experiences and ideas on specific topics.
Technical Commission on Information and Communication Technology discussed the drivers of digitalisation and how to utilise data analysis
A discussion in TC ICT on whether systems or business needs are the drivers of digital transformation was particularly interesting. The moderator and speaker emphasised that ICT is a tool that serves the needs of the business. This technical commission has made numerous recommendations worth looking into when updating Kela’s data strategy in the future.
At this point, the commission’s perspective was more organisational than focused on the needs of social security clients. The discussion revealed that a client perspective requires an entirely separate framework and that there is a demand for it.
The commission defined multiple objectives for utilising data analysis:
- Analysis provides insights that support data-driven decision-making.
- Preventing and detecting social security fraud – advanced analytics can help identify unusual patterns and discrepancies that indicate social security fraud.
- Analytics can be used to optimise resources, including personnel, technology, and funding.
- Analyses enable continuous monitoring and evaluation of programmes, initiatives, and experiments.
- Analytics can streamline processes by identifying bottlenecks and inefficiencies.
- Analytics can be used for tailoring services based on a better understanding of the users’ needs and choices.
The second session of TC ICT focused on utilising AI in social security services. There is a separate report that was introduced on 11 July at an ISSA webinar and on their website.
TC Health discussed health-related smart devices
At first, TC Health talked about why the need for Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is growing and what drives its development.
Demands for better accessibility and faster, more efficient production of services have contributed to the development of devices and software applications. Sensor technology and advanced algorithms enable increasingly accurate analysis of the users’ health.
The COVID-19 pandemic played a crucial role in the adoption of remote services in many countries. In Finland, for example, the coronavirus crisis accelerated the development of telemedicine services.
Reimbursement models that encourage the use of digital services, as well as approval from patients and service providers also affect the adoption of technology. Specific examples include telediagnosis, digital imaging and communication in medicine, and video consultations.
Worldwide, IoMT offers great development potential and benefits for healthcare systems. Costs are expected to go down as data can be used to promote preventive healthcare and resource optimisation in the future. Service chains and business operations can be monitored more accurately and effectively.
Will digital services develop faster in areas where service availability is limited?
The impacts of remote services and devices can have significant consequences for both social and economic challenges. At its best, digitalisation could help reduce social inequality and health disparities, as well as decrease the demand and costs of health services and absences from work. Could digitalisation also be used to influence the demand for unhealthy food and, consequently, the agricultural and food industries?
It will be interesting to see how services evolve in Finland in the future. Currently, there are widespread misconceptions due to the limited research on the impacts of digitalisation.
An educated individual who is accustomed to using technical devices and in good general health could easily manage for years using only a chat service. However, easy-to-use services should be developed for the elderly and those in challenging life situations. For example, identification could be done using voice and image recognition, thus enabling even those with the stiffest of fingers to use digital services.
Digital services may develop faster in countries outside the West, as clients might be more open to them in countries where services differ from those offered to clients and service providers who are accustomed to face-to-face interaction.
Authors
Hennamari Mikkola
Research Professor, Head of Research, Kela
hennamari.mikkola@kela.fi
Kirsi Airaksinen
Section Manager, Kela
kirsi.airaksinen@kela.fi
