There is no doubt that the healthcare industry around the world was going through a digital transformation way before COVID-19. While the coronavirus pandemic might have accelerated the important shift to all things digital, note that we were already seeing new and improved business models that help make healthcare more accessible, affordable, and adaptable.
Did you know that the COVID-19 pandemic has become an unprecedented disruption to most facets of the modern healthcare industry in the country in a very short period? You will be happy to know that many technological breakthroughs and innovations that seemed like science fiction only a decade ago have now become mainstream in the healthcare industry.
In addition to saving lives and enhancing the quality of life, these technological advancements and innovations have slashed medical costs, making healthcare available in many remote locations. Also, it is worth noting that the implementation of electronic batch records software is now reshaping the discipline of health information management as they provide high levels of security, redundancy, and backup of your batch records and is powerful enough for larger organizations. As a result, it is opening up many new opportunities in the medical healthcare system. U control billing is a customer-centric company. They can provide your organization greatest financial return through our best services. We’re transparent, dependable and responsive to your needs. Our goal is to make your organization run smoother and efficient.
If you would like to understand and appreciate where the healthcare technology industry is heading, studying important tech trends is essential.
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Healthtech Trends
You should know that a few major trends are affecting healthcare technology. Did you know that the most obvious is perhaps the shift to telemedicine and many other digital healthcare tools? Although telehealth was already driving many industry trends, it has transitioned from a luxury to a necessity in the coronavirus era.
Also, it is worth noting that digital healthcare tools are not merely a COVID-induced fad. A recent survey reveals that almost 50% of people claimed they had used digital technology in order to communicate with their healthcare providers.
Similarly, where paper claims were the standard in the past, providers are now using electronic claims processing as well as medical billing coding increasingly. Did you know that with the best system, the software can easily code your claims automatically in order to best fit your encounter?
Also, note that medical billing and medical coding software from a reliable service partner helps healthcare providers identify the most common mistakes and errors in their medical coding to refine their process and also work towards a quick payment.
You should know that besides the explosion of many digital communication tools, the healthcare industry is now exploring new ways to leverage artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and the Internet of Things.
For example, on the patient side, AR is useful for educating patients and provides a virtual consultation experience. Also, keep in mind that professionals are using AI for everything from robotic-assisted surgery and virtual assistants to early disease detection and patient monitoring.
Telemedicine
It is no secret that COVID-19 has considerably accelerated the use of many telehealth resources. Did you know that in April 2020, 43.5 percent of Medicare primary care visits used telehealth methods instead of in-person visits?
You know that seeing a doctor or other healthcare professional for something relatively routine is often expensive, not only in terms of the copay but in terms of the time that it takes patients to get to the doctor. Note that one of the best benefits of telehealth compared to in-person alternatives is that telemedicine reduces contact between healthcare workers, patients, and other patients.
Did you know that wearable devices enable doctors and healthcare workers to obtain real-time information on patients while remaining at their homes?
Professionals have used telemedicine for many years to offer people access to regular healthcare. However, note that with ubiquitous video streaming and broadband connectivity, we will likely see its use considerably increase as people get more comfortable with living as well as working remotely.
You will be pleased to know that telehealth’s growth and popularity appear likely to continue even after the end of the pandemic. Did you know that more than 70% of patients in the US considered telemedicine at the start of the pandemic, and almost 50% had already used virtual appointments?
Artificial Intelligence
You likely know that it has never been easier and quicker to work with copious amounts of information. And the rapid advancements in many areas, such as cloud computing, analytics, and machine learning, have provided us with more data than in the past and the unique ability to look at this data in new ways.
While artificial intelligence (AI) has been an important part of the healthcare system for many years, experts think that in the next decade, AI will be a normal part of the healthcare industry. For example, according to a survey of 200 healthcare professionals, 37% of respondents were leveraging AI, which is impressive. There is no doubt that AI is valuable as it promises to help professionals sift through mountains of data as well as gain new insights to identify risks and manage costs.
Internet of Things
It is no secret that wearables are already gathering tons of valuable information about patients. However, it is worth noting that the Internet of Things (IoT) has a lot more in store for the healthcare sector in the future.
Did you know that the IoT can automatically and efficiently transmit patient data collected by hospital equipment, such as heart monitors, directly to a patient’s EMR? Note that this is excellent as it saves time that you normally spend manually entering these stats. Perhaps, more importantly, it also lessens the risk that someone will commit a data entry mistake or error.
Also, note that by combining IoT development with telehealth and telemedicine technologies, a new and improved Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) has also emerged. You should know that this approach includes the use of various wearables, such as ECG and EKG monitors.
The best thing is that an effective IoT solution can seamlessly and efficiently integrate all the data that comes from these varied sources in order to help medical providers see the big picture.
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
There is no doubt that augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are already showing a lot of promise in various applications across the healthcare industry. These technologies are already being used to train doctors and medical staff Well, apart from the huge success observed in VR in manufacturing, today all major hospitals and critical care units across the US, North America and Europe are using Virtual Reality in healthcare for best diagnosing a complex health condition, and treating patients for achieving the most satisfactory results.
Did you know that VR is now being used to train future surgeons? Note that companies such as ImmersiveTouch and Osso VR are developing and providing these software programs, and these programs are showing promising results.
You will be happy to know that a Harvard Business Review research study indicated that VR-trained surgeons had a whopping 230% improvement in their performance compared to their conventionally-trained counterparts. Note that VR-trained surgeons were also faster and considerably more accurate in performing various surgical procedures.
3D-Printing
This is another promising technology. From prosthetics and instrumentation to implants, 3D printing is an amazing technology that promises to revolutionize how we think about what is medically possible. There is no doubt that 3D-printing can easily bring wonders in many aspects of healthcare. For example, it is possible to print bio tissues, pills, artificial limbs, and blood vessels.
Did you know that in November 2019, researchers and medical experts at the famous Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute developed a new method to 3D-print living skin with blood vessels? And this development can be important for skin grafts for many burn victims.
Blockchain
It is no secret that blockchain is a key trend that stands to considerably improve and streamline the healthcare industry in 2020 and beyond. You should know that digital ledgers now enable healthcare providers to easily distribute transaction records to their patients securely.
This will considerably improve data security. The technology can improve care by linking patients to their data instead of their identity.
The peer-to-peer system that blockchain leverages allows a large number of users to securely and quickly get access to a common ledger. Because of blockchain, there isn’t any need for trust between two parties.
Note that as healthcare technology is continuing to improve, security, portability, and accessibility are some of the objectives this technology can achieve along with other trends, such as IoMT and cloud computing.
Also, it is worth noting that one of the most important benefits of blockchain technology in healthcare is interoperability. Did you know that public-private key methods provide greater integrity when it comes to the use of healthcare information? You know that security, integrity, and accessibility of data are features that are in high demand, especially during the COVID-19 health pandemic in 2020.
In this regard, blockchain is an important technology that can help offer these key features to help and assist healthcare providers in communicating with their patients efficiently and remotely. You should also know that blockchain improves integrity and transparency through complete visibility through digital ledger, which is impressive.
Final Thoughts
There is no doubt that technology is changing our world at a brisk pace, and the healthcare industry will certainly see great benefits from these healthcare innovations. For example, VR technologies focus on pain management, counseling, telemedicine, occupational therapy, surgical training, and many other applications.
On the other hand, AI is focused on EHR analytics, diagnostics, synthesizing information from various sources (journals, scientific papers, patient medical records, etc.), and remote monitoring of patients with the help of wearable devices. These tech trends in healthcare will likely grow in 2020 and beyond.
