What is Healthcare Trends Disrupting?
New
entrants from outside the traditional business of healthcare are redefining the
US$9.59 trillion global healthcare market for consumers, providers, and
investors in both developed and developing nations. These savvy,
entrepreneurial players are bringing innovative business models, more
affordable and convenient care options, wellness and fitness and more to
address heavy challenges. Here are some of the ways in which each of these
technologies is already making waves in the medical industry.
1.
Blockchain
Blockchain
technology has the potential to transform health care, placing the patient at
the center of the health care ecosystem and increasing the security, privacy,
and interoperability of health data.Moreover, blockchain technology may be the
key to super-charging one of the most important medical trends of the last
decade: medical record sharing. Systems that allow the sharing of digital
medical records between various providers have dramatically improved the
continuity, efficiency, and outcomes of patient care. However, given the
personal nature of medical records, security is always a concern. Blockchain
technology promises to offer both the security necessary to ease privacy
concerns and the efficiency necessary to improve patient care. Better data sharing
between healthcare providers means a higher probability of accurate diagnoses,
and the overall increased ability of healthcare organizations to deliver
cost-effective care. The security offered by blockchain technology may also
benefit drug research, as people may be more willing to participate in clinical
trials if they are confident that their private information will remain secure.
2.
Automated
Patient Care Solutions
Artificial
intelligence (AI) and machine learning have been two of the hottest tech trends
in 2017, and their importance will only continue to increase in 2018. The AI
market for healthcare has a projected compound annual growth rate of
42% until 2021, inspired by a need for standardized electronic health records
(EHR) and a reduction in labor-intensive healthcare worker tasks. By 2025, it’s
estimated that AI systems will be implemented in 90% of U.S. hospitals to
reduce the cost of labor and care and improve treatment outcomes. Biotech
startup Butterfly Network recently developed a handheld 3D ultrasound
device that will cost only “a few hundred dollars,” connect to smartphones and
tablets, and be capable of diagnosing cancer and other serious conditions. The
device creates 3D images in real time, and then transmits that data to the
cloud, where an automated diagnosis process takes place.
3.
Big Data
Analytics
Big Data
has already taken other sectors to new heights of innovation and productivity.
Business, finance, and even politics have been transformed by the seemingly
endless analytical insights offered by big data. There are good reasons that
healthcare should be next. Drug development is one area in which data analytics
can make a huge difference. The democratization of medical data opens the doors
for start-up pharmaceutical and research labs to disrupt the drug development
industry. Data is a valuable resource that has the potential to drive
innovation in this important field.
It’s clear
that the healthcare industry is heading in a decidedly digital
direction. However, rather than view this ongoing evolution as a threat,
medical professionals should embrace these technological advancements
wholeheartedly. From consumer-facing platforms like Google’s symptom search,
wearables, wellness apps, to advanced AI systems, and robotic surgery technologies,
all of these advanced technologies have been developed
with the same simple goal in mind: to provide a higher quality of care at a
lower cost to the patient.
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