The rapid pace of technological integration into healthcare isn’t slowing down anytime soon, and for patients and practices, that’s a good thing — if they can keep up. Higher patient volumes, more pressure on staffing and falling margins have created challenges for the industry in the last few years, but technology is moving in to offer some support. Its unique ability to reduce costs and improve patient care is truly the asset it brings to the table.
Consider some of the most impactful emerging trends and innovations the industry is seeing and what they may mean for practice growth and development in the coming months:
Better Connected and Collaborative Care
Reducing the information and communication silos in healthcare profoundly improves doctor-patient care. One of the most impactful solutions is the creation of a single platform that helps to connect all healthcare participants and the patient together. The inclusion of artificial intelligence (AI) into the process is further creating better collaboration while eliminating the tedious tasks that put too many demands on employees.
Virtual Services and Appointments
The growing number of people utilizing virtual services is a very important factor for most organizations because it eliminates transportation barriers for patients and cuts down on staffing needs. Providers can more efficiently move from patient to patient.
Better Diagnostic Sharing
AI solutions are also helping to contribute to faster diagnostic testing and input. By empowering improved connectivity, technicians can share lab results faster, allowing for more communication across all specialties, even when they are at different locations or within different organizations.
Improved Workforce Technology
The future of healthcare will incorporate new strategies and tools that help to improve the workflow and processes of employees. This includes strategies that can boost productivity and make sure that each employee’s needs are met.
Streamlining Workflows
One example of this is the use of AI-driven solutions that can help workers do their jobs more efficiently, which reduces fatigue and can help to improve employee quality of work. This may include the use of medical speech recognition software, for example, to streamline documentation, one of the biggest contributors to employee burnout in some offices.
Improving Leadership Systems and Opportunities
By incorporating more technology to improve operations, leaders have a better ability to actually lead. More so, with access to interim healthcare services, organizations can fill in leadership gaps as they need to, improving overall success in managing teams without numerous power shifts that cripple teams.
Better Healthcare Equity
While technology and AI often seem to be business-enhancing services, they can also be utilized in multiple ways to enhance the quality and access to care, providing better healthcare equity. Creating meaningful relationship opportunities for all people within the population has long been challenging for underserved communities, but technology and innovation are helping to bridge some of that gap.
Customized Self-Service Solutions
While older generations may not have the experience or willingness to use apps, those in areas where connectivity is limited, including in underserved communities, are also unable to tap into the ease of virtual care. Changes are happening here as well, including the use of hotspot installation in various community settings. That way, people who do not have access to visiting a doctor in person can visit, receive care and still remain close to home.
Shouldering Data Management
Those in underserved communities often lack a cohesiveness of service. That is, they do not see the same doctor on a consistent basis and may not have any medical record that can provide better insight into their health needs and goals. AI can help with this by creating more of a robust system that allows for faster data updating and storage so that it’s accessible, but that compliance and privacy standards are not missed.
Learning From Information Access
Perhaps one of the most profound ways that technology and innovation will change the healthcare industry is in this manner. With better access to data and healthcare insights, it is possible for doctors to provide better care treatments to improve their efficiency and effectiveness due to improved compliance, and for the healthcare industry to grow in its knowledge base. With more information about the impact the disease has on day-to-day life or how a person’s symptoms change throughout the course of the day, doctors are empowered to make better decisions.
Without a doubt, the healthcare industry is ever-changing, and many of the advancements forthcoming offer a lot of promise for more information, better collaboration, improved connectivity, amplified privacy management and better overall technology.
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