Digital Transformation in Healthcare

There is a growing need in the healthcare industry to find effective and more efficient methods to treat and serve patients.

From tedious doctors visits for needed prescriptions, to mind numbing medical insurance processes, technology promises to integrate into our health systems with innovative and relieving new approaches.

When it comes to health we often think about what we can do to better our situation ourselves. Exercising, diets, pharmaceuticals, traditional medicines, make a tiresome list for some.

However, with so many new advances in the health and wellness realm it’s time to start thinking about how tech can improve our lives.

Not only is technology making headway into effective medical treatments and monitoring, it is also aiding us in the dreaded battleground found thereafter: health insurance.

Health insurance is notorious for being a complicated, mind-boggling, and panic-inducing process. In fact, some are worse off after the experience is complete, once the dread takes hold.

But that’s all going to change…

Digital Transformation in Healthcare Speeding Up

It’s true that the medical world grows at a painstakingly slow pace. If you were to ask any nurse or doctor what their systems are like, they would probably have something to say about “legacy systems,” or the general age of their technologies.

It can take a while before a new technology or medicine is approved for use in a hospital. It can also take a long time to migrate hospital records from one system to another.

From digitized medical records to x-ray scans, there is a lot of data to be stored in hospitals. Fortunately, cloud services are providing many hospitals with the opportunity to free up some physical space by transferring all their data needs to the cloud.

Although a time consuming and quite expensive process, updates like these will bring hospitals back up to speed; and if there is one thing hospitals need, it is speed.

No, this isn’t quite Starfleet medical, but it is one step closer.

The Upside to Patient Accessibility

One area where the medical industry has seen great progress is providing patients more ways to access their health care.
We are well acquainted with wearable on-call systems, generally used by elderly in their homes. But what if we could actually be on a call with our doctor?

Trendy app advancements have allowed patients the ability to video chat with their doctor or nurse from the comfort of their own home.

Although not a perfect process by any means, this method at least allows general check-ups for certain ailments which could easily be diagnosed over video.

This may not just be a trend though — much of the limitations of home care have to do with the doctor’s inability to properly monitor the patient, but what if that were to change?

Doctors Truly Without Borders

With so many tools already at our disposal, like wearable fitness trackers which monitor pulse, heart rate, and sleeping patterns, there is no reason to think that self health monitoring will go away.

In fact, digital diagnostics have been a primary focus of the digital transformation seen in healthcare. Specifically, people want more ways to monitor and be monitored from the comfort of their own home.

By having more information provided to them, doctors will have an easier time making diagnoses from the comfort of their own home. And patients will feel more at ease because they won’t have to deal with the hassle of having to go to the doctor’s office.

From neural scans to blood samples, healthcare could see big changes in the ways people access and provide information. And with the advent of 3D printing, it won’t be long before the tools of the trade are put right into the homes of the patients.

In addition to simple monitoring processes, other forms of medicine will also see a turn towards modernization.

With virtual environments becoming so prevalent these days, digital therapy has taken up a new stride. It is not uncommon for patients to seek out physical or psychological therapy in the form of an online session.

Lowering Medical Costs

Concierge medical service has been shown to be a beneficial addition to the cost of the average consumer. Certain cities have proved to be fertile grounds for on-demand medical services which are paid for out of pocket.

These facilities allow patients the option to forego medical insurance and keep costs at a minimum which, in a time of uncertainty and unemployment, might be their only option.

Walk-in, get seen, pay, and leave. It’s that simple.

The cost of healthcare is a touchy subject, and one that is constantly in flux. With so much political turmoil wrapped around it, it is hard to think about how it could ever be truly improved, fixed, or replaced.

But there is an answer, and it lies in the capable hands of technology.

One thing we can expect to see is radical personalization of patient data. By taking each patient on through a case by case basis, insurance companies will have the ability to price out plans accordingly and in many cases make plans more affordable. However, this does not fix everything.

Digitization will become a key factor in revolutionizing patients’ interactions with insurance. How the patients experience insurance is how the patients will feel about insurance, and right now patients do not feel very good about it.

Health apps that monitor the costs and fees associated with certain procedures in a live setting will certainly improve upon the current system of receiving surprise medical bills.

Additionally, having the ability to update or change procedures without the need to spend extensive time consulting your insurance company will greatly reduce the stress patients feel throughout the process.

What insurance really needs though is young, fresh minds in the driver’s seats. With so many uninterested in the pursuits of traditional insurance, America is seeing a vibrant “start-up” insurance industry which promises innovation and reimagination.