Opinions expressed by Digital Journal contributors are their own.
Like most industries, healthcare has been undergoing transformations in recent years, and especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Some of the biggest changes have been in the works for years, while others have been accelerated out of necessity. Healthcare providers who have pioneered technologies have put themselves in a unique position of market domination as their competitors scramble to keep up.
Some of the biggest trends to watch for in 2022 and beyond include:
1. Technology Solutions that Ensure Healthcare Equity
The Covid-19 pandemic brought to light the significant differences in care that people experience based on their socio-economic status. Location, access to jobs and healthcare, and education all play a part in the quality of healthcare received by Americans. Those living in rural areas are significantly more affected than those living in urban areas, as physician shortages and hospital closures occur more frequently in remote areas.
Options like telemedicine that connect medical providers to patients via video calls or phone calls will become even more prevalent in coming years. Although many patients prefer in-person appointments, the reliance on telemedicine during the Covid-19 pandemic has increased comfort levels with the technology.
Telehealth provider Nu Image Medical, who began rolling out telemedicine approaches as early as 2008, has advocated that it has allowed them access to patients in remote areas and increased patient engagement in their treatments.
2. Data Management Increasing
The sheer amount of data being gathered by providers and researchers is overwhelming EMRs (Electronic Medical Records) and healthcare organizations are being challenged to find new platforms on which to store and analyze their data.
Nu Image Medical CEO Andreas Dettlaff has confirmed that his company required a custom-built software platform in order to effectively manage both data and daily operations. This investment in technology was hefty, but has streamlined and automated the entire company while keeping patient information confidential but accessible to medical providers.
3. Workforce Shortages and Provider Burnout
A 2021 study showed that 42% of healthcare providers are burned out and exhausted. Long hours in clinics and hospitals contribute heavily to this mental anguish and physical fatigue. Workforce shortages have already begun, due in part to vaccination requirements, but also because the long hours required are not sustainable for many years.
Innovations such as telemedicine and data condensation into easy-to-use insights can help to minimize burnout, increase the quality of healthcare provided, and minimize hours spent working each day.
4. At-Home Care
Virtual healthcare is only growing, and is expected to expand significantly in the mental health and urgent care sectors. Many medical providers are also returning to in-home visits and at-home treatment options as they attempt to keep minimally ill patients away from extreme illnesses being treated on an in-patient basis.
5. Increasing Efficiency and Value
A spotlight has been shined on the time between identification of a problem and treatment of that problem by medical providers. As technology advances, the time between creating an appointment, attending the appointment, and receiving a solution or treatment needs to be decreased. By embracing telemedicine appointments that shorten wait times for patients, as well as sharing information more easily and readily amongst care teams, patients can have solutions prescribed for them in much more appealing timeframes.
Andreas Dettlaff acknowledges that between easily arranged telemedicine appointments and their proprietary software platform, many Nu Image Medical patients have been able to receive their prescriptions in a fraction of the time that a traditional healthcare provider would have taken.
6. Prioritizing Patient Mental Health and Well-Being
More adults than ever are reporting that they require mental health services for symptoms including depression and anxiety. Due in part to circumstances brought on by the pandemic, these concerns are being taken more seriously by employers and insurance providers. These conditions will continue to be prioritized in the coming years.
Healthcare has always relied heavily on advancements in technology and innovative solutions, but as the marketplace changes at an even more rapid pace, we can expect this reliance to increase. Because patients can benefit so greatly from these changes, the expectation is that they will embrace technological advancements more readily than they have in the past.
