The healthcare industry, along with a great number of other fields, is in the midst of a significant technological transformation – one that extends much beyond the borders of technical application before the release of Covid. These days, the use of digital technologies in healthcare encompasses everything from the process of diagnosis and treatment to the ease of connection between doctors and patients. This revolutionary shift is made possible by cutting-edge technology, in addition to some unexpected uses of more established technologies. It is expected that the leading digital trends in healthcare for 2023 will reflect this adaptation of current technology in new ways, employing them to fulfil the growing demands for healthcare in ways that are ever more efficient and inexpensive.
The True Revolution: Changing the Way Patients Receive Care
One of the most significant digital developments in healthcare for 2023 is a continuous shift in the manner in which patients and healthcare professionals connect with one another. This shift was drastically accelerated by the pandemic. It is just not going to be possible to revert back to relying only on in-person consultations now that the entirety of the globe has embraced the time-saving benefits of telehealth for normal, non-emergency medical treatment. Not only is telehealth becoming more readily available and cost-effective, but it is also the topic of legislation that is being passed by the government to encourage its usage. For instance, the United States government has recently enacted a measure that would ensure that Medicare patients have access to telehealth services, including those that are audio-only, until the year 2024.
There are a variety of other ways that today’s medical professionals frequently utilize technology to improve the day-to-day experience of their patients. Patients now have the ability to access their own medical information, receive personalized notifications, plan their own appointments, and contact with their physicians all thanks to user-friendly mobile applications (apps).
These enhancements for patients will, of course, result in an increase in the amount of competition for providers. Patients now have access to healthcare not just inside their own state but also throughout neighbouring states and even internationally. Prior to the pandemic, most competition in the healthcare industry was conducted on a local level. When you add to that the accessible availability of treatment through technology corporations, massive retail clinics, and digital health startup companies, it is easy to see how even major hospitals might become lost in the shuffle if they are not on board with new technologies.
The use of AI and analytics on data
The application of artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics to enhance the accessibility, cost, and efficacy of healthcare is another one of the significant digital developments that are expected to dominate the healthcare industry in 2023. MarketsAndMarkets, a consulting organization, projects that the artificial intelligence (AI) healthcare market will expand to a value of $14.6 billion by the year 2023. This is a significant increase from the market’s worth of $600 million less than ten years ago. In addition, it is anticipated that the artificial intelligence (AI) healthcare industry will reach $102.7 billion over the next five years, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 47.6%. This is because healthcare datasets are becoming increasingly huge and precise, computer power is expanding, hardware prices are decreasing, and there is a vital need to lower healthcare spending. Stakeholders are now studying the ways in which they may use AI in fields including as genomics, imaging, drug discovery, and diagnostics, just to mention a few examples of these types of applications. This is very definitely a “get on board or get left behind” moment.
Imaging and diagnostics are anticipated to be particularly attractive development prospects for healthcare organizations, making them stand out among the other options included. AI has already been incorporated into the medical imaging software of a number of worldwide companies, including Siemens, GE, and Philips Healthcare. This allows for CT scans to be analyzed in a way that is both more efficient and accurate, and it also allows for an automatic report to be generated.
Additional applications like as robot-assisted surgery, virtual nursing assistants, reduced dosage errors, linked machinery, and preliminary diagnostics have the potential to directly contribute to an increase in the efficacy and efficiency of patient care. At the same time, administrative workflow, fraud detection, and cybersecurity AI technologies will enhance the overall efficiency of the healthcare industry. This will allow healthcare providers to boost accessibility while simultaneously reducing costs. The initial launch and development expenditures for healthcare AI can be a major investment; however, the technology quickly pays for itself through cost savings as well as enhanced patient care and quality of life.
Business Intelligence (BI)
In tandem with artificial intelligence (AI), another use of data analytics known as business intelligence (BI) has emerged. Data analytics and business intelligence, like a number of other technologies, were originally designed for use in industry, but as one of the digital trends in healthcare, they are finding increasingly widespread use. Business intelligence (BI) is a specialized application of data analytics that is intended to extract information from raw data that is of high strategic and operational value. Business intelligence is particularly important at the moment since health information systems are creating a veritable torrent of raw data. The use of business intelligence can result in a number of benefits, including enhanced patient care, improved treatment decisions, optimized use of resources like as equipment and specialised care, and dramatically improved financial management. In contrast to AI, business intelligence (BI) is predicated on essentially human decision making. This implies that there is the potential to maximize resource allocation as well as other results depending on the organization’s own goals, which is a significant advantage over AI.
Robotics for the Preservation of Records – and People!
Another technology that is becoming increasingly popular in the healthcare business is known as robotic process automation (RPA). Because medical claims, treatment plans, and other administrative tasks may now be completed automatically thanks to robotic process automation (RPA), the administrative burden of providing healthcare is significantly decreased. Because of this, there is a significant reduction in the expenses associated with staffing administration and increasing the accuracy of the handling of claims and other tasks. Everyone in the healthcare industry, from healthcare providers to insurance providers to state medical services, will be able to increase their administrative efficiency if RPA is used at a higher rate in 2023.
There’s also a good chance that RPA will become more integrated with artificial intelligence and machine learning in the near future. RPA will be able to deliver even larger advantages in areas like as data analysis, patient diagnosis, and suggestions for therapy as a result of this development.
For illustration’s sake, let’s assume that a healthcare organization is interested in analysing patient data in order to determine the existence of potential health hazards and offer recommendations for preventative therapy. With the use of RPA, the company is able to automatically gather pertinent information from electronic medical records as well as other sources. On the other hand, analysing these data by hand may be a time-consuming and potentially error-prone process.
When robotic process automation (RPA) is combined with artificial intelligence and machine learning (ML), patient data may be automatically analysed. This is made possible because AI and ML algorithms can be trained to recognise patterns and generate predictions regarding patient health concerns. The output of the AI and ML algorithms may then be integrated into the workflows of the firm via RPA, which enables the organization to provide data-driven suggestions for preventative care in real time.
Legacy Software Development and Modernization was Completed.
In spite of the fact that emerging tendencies such as artificial intelligence, business intelligence, and robotic process automation are fascinating and even revolutionary, the fact remains that many healthcare organizations will be in the same resource crunch in 2023 as they were in 2022. As a result, they will be searching for ways to extend the usefulness of their existing technologies and systems through the development of software and the modernization of legacy systems. This is happening, primarily, in three different places.
First, we anticipate (and have already witnessed) an increased emphasis on moving workloads to the cloud. By moving their ageing and expensive systems to the cloud, healthcare organizations may increase the scalability, security, and dependability of their information technology systems while simultaneously lowering their expenses. Because it offers a cutting-edge infrastructure that can easily adapt to the ever-shifting requirements of the digital era, the cloud is an essential facilitator for the process of legacy system modernisation.
The implementation of microservices architecture will be another 2023 trend for the legacy modernisation of healthcare systems. This is a new method to the creation of software that enables companies to design and deploy complicated applications as a collection of tiny services that are completely autonomous from one another. Microservices can assist healthcare organizations in breaking down massive legacy systems into smaller, more manageable components, which makes it simpler for these organizations to gradually modernise their information technology infrastructure. This technique of tackling problems one at a time enables healthcare organizations to increase the agility of their IT infrastructure and adapt more effectively to shifting business requirements.
In conclusion, it is anticipated that the utilisation of platforms that need no code or little code would grow in 2023. These platforms make it possible for businesses to construct and launch complicated applications without having to write any code, which makes it simpler for non-technical individuals to take part in the process of developing apps. By utilising low-code and no-code platforms, healthcare organizations are able to rapidly and simply construct new apps and integrations. As a result, it is much simpler for these organizations to modernise their IT infrastructure and improve the quality of care as a whole.
Conclusions Regarding the Role of Technology in Healthcare
The use of digital technologies in healthcare will go well beyond communication and record keeping in the next years. The coming year is going to be revolutionary in terms of new technologies and uses of existing technologies to patient care, in addition to administrative efficiency. This will be the case across the board. Already, AI and data analytics, business intelligence, and process automation are bringing about fundamental shifts in the delivery of patient care, which will ultimately make healthcare more available, inexpensive, efficient, and effective for all people.
This revolution will be developed not only via the creation of new technologies, but also through the flexible acceptance and adaption of current technologies that have evolved in scientific and industry sectors for the specific demands of the healthcare business. This revolution will be built on the back of the fourth industrial revolution, which is expected to begin in the next decade. At the same time, there are chances to be obtained in traditional software creation as well as the modernization of legacy systems, both of which will bring healthcare systems that are smaller and have more limited resources up to date in 2023.
As an experienced Technology Practice Head and CIO with more than 23 years of extensive experience, Amarnath brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in driving digital transformation and IT innovation. Throughout his career, he has successfully led organizations in leveraging technology to achieve strategic objectives and enhance operational efficiency. Overall, his combination of technical expertise, strategic thinking, and leadership skills makes him a valuable asset in driving digital innovation and delivering business results as a CIO.
He has consistently demonstrated expertise in leading and managing IT functions to achieve business success. As the Head of IT, he possesses a strategic mindset, technical acumen, and a strong focus on delivering innovative solutions that align with organizational goals. Overall, his blend of strategic leadership, technical expertise, and collaborative approach makes him well-equipped to drive innovation, optimize IT operations, and deliver impactful results as the Head of IT.
Skilled consultant with a demonstrated ability to develop, migrate, and implement Hyperautomation, IOT, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Transactional Data Migration, Server-to-Server Migration, Live Migration for minimum downtime.
As an experienced Technology Practice Head and CIO with more than 23 years of extensive experience, Amarnath brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in driving digital transformation and IT innovation. Throughout his career, he has successfully led organizations in leveraging technology to achieve strategic objectives and enhance operational efficiency. Overall, his combination of technical expertise, strategic thinking, and leadership skills makes him a valuable asset in driving digital innovation and delivering business results as a CIO.
He has consistently demonstrated expertise in leading and managing IT functions to achieve business success. As the Head of IT, he possesses a strategic mindset, technical acumen, and a strong focus on delivering innovative solutions that align with organizational goals. Overall, his blend of strategic leadership, technical expertise, and collaborative approach makes him well-equipped to drive innovation, optimize IT operations, and deliver impactful results as the Head of IT.
Skilled consultant with a demonstrated ability to develop, migrate, and implement Hyperautomation, IOT, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Transactional Data Migration, Server-to-Server Migration, Live Migration for minimum downtime.