Health IT Trends On the Rise in 2015

Featured article by Sarah Landrum, freelance writer and blogger

Technology is becoming more prominent in just about every industry. It’s starting to evolve the way we interact with the world at large. Certainly the concept of information technology, or IT, has expanded to include many more markets than just those involved with computers. There are IT teams trained to work on medical equipment, manufacturing and construction machinery, retail database and point of sale systems, and so much more. The list could go on for a long while.

With it transforming all of these different markets, it does beg the question: How will it affect healthcare? On one hand, some forms of the healthcare industry are conforming to the change, allowing for health tracking through wearables and smartwatches, mobile and cloud computing and much more. On the other hand, many providers have been resistant to change, unwilling to update their systems or how they service their customers.

Health Technology Trends on the Rise

Make no mistake about it, the healthcare technology and IT market IS changing, and it’s for the better. Those who are unwilling to adapt will be left behind. There are several ways this will happen, which makes it even more important to pay attention to current trends. By staying on top of these trends, at least in a digital sense, you can be sure you’re prepared for the future — whatever it may be.

1. More Personalized Healthcare

We’re starting to see a more personalized approach to healthcare. According to a book called ePatient 2015: 15 Surprising Trends Changing Healthcare, by Fard Johnmar and Rohit Bhargava, this trend is largely due to an increase in “genetic, behavioral and digital tools designed to monitor and manage personal health.” In other words, devices such as wearables, smartwatches and fitness trackers.

Some patients have yet to adopt this form of technology, while others have embraced it completely. While the sensors and hardware used for tracking health stats aren’t entirely accurate, they do offer a glimpse at the way patients live.

Analysts from PricewaterhouseCoopers predict that the personalized medicine market will grow 11 percent annually, and up to $452 billion by 2015.

To break it down, physicians can see if their patients are exercising regularly or maybe even too much. They can also browse information such as their diet, work and living habits and even personal activity. In this respect, they can tailor their healthcare plan to meet the patient’s needs. The information and data collected via these trackers offer a better picture of someone’s health, which should help dampen the existence of medical errors.

2. Digital and Peer-to-Peer Healthcare Interactions

In that same book, Johnmar and Bhargava claim “web, mobile and social technologies are converging to help patients and caregivers navigate the new health insurance landscape, select providers, research treatment options and seek out avenues of social interaction and support.”

Patients are quickly becoming “e-patients,” diagnosing and researching their own health issues through available digital avenues. This may seem like a scary prospect to healthcare providers, but it shouldn’t be. Provided the space is saturated with reliable, accurate information and the healthcare industry embraces the shift to digital, it should change the industry for the better.

Goldman Sachs analysts believe modern healthcare technologies will bridge “the digital and physical worlds to change physician and patient behavior.” In fact, they believe this new trend will generate $305 billion in savings in the future.

Patients and caregivers alike can “hack the health system while seeking and accessing better care.”

As it is, physicians largely have a small window of communication with their patients. In addition, when looking at healthcare information, they can only work with the information that’s been collected previously. However, these interactions can become much more valuable in the digital world. Those same physicians have instant access to much more information about their patients, including a long, detailed history. Not to mention, digital interactions through IM systems, educational message boards and forums, especially those that focus on continuing education, or even social media can provide a much clearer picture of someone’s health.

3. Predictive Psychohistory and Health Hyper-Efficiency

Thanks to the large-scale collection of this personal health data, Johnmar and Bhargava argue healthcare systems will become more efficient and more predictive. 52% of smartphone users already record health data on their phones.

They coined the phrase “Predictive Psychohistory,” which essentially means all of the healthcare and personal information collected from patients can be entered into specialized software and documentation tools to help predict future issues and speedbumps. In this respect, physicians can offer preventative healthcare in some cases to counteract a patient’s potential health problems that may crop up in the future.

Of course, all of that information being collected doesn’t just influence the future, it also influences the present. Doctors can deliver more accurate and viable healthcare options on the fly. There’s also the possibility that the diagnosis stage — in which doctors try to assess what’s wrong with a patient or what ailment they suffer from — may be dampened, if not eliminated altogether. In turn, that could free up a lot of time physicians usually spend with their patients, further improving interactions and relationships.

4. Everything Is Going Mobile

According to a report from Comscore, 60% of the total time US consumers spend with digital media is from smartphones and tablets. By 2017, the total revenue generated from the mobile health market will surpass $26 billion.

It doesn’t take a genius to see technology has made a huge leap to mobile. We now carry powerful, capable handhelds that can access the internet at a moment’s notice. This has shaped the way many industries now operate, including the healthcare market.

As everything flows to digital, and internet-enabled healthcare becomes more widely adopted, patients and physicians alike will shift their focus to mobile. This means personal interactions, health tracking, data collection, information retrieval and even research will be crammed down to fit into the mobile space. How this affects the industry as a whole remains to be seen. However, you can be sure our mobile devices will become an important part of the modern healthcare system.

Sarah Landrum is a freelance writer and blogger with a love for technology and all things business. Catch her on her blog, Punched Clocks, for more great tips. While you’re there, be sure to subscribe to her newsletter and follow her on Twitter @SarahLandrum