Digital transformation technologies are revolutionizing the healthcare industry by improving access to information and treatment options for doctors and patients. Here’s a look at several specific ways these improvements are happening. It is possible today to move data across platforms, EMR systems and more, plus it is HIPAA compliment at the same time.
Telemedicine: Delivering Quality Healthcare Anywhere In the World
Telemedicine provides patients in even the most remote locations of the world access to quality healthcare expertise and treatment options. It also allows local doctors to digitally connect with specialists. Telemedicine eliminates the time and costs of doctors or patients traveling to deliver or receive care. Using a smartphone app, patients can describe his or her symptoms, speak to a doctor, and get a prescription. The whole process reduces the time it takes for patients to get treatment while allowing them to remain in the comfort of their own home. Digital transformation technologies are equipping doctors to participate in the telemedicine revolution to meet the changing needs of their patients.
Big Data: Better Medical Outcomes Start With Better Medical Intelligence
Big data aggregates information in order to identify patterns and trends. For the healthcare industry, big data translates into several important benefits:
- Lower rates of medication errors: Through medical record analysis, software can flag any inconsistencies between a patient’s health and drug prescriptions
- Facilitating preventive care: By analyzing recurring patients, practitioners can create provide preventative healthcare options for patients
- Accurate staffing levels: Advanced labor analytics can help hospitals save money from overstaffing and reduce emergency room wait times.
Artificial Intelligence: Charting the Future of Medicine
The power of artificial intelligence (AI) in the medical industry is felt most in precision medicine, medical imaging, drug discovery, and genomics. For example, AI-powered computer programs can analyze thousands of pathology images to provide highly accurate diagnoses. They can also predict the best possible anti-cancer drug combinations while helping radiologists spot minute details that escape the human eye.
Chat-bots and virtual health assistants are other AI-based technologies that can serve a multitude of roles. They’re able to provide customer service, help with diagnostic tools, and even work as credible therapists.
AR, VR and Digital Twins: Reducing Risk and Improving Care Outcomes
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) helps doctors learn how to perform intricate procedures without having to practice on human beings. Other uses include:
- Virtual-reality simulations to help residents hone their skills
- Planning complicated surgeries
- Children with autism using VR headsets to learn how to navigate the world
- AR helping Alzheimer’s and dementia patients retrieve memories
Digital Twins are used with computer systems and industrial technology to create exact models of environments that are as dynamic as the physical environment itself. A Digital Twin provides a safe environment where providers and manufacturers can test the impact of a healthcare procedure by experimenting on a virtual version of the system that is fed by abundant data from the real system.
Blockchain: Providing Secure Access to Patient Records
In the financial industry, Blockchain is a digital ledger or a computerized database of transactions. Shared across a network of computers, it allows customers to safely exchange financial information with suppliers, without the need of a third party such as a bank.
For healthcare professionals, Blockchain allows doctors to automatically access a patient’s complete medical history, rather than having to wait for institutions to transfer patient files. It also keeps medical records safe with premium cybersecurity services, so that hospitals and insurance companies don’t have to spend money on out-dated security and data protection.
Wearables and the Internet of Things: Delivering Vital Patient Information to Medical Professionals
Wearable technology allows patients, doctors and specialists to collect health data from simple medical devices. Some of the most common wearables include:
- Heart rate sensors
- Exercise trackers
- Sweat meters
- Oximeters
Wearables give patients a way to personalize their healthcare and gain a sense of ownership in their health maintenance. They also provide ways for insurance companies to create incentives that result in lower premiums.
Work With a Proven Partner to Help Your Medical Organization Achieve Digital Transformation
Everything we do at Imaging Office Systems, is focused on improving information management. The smarter you are with your information and data-based assets, the better impact you can have on your patients. Get in touch with us today to learn more about how we can help your medical organization make a digital transformation.