Artificial intelligence, robotics, and blockchain – the future is here. Technology will leave no stone unturned, especially in the world of healthcare. New technology in healthcare is already changing the way we do things, from how we conduct tests to how we record them. However, the ways in which technology will continue to alter and shape healthcare are beyond our wildest dreams. New drugs are being created, and the ways in which they’re being tested are changing. Artificial intelligence, robotics, and nanotechnology are drastically improving the accuracy rates in medical testing and treatment. Patients, physicians, and insurance companies all have access to more information than ever before. It’s an exciting time, so let’s devolve into the six healthcare advances you should keep your eye on!
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Six Healthcare Advances to Follow: New Technology in Healthcare
Here are the six healthcare advances physicians should follow. Stay up-to-date on new technology in healthcare, because you never know what’s coming next!
1. Drug development
The most obvious of the healthcare advances to follow is in drug development. Not only are new drugs invented all of the time, but technology will eventually enable drug makers to create them faster. As one news article about new technology in healthcare points out, we’re not too far off from a time when we will be able to test thousands of potential new drugs on virtual patient models in minutes.
2. Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is a new technology in healthcare that could be a game changer. It’s already changing so much about our world, and healthcare will see it too. For example, doctors could use AI to develop treatment plans, mine medical records and essentially, test, diagnose and treat patients smarter and faster than ever before.
3. Robotics
Feeling sorry for that lonely patient? Struggling to lift elderly patients? Tired of your patient forgetting to take their medications? Robots could eventually solve all of these problems. Robots are able to talk to patients and remind them to take their medication. They can also provide additional strength to healthcare workers who need to do the heavy lifting.
4. Nanotechnology
Imagine if we had something tiny enough to get up inside someone’s bloodstream, check things out and even deliver medication that way? Nanotechnology is close to making this fantasy a reality. Nanomedicine is similar to robotics, but in this case, the robots will be like tiny micro-doctors that can swim through a bloodstream or around your lymphatic system.
5. Payer-provider analytics
Health insurance for locums physicians is using new technology in healthcare to make more information available to physicians. Carriers are providing data and analytics about medical claims and essentially, telling healthcare organizations which providers are better to work with. This way, if you want to refer your patient to a specialist, you can check data to see which specialist will be within their network and provide the best treatment.
6. Blockchain for healthcare
Blockchain could improve communication in healthcare and essentially replace electronic medical records one day. Right now, electronic medical records are like silos in that various healthcare organizations are using different systems that don’t always connect. This creates a major problem with communication in healthcare, especially when patients want to transfer to a new provider. Blockchain, which is a permanent database that can exist in multiple locations and be shared among a community, could be the answer to improving medical record transfers. However, the government would have to enforce some sort of mandate to regulate records before this could take place.
Physicians: Do you want to read more articles about new technology in healthcare? Check out our recent blog on how technology is used for genetic manipulation!
