2023 Emerging Trends in Healthcare Technology

Remote Patient Monitoring

More than half of Americans have been diagnosed with at least one chronic disease. Remote patient monitoring enables providers to track physiological patient data – such as blood pressure readings, cardiac rhythms, and body mass index – in between office visits. With remote patient monitoring, providers reinforce preventative care, proactive early interventions, and patient participation in care plans.

Remote patient monitoring has many benefits, but it’s also reimbursable and can help drive revenue to practices. Based on national average reimbursement rates, a practice can make an extra $72,000 annually if they enroll 50 patients in the program and provide 20 minutes of chart review and consulting per month.

Interested in learning more about remote patient monitoring? At Benchmark Systems, we offer an interoperable remote patient monitoring platform, on-staff nurses, and medical billing experts to help medical practices launch profitable remote patient monitoring programs in no time.

Wearable Medical Devices

From electronic sensors that detect abnormal heart rhythms to continuous blood glucose monitoring devices, we anticipate exponential growth in wearable devices over the next decade.

By 2025, nearly a third of American consumers will adopt wearable devices – such as smartwatches and health tracking rings – to track their heart rate, fitness levels, and other biometric data, according to an Insider Intelligence report. 

In the clinical environment, wearable devices enable providers and patients to be proactive in managing health conditions and preventing disease while tracking changes over time. When combined with telehealth and remote patient monitoring, patients and providers can work together to achieve better clinical outcomes from anywhere.

Telehealth

According to a Healthcare IT News survey, nearly half of patients prefer telehealth visits. Virtual healthcare visits are easy to access and more convenient for patients while saving providers time and money by reducing no-shows.

In particular, the field of virtual mental healthcare is posed to continue rising in 2023. In just the past few years, rates of anxiety and depression have increased by 25%, according to the World Health Organization. Responding to this increased need and provider shortages are numerous on-demand, subscription-based telehealth therapy providers that help patients talk to someone when they need it.

Patient-Focused Digital Experiences

By 2030, the patient engagement solutions industry is posed to expand fivefold, reaching $74 billion. Encouraged by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Promoting Interoperability Program requirements, many health providers are investing in enhanced, interoperable electronic health record software that optimizes the patient experience and enables secure data transparency.

With Benchmark EHR’s premier integrated patient portal, patients can quickly access lab results, order prescription refills, complete forms, message their doctor, and check appointments.

Cloud-Based, Secure Databases

More and more healthcare practices are adopting cloud-based solutions to streamline workflows. The U.S. cloud-based healthcare software market – including electronic health records and practice management software – is expected to swell up to $66.3 billion by 2030. Compared to local server-based software, cloud technologies are scalable, secure, accessible from anywhere, and convenient for patients and providers alike. Doctors can even securely complete patient charts and coding from the comfort of their homes with cloud-based solutions. It’s also anticipated that interoperability will continue to be more important so disparate systems can easily interface with one another.

3D Printing

Technical advances in 3D printing and bioprinting are posed to revolutionize clinical care. As the field continues to grow, biomedical researchers, engineers, and physicians are finding new ways to use 3D printers to develop personalized prosthetics, assistive devices, and implants to improve patient well-being.

Similar to 3D printers, bioprinters combine living cells, molecules, growth factor proteins, and biological materials to create specialized organ-like structures. Although there is much research and development to be done before 3D printing and bioprinting enter mainstream clinical practice, these technological innovations are pushing the boundaries of medical care.

Genomics

While still an evolving field of discovery, genomic research is at the cusp of transforming healthcare technology and medical diagnostics. Using genetic data, providers can personalize treatments to each patient’s unique physiology. 

Researchers worldwide continue to investigate how certain genetic variations predispose a wide range of common diseases – from cancers to heart disease – and are revealing new insights every day. As the field advances in 2023 and beyond, providers can expect new genetic tests, preventative interventions for patients with known genetic risk factors, and evidence-based personalized medicine protocols to emerge.

Immersive Technology

Immersive technology offers powerful training and educational tools designed to help medical personnel advance patient care. Medical schools across the United States have begun to adopt extended reality training modules to help medical students envision clinical environments. 

Mayo Clinic, for example, uses extended reality to simulate real patient 3D physiological structures, allowing trainees to practice intraoperative navigation before entering the operating room.

Artificial Intelligence

Ten years ago, IBM’s Watson supercomputer popularized the concept of using artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze healthcare data and support clinical decision-making. Since then numerous AI applications that can classify medical data have been developed to help streamline healthcare workflows. While still evolving, these sophisticated AI algorithms are designed to review symptoms and biometric data, suggest treatments, and predict health risks.

Optimized Financial Workflows and Billing Software

Faced with increased competition, fewer insured patients, supply chain issues, workforce shortages, and looming economic uncertainty, medical practices must prioritize revenue cycle management in 2023. Interoperable medical practice management and billing software that integrates with electronic health records is a game-changer for healthcare organizations.

To further augment their revenue cycle management, many organizations have begun to outsource medical billing services versus hiring and retaining internal talent. Outsourcing revenue cycle management enables medical practices to hire experienced coding and collections personnel without paying expert-level salaries.