The Impact of IT on Healthcare

The Impact of IT on Healthcare

It wasn’t long ago when the field of healthcare was considered a laggard in terms of technology. However, that’s no longer the case. Because healthcare technology is now leapfrogging other industries, experts have compared the speed with which healthcare and its quality are changing with that of the industrial revolution.

While healthcare technology is rapidly evolving across the board, one key area of focus is IT. Because advances in healthcare IT are having a direct impact on this entire field, let’s take a look at some of the specific areas that are driving the impact of IT on healthcare:

Self-Service

Although there are those still stuck in an older mindset, most of the industry agrees that empowered patients are a good thing. Because technology increases the amount of data and decision making for patients, it makes it possible for communication between patients and providers to happen in a more efficient and effective way.

Telemedicine

In-person visits have an average cost of $180. With an average cost of just $60, employers will save as much as $6 billion as more of medical care shifts towards telemedicine. Even though telemedicine may initially seem like something out of a science fiction movie, once people think about what most visits entail, it becomes clear that this is a great way to get faster care without sacrificing quality.

Wearables

Even though plenty of people are still skeptical about the Apple Watch, the reason this company decided to enter this market now and put much of their focus on health is because the market is expected to explode to $30 billion by 2018.

Implantables

While the growth rate of wearables is going to be very significant in the coming years, what’s really amazing is that implantables will be more than twice as big by 2018. With a projected device market of $73.9 billion, there’s going to be a major need for infrastructure in order to support the wide range of implantable devices.

Connected Hospitals

By putting all the technology in place so that medical devices can be connected to electronic health records, it becomes possible for vitals to be entered in less than 1 minute (as opposed to 7-10 minutes). Since nurses continue to face an increasing number of patients, this type of efficiency is crucial for providing quality care.

Wireless Technology

As wireless technology continues to increase in its robustness, all kinds of new opportunities are opening up. Some of the most exciting include real-time location systems, advanced bed & fall monitors and mobile medical devices.

If your business is in the healthcare sector and you’re in need of an IT company that understands all the special considerations in this space, you can get in touch with Full Sky Technologies by calling 513-206-9971