What CIOs Need to Know About Healthcare Technology Advancements
Technology evolution in the healthcare industry is happening more rapidly than it has in the entire history of the sector. From securing patient data to medical technology designed to promote positive treatment outcomes, technology is almost synonymous with medicine today.
Top funded healthcare technology categories include telemedicine, wellness, mobile health apps, analytics, and clinical and diagnostic decision support. CIOs in the healthcare sector are no longer the generals solely of computation and data; instead, they must keep up with wide-ranging tech that includes everything from electronic medical records to healthcare artificial intelligence. Staying educated and aware of technological advancements that are transforming healthcare is critical for CIO strategy decision-making and better patient outcomes.
The Changing Landscape of Healthcare Technology
The sheer amount of available healthcare data has made it easier for research facilities and healthcare providers to gain more insights into patient needs and clinical outcomes. Machine learning, mobile devices, and other medical technology advance simultaneously increase medical professionals’ capability to help patients while creating challenges for implementation across all types of offices and facilities.
Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring
More than a third of all adults in the United States reported using telemedicine in 2021. Adoption of this technology increased on the part of health providers and patients in part due to the pandemic, but avoiding crowded waiting rooms while getting the care required through these new technologies remains attractive to many.
Technology goes far beyond virtual appointments in its ability to help patients manage the symptoms associated with chronic illness and connect with care providers in real-time. Wearable technology and healthcare apps help track vital signs, such as blood pressure and gather patient information so doctors can provide ongoing medical treatment and lifestyle advice to keep more patients healthy.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
AI has many benefits for the medical field, and that’s only going to increase in the near and far future. Predictive analytics help healthcare staff makes more accurate diagnosis decisions, and computer programs can cross-check vast patient records with test results, clinical decisions, and other data to improve patient outcomes.
Data-Driven Healthcare and the Role of CIOs
One of the biggest technology concerns for the chief information officer today is data — how to store it, access it, make it useful for clinical decision-making, and secure it according to industry compliance regulations.
Importance of Data in Healthcare
Data is absolutely critical to the healthcare industry. The more clinicians can understand — quickly — about a patient’s medical record and benchmarks and research related to physical and mental health illnesses, the better they can provide care. But information technology in healthcare goes far beyond electronic health records. It can help drive more complete patient intakes, better and faster initial diagnosis processes, lower costs, and other operational efficiencies.
CIOs and Data Governance
For CIOs, the reliance on information and other technologies breeds a variety of responsibilities. CIOs must lead the charge to establish effective data governance strategies to ensure data integrity, privacy, and security.
Advancements in Healthcare Interoperability
Another important innovation in the industry is in healthcare interoperability. From electronic data interchanges that drive faster claims billing and payment processes to portals that allow patients and care providers equal access to a patient’s medical history, information is transferred and shared at increasing rates in the field. CIOs must work to integrate healthcare system processes that support the confidentiality of sensitive patient information and better health outcomes for chronic illnesses, rare diseases, and other concerns.
The Future of Healthcare Technology: The CIO’s Role
The future of technology in healthcare is exciting. From smart pills that make medication delivery or internal imaging easier to cloud computing that’s making paper records obsolete, CIOs have a lot to look forward to and stay ahead of. Tech leaders within the industry must remain educated about new technology and how they can help healthcare professionals and patients. New trends include virtual reality and how such devices can support doctors in clinical tasks or help patients understand how to care for chronic illnesses.
Overall, CIOs will have to build the right teams and work diligently to continue to transform organizations with the right tech solutions.
Conclusion
CIOs can make a huge difference in patient care by understanding the benefits of tech solutions and how these tools can advance healthcare processes now and in the future. For more information about tech solutions for healthcare, reach out to DMI to schedule a consult.
