Healthcare analytics, telesurgery, virtual therapy assistants—technology has unquestionably revolutionized healthcare with countless amazing innovations.¹

But what are the pros of technology in healthcare, exactly? And how might these benefits shape a future career in healthcare?

You’ll find an in-depth look at the importance of technology in healthcare and why a career in the field might be right for you.

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#1. Enhanced Patient Care and Monitoring

In the past, healthcare was largely handled in person. But the advent of new technologies has radically changed this. Today, patients and their healthcare providers have access to a wide range of technologies that promote virtual patient care and monitoring, such as:²

• Wearable tech – Whether it’s a fitness tracker or smart glasses, wearable medical technology has proved to be a game changer in medicine. That’s because these pieces are embedded with sensors that monitor body movement and other biometrics, such as glucose levels, heart rate, sleep patterns, blood oxygen saturation, and more. ^3,4  This allows doctors to keep an eye on their patients’ well-being remotely (and make adjustments to their plans when necessary).
• Telemedicine – Telemedicine got its start in the early 20th century, but it reached new heights during the pandemic.⁵ Today, 80% of people have, at some point, used telemedicine, while nearly three-quarters of millennials prefer telehealth to in-person consultations.⁶ Defined as the use of telecommunication technology (like video conferencing) and electronic information to support health and wellness, telemedicine allows patients to receive care from a medical professional from afar.⁷

As we move forward, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) will have more and more of an impact on healthcare—including the potential ability to discover new medications.⁸ Ultimately, this may lead to more personalized and effective care.

#2. Increased Accessibility to Healthcare Services

Residents in rural areas have limited access to key healthcare services, such as:⁹

• Standard medical care
• Mental and behavioral health care
• Disease prevention support
• Dental health care

All of this is made worse by the fact that some rural residents may face additional healthcare barriers, like the lack of financial means to pay for healthcare or confidence in communicating with healthcare providers—especially for those who aren’t fluent in English.

Fortunately, new technology in healthcare works to solve this.

Healthcare providers now leverage technology to reach and care for, even the most distant patients—again, through telemedicine and technologies like wearable medical devices. One doesn’t need to live in a remote place to reap the benefits of telemedicine, either: It can be just as effective and desirable for those who live in the heart of a bustling city.

#3. Improved Efficiency and Workflow in Healthcare Facilities

Gone are the days when a healthcare facility relied solely (and entirely) on manual labor for everything from monitoring patients’ records to billing. Now, automated healthcare technology is widely used to:

• Gather patient data– Thanks to the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs), practitioners have fast, simple access to patient data without needing to exchange information via phone call or email. This allows healthcare teams to make timely decisions and get back valuable time in their work days.
• Streamline billing – The paperwork that’s typically involved with patient billing is lengthy and complicated. Luckily, automated billing has simplified the process of asking for and collecting money. This is great news for both healthcare centers and the patients they serve, as it removes confusion and frustration from the process. What’s more, by decreasing administration tasks, healthcare providers have the time and space to concentrate on what matters most: their patients’ health.
• Improve mobility – Healthcare apps have also transformed the industry. They provide plenty for patients and healthcare professionals alike, including:
  • Appointment reminders
  • General medical information
  • Test results
  • Crucial new data on diseases, medications, and more
  • Sharing of clinical images

#4. Innovations in Treatment and Diagnosis

One of the biggest pros of technology in healthcare? Faster and more advanced ways to diagnose—and treat—patients.¹⁰

Examples of this include the near-immediate development of a vaccine for COVID-19, as well as gene editing technologies that have given way to new, informed methods for managing genetic conditions. Other innovations that have radically improved how illnesses are spotted and cared for include:

• 3D printing
• Nanotechnology
• Regenerative therapy treatment
• Implantable artificial organs and augmentations for the eyes, kidneys, heart, liver, and even brain
• Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) t-cell cancer treatments
• Robotic surgeries 
• AI-fueled diagnostics

Additionally, technology has paved the way for enriched medical training. How? Through the use of virtual reality, which can help medical students practice and refine their skills in everything from performing surgery to diagnosing and treating patients.

Ultimately, these advancements have the potential to decrease recovery times and improve patient outcomes.

#5.Data-Driven Decision Making

It’s no secret that we live in a data-driven world, and this extends to healthcare. In fact, data has become such a critical part of life that estimates suggest the predictive analytics sector will skyrocket to a $22 billion market by 2026.¹¹

But how does this affect healthcare, exactly?

Data is derived from multiple sources to give healthcare providers a clearer understanding of their patient’s health and public health at large. This information is extracted in part from those wearable devices we discussed above, as well as from:

• Health and wellness apps
• Disease registries
• Population health statistics
• Descriptive analytics
• Diagnostic analytics
• Prescriptive analytics

This data gives healthcare providers the power to make vital decisions based on straightforward statistics collected in real time. Data also has the capacity to manage outbreaks, decrease the risk of disease, and empower patients.

#6. Reduced Healthcare Costs Through Technology

Digital health innovations also help curb costs across the board.¹² Specifically, medical technology has made healthcare more affordable by:

• Improving preventative measures – Electronic health records provide healthcare practitioners with real-time data on a patient’s medical history. Overall, this gives healthcare professionals the ability to recognize early warning signs and create better preventative measures.
• Enhancing convenience – As we touched on above, telemedicine allows medical providers to meet patients where they are, particularly when it’s paired with remote healthcare delivery. This is especially beneficial to patients who are on a tight income or have limited access to transportation.
• Decreasing administrative burdens – Technology also enables healthcare facilities to automate a number of administrative tasks, such as claims processing, data entry, physician credentialing, claims processing, and scheduling appointments.
• Enriching overall operations – Data analytics further gives healthcare centers a clearer, fact-driven, and holistic view of where there’s room for improvement, whether that’s in inventory, staff workflows, or patient lifecycles. Artificial intelligence can also be leveraged to identify unnecessary costs (while also decreasing errors).

The Future of Healthcare Lies in Technology and Data

The importance of technology in healthcare cannot be overstated. As digital tools become more and more advanced, so does medical care itself. This is incredibly exciting for those who are currently in the field—as well as for those who are considering joining it.

Thought leaders in the profession point out a number of healthcare professional roles that, thanks again to technology, have emerged. A few examples include:¹³

• Virtual hospital manager – Sound strange? Think again. Mercy Virtual, for one, is a 125,000-square-foot medical facility complete with 330 staff members. But all patients at this “bed-less” hospital are seen remotely through telemedicine visits.
• 3-D printing specialist – 3-D printing has continued to improve dramatically. In the future, we may see more and more printing experts who specialize in reconstructive surgeries and generating tissue.
• Healthcare data analyst – As the title suggests, healthcare data analysts work on the business side of the medical profession.¹⁴ These professionals leverage clinical, claims, and cost data to identify patterns that may:
  • Cut down on costs
  • Boost patient care
  • Improve a facility’s operational efficiency
  • Support pharmaceutical research

Naturally, this is just the start, and we’ll likely see more new positions in the future. Roles like health finances planner, robotic clinical documentation scribe, and voice assistant healthcare specialist might one day become as familiar as “nurse practitioner” in the healthcare industry.

Explore an Education in Healthcare at Alliant International University 

There are plenty of benefits to technology in healthcare. Not only has it improved access to care for patients around the world, but it’s also boosted the speed, accuracy, and availability of diagnostics. And while we’re only now beginning to unlock technology’s full role in medicine, it’s shown to be absolutely transformative. Interested in learning more about becoming a healthcare data analyst? Alliant International University may be the perfect place to start.

The Master’s in Healthcare Analytics equips students with the healthcare management and technical training they need to thrive in the profession. Combining data management, healthcare administration, and information systems, the interdisciplinary STEM program is ideal for those with an analytic background—as well as those who simply want to learn more about the intersection of data, technology, and healthcare.

Discover the knowledge you need to make a difference in medicine at Alliant International University.

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Sources: 

1. “7 Futuristic Professions in Healthcare You Can Still Prepare For.” The Medical Futurist, September 16, 2024. http://medicalfuturist.com/future-jobs-in-healthcare/. 
2. “5 Public Health Technologies to Revolutionize Health Care Delivery.” Online Masters in Public Health. Accessed October 13, 2024. http://mphdegree.usc.edu/blog/public-health-technology. 
3. Yasar, Kinza, and Ivy Wigmore. “What Is Wearable Technology? Definition, Uses and Examples.” Mobile Computing, November 14, 2023. http://www.techtarget.com/searchmobilecomputing/definition/wearable-technology. 
4. Mahara, Gehendra, Cuihong Tian, Xiaojia Xu, and Wei Wang. “Revolutionising Health Care: Exploring the Latest Advances in Medical Sciences.” Journal of global health, August 4, 2023. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10401902/. 
5. Hyder, Maryam A, and Junaid Razzak. “Telemedicine in the United States: An Introduction for Students and Residents.” Journal of medical Internet research, November 24, 2020. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7690251/. 
6. 9 statistics about telemedicine. Accessed October 14, 2024. http://www.now-health.com/en/blog/9-statistics-about-telemedicine/. 
7. “What Is Telehealth?” HRSA. Accessed October 14, 2024. http://www.hrsa.gov/telehealth/what-is-telehealth. 
8. “The Top 17 Healthcare Technology Trends 2024 - TATEEDA: Global.” TATEEDA, October 1, 2024. http://tateeda.com/blog/healthcare-technology-trends. 
9. “Healthcare Access in Rural Communities Overview - Rural Health Information Hub.” Overview - Rural Health Information Hub. Accessed October 14, 2024. http://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/topics/healthcare-access. 
10. Mahara, Gehendra, Cuihong Tian, Xiaojia Xu, and Wei Wang. “Revolutionising Health Care: Exploring the Latest Advances in Medical Sciences.” Journal of global health, August 4, 2023. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10401902/. 
11. “Data-Driven Decision-Making for Health Administrators.” School of Public Health, December 22, 2022. http://publichealth.tulane.edu/blog/data-driven-decision-making/.
12.  Kulkarni, Prajacta. “5 Ways Technology Can Make Healthcare More Affordable.” Northeastern University, September 20, 2024. http://online.northeastern.edu/resources/how-to-make-healthcare-more-affordable/. 
13. Anders. “My Vision for the Future of Healthcare.” My Vision For The Future of Healthcare, March 18, 2020. http://www.anderssorman-nilsson.com/blog/my-vision-for-the-future-of-h…;
14. Hillier, Will, Will Hillier Writer for The CareerFoundry BlogWill is a freelance copywriter and project manager with over 15 years’ experience helping firms communicate all things tech- and education-related. His words have been published in print and online, Will Hillier Writer for The CareerFoundry Blog, Will Hillier, Writer for The CareerFoundry Blog, and Will is a freelance copywriter and project manager with over 15 years’ experience helping firms communicate all things tech- and education-related. His words have been published in print and online. “How to Become a Healthcare Data Analyst [2024 Guide].” CareerFoundry, May 30, 2024. http://careerfoundry.com/en/blog/data-analytics/what-is-a-healthcare-d…;