How Technology Is Transforming Healthcare Businesses

There is still a serious and deadly pandemic wreaking havoc on the human population. In times like these, it is imperative that the population has access to doctors and relevant medical experts. With the rate of technological advancement in the healthcare industry, the benefits the population stands to gain are boundless.

Telemedicine

One of the largest growing industries out there is telemedicine. Telemedicine provides a means for patients to consult their doctors through zoom meetings on their phones or computers. This takes out the hassle of physically being present at the doctors’. Instead, all a patient has to do is log in to whichever telemedicine website or app they use at the time of their appointment. It cuts the waiting time down significantly, and patients no longer have to worry about sitting in a room with others during a deadly pandemic. 

Like all things, telemedicine comes with the good and the bad. There are numerous factors to consider for telemedicine providers when evaluating the costs of developing a healthcare app. Of course, the biggest pro of telemedicine is access to medical professionals. Another benefit is that it cuts down travel costs. The ability to see your doctor from the comfort of your own home is another huge plus when considering telemedicine.

When it comes to cons, the most significant thing patients often worry about is the security of their personal information. The last thing anyone wants is to have their financial and health information stolen because the telemedicine app they used was not secure enough. Also, a bad experience for patients could lead them to abandon the platform.

In the end, getting people to see their doctors is the most important thing. There are just as many reasons for people not to see their doctors as there are for people to see them. Telemedicine is one of the ways to reduce the hassles of patients visiting their doctors.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence has the potential to reform the healthcare industry completely. AI algorithms can mine medical records, design treatment plans, or create medicines faster.

Atomwise uses supercomputers that root out therapies from a database of molecular structures. In 2015, the start-up launched a virtual search for safe medicines that could be redesigned to treat the Ebola virus. They found two drugs predicted by the company’s AI technology that may significantly reduce the infectiousness of Ebola. More recently, Google’s DeepMind created an AI. for breast cancer analysis. The algorithm outperformed all human radiologists on pre-selected data sets to identify breast cancer, on average by 11.5%.

These are only two of the many examples of companies using AI. to advance healthcare, from designing new drugs, disrupting medical imaging to mining medical records.

Genome Sequencing

The whole Human Genome Project cost approximately $2.7 billion for the US government, an insanely huge amount of money, especially if you consider that in January 2017, DNA sequencing giant, Illumina, unveiled a machine that the company says is “expected one day” to order up a whole genome for less than $100. Last year, the company’s CEO reiterated that Illumina is still working to meet that benchmark. This could mean that you will find it cheaper to order a genetic test than a general blood test (blood tests vary between approximately $10-$150). 

This advancement provides a way to gather valuable information about your drug sensitivity, multifactorial or monogenic medical conditions, and even your family history. Moreover, there are already various fields of expertise leveraging the advantages of genome sequencing, such as nutrigenomics, the cross-field of nutrition, dietetics, and genomics. Companies such as the California-based start-up, Habit, offer personalized diets based on genetic codes.

We are truly living in revolutionary times for healthcare, thanks to the advent of digital health.