The tech revolution in healthcare

Amid the turbulence of the pandemic, we’ve seen impressive innovation. But perhaps nowhere has this innovation been more pronounced than in the healthcare industry. Faced with unparalleled strain, medical facilities forged a new way of operating — and AI was front and center. From AI-powered thermal scanners to disinfection robots and autonomous PPE deliveries, AI played a central role in supporting medical staff, maintaining a sanitary environment and supporting efforts to reduce the spread of Covid-19.

The industry turned to AI to help keep things running smoothly, from the CDC chatbot to contact-tracing tools. A recent Intel survey of healthcare decision-makers found that the number of medical organizations that are currently or soon will be using AI nearly doubled after the onset of the pandemic. The survey also revealed growing confidence in AI. Two-thirds of respondents said they would trust AI to process medical records in the next two years, and 62% said that they would trust the tech to analyze diagnostics and screening.

Overwhelmingly, people are on board with these applications. For example, 74% of respondents in a survey were comfortable with companies like Pfizer using AI to develop vaccines more efficiently. Similarly, 76% of people are comfortable with medical facilities using disinfection robots to create a more sanitary environment, and 79% want this practice to continue or expand post-pandemic.

However, AI won’t directly treat most of us for quite some time (if ever). In most cases, the technology isn’t quite there yet, and neither is our collective comfort level. In most cases, AI can drive impact more effectively and sooner in supporting applications; that’s where we’ll likely see the immediate focus for the tech.

Emerging types of technology are also being applied to opening new possibilities in healthcare teaching and diagnostics. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are now being used as physical therapy components and to help train doctors for advanced procedures. The global AI/VR healthcare industry will be valued at $5.115 million in four years. This also includes virtual assistants, nurse robots and self-help chatbots.

In recent years, investment in robot-assisted medical devices has positioned doctor-machine collaboration as a model for the future of surgery. In fact, despite only making up 2% of all procedures, the market for robotic-assisted surgery is currently valued at more than $4 billion, already half the size of the market for traditional minimally invasive surgery. These innovations are critical to streamlining operations as a global shortfall of 10 million medical professionals is predicted by 2030.

In addition to improvements within the operating room, AI is set to revolutionize how we monitor our health from home. As we work to prepare ourselves for any future health emergencies, AI-powered wearables can catch vulnerabilities at the source and enable individuals to make informed decisions on their health in real-time. This could help to save lives and also reduce the cost of emergency room visits and save doctors’ time.

From authorization of insurance to following up on unpaid bills and maintaining essential hospital records, the careful management of healthcare administration not only results in improved allocation of resources but is also foundational to providing treatment effectively. AI platforms can help automate these repetitive tasks.

Healthcare organizations can invest in high-quality training data and be sure they’re educated on the benefits of human-in-the-loop and machine learning-assisted annotation teams. The industry as a whole must seek to avoid bias or inaccurate data by creating scalable and continuous feedback loops, achieving what neither humans nor a machine can achieve on their own.

On the fringe of widespread adoption before Covid-19, telehealth exploded during the pandemic. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a 154% increase in telehealth visits in the last week of March 2020, compared with the same week in 2019. More than 46% of consumers now regularly use telehealth, up from 11% in 2019.

While consumers don’t have to make a commute, secure childcare or leave work early for virtual care appointments, they are required to have a stable internet connection and a quiet, private place to take an appointment. As of March 2020, the Federal Communications Commission estimated that 21 million Americans still lack access to broadband internet.

Social networks have also become an important health resource for consumers, and not just for millennials. According to a study from the Journal of Medical Internet Research, nearly 90% of baby boomers and adults over the age of 67 have used social media for sourcing and sharing health information. As consumers increasingly turn to digital avenues for their health, provider organizations should better utilize these channels to reach consumers.