Healthcare Tech Trends in 2017

The healthcare tech industry is booming, and several significant new trends are poised to develop in the field throughout 2017, including:

1. Telehealth

It took a few years to iron out the kinks in the telehealth industry. It took even longer to convince the sick and the elderly to put their faith in this new method of medical treatment. But in 2017, the sustained effort of the prior years is finally going to bear fruit. Telecommunication services are going to find increasing use for enhancing healthcare practices, measuring public health, and health education delivery. E-mails and web portals are going to be the new means of patient-doctor interaction which will reduce the need for frequent hospital visits regarding check-ups and bill payment.

2. Cognitive Technology

In the past, predictive analytics depended on data and a model-driven approach. The arrival of big data has made it possible to extract a variety of data-points for building healthcare models. Real-time data collection will allow for the creation of cognitive engines which can look for patterns and correlations in large data sets, resulting in better prediction models and quicker diagnoses.

3. Cybersecurity

Throughout the past year, reports about data breaches and ransomware shook up many people’s assumptions about data security. As a result, 2017 will see a far greater emphasis on strengthening cybersecurity to safeguard patient records from hackers.