To say that the healthcare industry is going through a significant transformation is, at this point, likely a bit of an understatement.
Think about all the advancements that have occurred in even as recently as the last five years.
When wearable devices like the Apple Watch first launched, many considered them to be a novelty.
Flash forward to today, and the amount of health-related data they collect is actually allowing people to take a more proactive role in their own fitness and is helping medical professionals at the same time.
Telehealth is certainly not a new concept, but in 2020 the sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic kicked things into overdrive, making it possible to accomplish far more in terms of personalized health without requiring a patient to get into their car and come into the office.
Much of this transformation has been driven by advances in technology, so it should come as no surprise that the two are essentially on parallel trajectories.
As patient care becomes increasingly dependent on the massive volumes of data being created and the digital tools needed to sift through it all, healthcare organizations are embracing emerging IT trends with open arms.
Once, those trends were seen as a disruption.
Then, the perception shifted and began calling them a "cost of doing business."
Now, they're a way to enhance operational efficiency, improve patient outcomes, and meet regulatory requirements - all at the exact same time.
Indeed, the future of IT in healthcare is every bit as bright as it is innovative.
There are several key trends to watch in particular for 2025 that you should certainly be aware of moving forward.
One of the biggest trends to emerge from the healthcare space over the last several years absolutely takes the form of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).
Both are changing the game in terms of enabling healthcare professionals to offer more accurate diagnoses faster than ever.
They're also proving enormously helpful in terms of predicting patient outcomes, automating administrative tasks, and more.
Machine learning, for example, can be used to analyze massive volumes of medical data far faster than a human ever could.
It can then identify trends and patterns that likely would have gone undiscovered, offering a more personalized treatment plan than ever before.
For example, AI-powered imaging tools help radiologists detect diseases like cancer with greater accuracy than traditional methods.
Additionally, AI-based chatbots and virtual assistants are improving patient engagement by providing 24/7/365 support for common medical questions.
In terms of actually securing all that data, blockchain is quickly becoming one of the most important ways to do precisely that.
Keep in mind that blockchain is a decentralized, immutable ledger by design - adding a layer of integrity and privacy to sensitive patient records that was hard to come by in the past.
This makes it easier to share information securely, which makes collaboration among different healthcare providers far easier as well.
Blockchain can also streamline supply chain management by providing traceability for pharmaceuticals and medical devices, which goes a long way towards reducing fraud and counterfeiting as well.
With these advancements has come an increased focus on cybersecurity and data protection, which is only natural given how strict regulations like HIPAA are.
Organizations have adopted solutions like Advanced Threat Detection and Response, which takes advantage of those same AI and ML tools to detect unusual activity or vulnerabilities in real time.
They also often employ sophisticated at-rest and in-transit data encryption, as well as multi-factor authentication (MFA) to keep systems and devices secure at all times.
As stated, the last several years in particular have seen a major shift towards digital transformation and cloud services in the healthcare space - one that may have seemed unthinkable even as recently as a decade ago.
But the more paper-based systems you can get rid of, the faster, more efficient, and more accurate even smaller healthcare organizations often become.
Electronic health records, for example, are increasingly hosted in the cloud, offering real-time access to patient data for authorized providers.
Additionally, cloud-based solutions offer healthcare organizations flexibility, allowing them to scale their infrastructure quickly as patient data grows.
The addition of cloud platforms into the equation also adds support for telemedicine services, which enable virtual consultations and remote patient monitoring.
These services are particularly important in the post-pandemic world, as patients and healthcare providers seek more convenient, safe, and accessible care options.
Cloud-based telemedicine tools are enhancing patient access to care while reducing administrative burdens for healthcare facilities.
It's one thing to understand which trends your healthcare organization should be watching for 2025.
It's another thing entirely to position your organization to take full advantage of them.
To guarantee that you fall into the latter category, you should start by identifying which trends are most relevant to your business in the first place.
Smaller practices, for example, might benefit the most from a cloud-based EHR tool that, along with telemedicine, can help improve accessibility for more patients while also reducing overhead costs.
Larger healthcare organizations, on the other hand, may want to prioritize artificial intelligence and machine learning.
These can be a great way to support the type of clinical decision-making needed to improve operational efficiency across departments.
At that point, you can then start putting together robust strategies to adopt those new technologies.
Look into pilot programs, which are small-scale test" projects that look at the viability and effectiveness of a new solution.
Assuming that is successful, you can then make sure that staff are well-trained on the new system and lean into support from your vendor partnerships whenever possible.
All the while, you'll want to make sure you're balancing innovation with security and compliance as much as possible.
This will require you to lean into an important principle called "security by design."
Security measures need to be baked into the DNA of any new implementation you're working on - they cannot be considered an afterthought.
Likewise, you need to conduct periodic security audits to make sure that any vulnerabilities are identified and addressed as quickly as possible.
The benefits that you enjoy from adapting to IT trends for a competitive advantage will obviously vary depending on which type of trend you're talking about.
If a larger and more established healthcare organization was able to integrate AI into its diagnostic tools, for example, it could help enhance patient care while reducing wait times for patients.
This would also lead to a leaner and more efficient operation, which would save money as well.
The lesson learned from implementing any type of new technology like this is that you need to start small and scale gradually.
Always prioritize the user experience or you'll end up with a very powerful system that people don't actually want to use and can't take full advantage of.
Managed services providers (MSPs) can help enormously to that end.
MSPs assist with smooth transitions to cloud environments, ensuring compliance with healthcare regulations and managing data security.
MSPs provide continuous monitoring, threat detection, and incident response services to safeguard sensitive healthcare data.
MSPs offer ongoing support for IT infrastructure, helping organizations address technical issues quickly and ensuring uptime.
Co-managed IT services in particular are a perfect opportunity to have an MSP come in and assist when needed, as opposed to using one to replace the entirety of your in-house IT people.
Overall, these are just a few of the major healthcare IT trends that you need to be aware of moving forward.
The overall lesson you should take away from this is that things change quickly - therefore, you need to be proactive about keeping up or you will quickly find yourself left behind.
AI and machine learning are having an expanded role in diagnostics and decision-making - something that has been a long time coming.
However, the tool that for many has become synonymous with artificial intelligence - ChatGPT - is literally just two years old.
Think about how far things have advanced in the last two years, and you begin to get a sense of what type of opportunity you're missing if you stop paying attention for even just a few months.
The same is true of blockchain.
Security and interoperability are becoming more important to small and large-scale healthcare organizations alike with each passing day, and blockchain has increasing influence over them both.
Imagine how far behind you'll be if you stop making an effort to keep up.
The same is true of the continued rise of both telemedicine and cloud-based healthcare solutions.
Overall, healthcare organizations need to start planning NOW for the types of technologies that are just around the corner.
They need to align implementation strategies with their long-term goals, making sure they have the resources available to implement these innovations as effectively as possible.
Success in 2025 and beyond will require healthcare organizations to stay agile, continuously evaluate new technologies, and make strategic decisions about which trends to adopt.
By doing so, they can ensure they remain at the forefront of healthcare innovation.
This is an area where the right MSP partnership can help enormously.
MSPs can come in with a wealth of talent and expertise that you might not have access to, helping you navigate these trends with ease.
More than that, they can minimize risk, maintain compliance, and more - all so that you can focus less on the technology and more on putting that technology to work for you.
The right MSP can act as your trusted advisor, positioning you to stay ahead of the curve in an increasingly complicated IT landscape.
Truly, it doesn't get much more straightforward than that.
If you have any additional questions about what the future of IT in healthcare looks like or the healthcare IT trends that you should be watching as 2025 marches on, or if you'd just like to discuss your organization's needs with a team of professionals in a bit more detail, please don't delay - contact us today.
