3 Ways AI and Digital Technology is Advancing Healthcare

Technological innovations are helping health care providers advance and improve the medical field. Some technologies now permit physicians to diagnose illnesses with 100-percent accuracy. With science and technology, researchers are creating new innovations that are expanding and transforming health care.

Innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI) are aiding scientists in developing new technologies in remarkably short periods of time, and machine learning algorithms are helping researchers analyze information incredibly fast. The following excerpts reveal in more detail 3 more ways that technology is advancing modern health care.

Advancement 1: Innovative Imaging Technologies

Physicians use imaging so that they can view patients’ internal organs and accurately diagnose illnesses. The technology is one of the greatest achievements in medicine. It’s eliminated the need for costly, invasive and painful exploratory surgeries. As a result, Medicare spending on diagnostic imaging has doubled between the years 2000 and 2005, growing from $6.6 to $13.5 billion annually. Since its introduction in the health care field, imaging technology has allowed physicians to establish new procedures that now serve as vital components of patient diagnostics.

Today, machine learning algorithms allow practitioners to process massive amounts of imaging data instantaneously. The technology is much more precise compared to a person’s ability to notice small details in imaging results such as mammograms and computed tomography (CT) scans. Additionally, deep learning technology helps the latest imaging equipment to identify conditions that physicians are not looking for and might miss because they are focused on resolving an immediate health issue. This is especially beneficial for identifying potentially lethal conditions that would go undiagnosed without the technology.

Advancement 2: Updated Software and Electronic Health Records (EHRs)

Manual, hardcopy patient records are slowly fading into non-existence. Care providers are now implementing electronic health records in the practice environment to collect, store and retrieve patient information. The technology makes it easier discover illnesses and develop treatment plans. Overall, it’s a more efficient way to manage patient information.

Electronic health records are the subject of much debate. Some researchers argue that EHRs are a pivotal development in the improvement of the health care system. However, many care providers find that current EHR systems are awkward to use, resulting in the slow adoption of the technology. Physicians that do use the technology spend a great deal of their time performing repetitive tasks. However, researchers hope that AI technology will soon automate recordkeeping by improving on existing innovations such as voice recognition. Additionally, care providers could use artificial intelligence to collect information from disparate sources, such as sensors and wearable health devices, and feed that information directly into patient EHRs.

Advancement 3: Improved Cancer Recovery Resources

Physicians are using cutting-edge genomics technology to cure cancer, while reducing the need for radiation therapy. Health care experts forecast that genomic sequencing technology will revolutionize all aspects of cancer treatment. As a result, specialists are developing new treatment methods based on genomic alterations, rather than where tumors present in patients. Genomic sequencing has allowed researchers to discover hundreds of cancer related aberrations, and they expect to find more. Using this same methodology, researchers are also developing genomic-based medicines for other illnesses.

Genomics developments have also affected the health care legislative process, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) giving expedited approval of a genomic technology that physicians can now use regardless of where a growth is located. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) conducted an evaluation in parallel with the FDA to make this unprecedented decision possible. For the first time, the FDA approved a single test for the diagnosis of all solid tumors. Legislators recognized the value of genomics as a resource that is effective for identifying treatment options with a high probability of success. As a result, genomic testing is now accessible to all qualifying Medicare and Medicaid patients.

As a whole, health care professionals are growing more efficient and effective as they implement new technologies to improve patient care. Innovative progress in medicine exemplifies why health care professionals must stay informed about the latest treatment developments. As innovations emerge continuously, practitioners commit to ongoing learning to keep their technology skills up-to-date and remain well-educated about developments in the field.

Experts predict that mankind is now witnessing the next big evolution technology. Artificial intelligence could come the rescue of many health care professionals who grapple with delivering efficient services while trying to make meaningful use of the latest EHR technologies. As the world’s experts debate the morality and safety of machines that think without human intervention, the technology is helping health care providers make phenomenal gains in improving treatment outcomes among the world’s population.