Article Is Data the New Healthcare Currency?

Healthcare has been slow to adopt modern technology and data solutions due to privacy laws and security concerns. However, as the industry transforms, data may be the key to better patient outcomes.

By Insight Editor / 10 Dec 2021 / Topics: Data and AI

Smiling doctor puts hand on shoulder of patient

Technology continues to transform how the world operates, and at the heart of this transformation is data — the currency that allows organizations to drive innovation and make more informed decisions. That’s why today’s healthcare organizations are using data to reimagine care with transformative technology.

Since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare industry has seen sweeping digital transformation, from the adoption of telehealth services, monitoring devices and applications to changes in how they operationalize data. But organizations aren’t just changing for the sake of innovation — they’re leveraging data to improve the patient experience and deliver better health outcomes.

The evolution of data in healthcare

Healthcare has often been slow to adopt new technologies due to privacy laws designed to keep Protected Health Information (PHI) secure. However, with the continuing advancement of technology, consumer expectations and emerging competition, innovation has become critical to success in the healthcare industry.

Today, medical professionals are embracing data analytics to create a better patient experience. Cutting-edge devices can monitor patients, allow more immediate and direct access to services, and facilitate quicker and more accurate diagnoses — improving the experience for practitioners and patients alike.

AI and real-world evidence unlock new value.

In recent years, AI has gradually gained a foothold in healthcare IT, with numerous applications that improve health outcomes. Doctors and scientists have used AI to discover links between genetic codes, maximize hospital efficiency, reduce human errors, and diagnose and predict diseases at a faster rate.

Real-world evidence is another huge boon to the healthcare industry. Clinicians, researchers and medical professionals can better understand their patient populations and overcome the limitations of clinical trials through better data sharing. Real-world evidence, with the help of analytics, streamlines practitioners’ decision-making processes with tools such as predictive analysis of how a patient might respond to a procedure based on known health characteristics.

Fast, secure data is essential to better patient outcomes.

With the introduction of connected technology and telehealth services, patients are receiving better care and more accurate diagnoses, leading to improved health outcomes.

With the introduction of applications, remote health options and connected medical devices, the healthcare industry is on a digital transformation journey that’s created a range of patient benefits, including:

Boosted quality of life due to careful observation via healthcare applications and devices
Improved access by eliminating barriers to people who don’t have readily available healthcare
Enhanced trust in healthcare due to quicker diagnoses and more widespread access to information
Easy-to-use technology is making access to healthcare information easier for all ages.

Digital transformation, especially in healthcare, can be a daunting task. At Insight, we’re inviting our clients to ambitiously take on bold healthcare IT initiatives, no matter how big, risky or new. With Insight, you can proceed with confidence.

Powerful data, confident providers and connected care — reimagine your healthcare organization with transformative technology from Insight.

What role does big data play in healthcare?

With remote monitoring via smart devices and healthcare applications, big data analytics advance telehealth services, empower physicians and put patients in control of their health.