Connected technologies power today’s world. From IoT enabled healthcare devices to imaging tools power by machine learning, the healthcare industry is increasingly relying on connected technologies to deliver better patient care and experiences. Recently, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced a partnership with Verizon for the first 5G-enabled VA hospital, AI is being explored for condition treatment, and data analytics are empowering providers to make more informed decisions for their patients. Read on to learn more.
According to a recent survey from Philips, thirty-five percent of younger healthcare professionals are overwhelmed by patient data. These providers report being unsure of how to use this data and how analytics can inform care. This highlights the importance of tools that make data analytics and reporting attainable for providers. Seventy-eight percent of these providers said the hospital or practices they work with are willing to embrace new technology which would fill this gap between education and training.
“Data, and the rapidly evolving technology behind it, has the power to build healthcare systems robust enough to deliver value-based care. The next generation of healthcare professionals is firmly convinced of this great potential. For them, it is a necessary tool that improves their performance and has the ability to reduce work-related stress,” the survey stated.
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The Department of Veterans Affairs in partnership with Verizon, Medivis, and Microsoft will power the first 5G-enabled VA hospital. “Project Convergence” brings together fifth-generation wireless through Verizon and advanced clinical products and applications through Medivis and Microsoft that will empower providers to deliver better patient care backed by fast internet. Palo Alto is the first facility to launch 5G and the VA envisions this technology bringing new potential to the healthcare industry.
“We didn’t turn the network on so that people could connect their individual phones to download a movie faster,” said Dr. Ryan Vega, executive director of the Veterans Health Administration’s Innovation. “There was a considerable amount of strategy to what the network is going to look like when you first turn it on and then what are you actually doing with the network. So, you have 5G, but so what, right? That’s what the whole intent was—driving the clinical use cases.”
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At the recent Digital Health CXO Tech Forum, Rep. Michael Burgess discussed the challenges and benefits of utilizing health IT. Burgess, a former physician, explained that electronic health records are used to inform providers, but the concern now, is privacy and compliance. “One of the big things we’re grappling with, and I suspect will be grappling with for some time, are the issues around privacy and the fact that different states are coming up with different privacy regiments,” he said.
Similar to EHR challenges, tools like AI are facing similar regulations that hinder its use. Burgess explained that AI can be used to improve patient care, especially with widely managed conditions. “I think of a disease like type I diabetes, and it is one that lends itself to artificial intelligence as one of its principle management tools,” he said. “It’s a minute-by-minute protocol, and artificial intelligence is probably better suited to monitoring that because you’re not going to have your doctor testing your glucose literally minute-by-minute all through the day.”
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