From real-time knowledge monitoring to tapping into present affected person information, healthcare consultants see a future the place know-how can each enhance outcomes and cut back prices — however some challenges stay.
Throughout a session final week on the Digital Drugs Society’s Healthcare 2030 Summit in Washington, D.C., a panel of 4 healthcare consultants shared the applied sciences they’re most enthusiastic about, in addition to what nonetheless provides them pause.
Steady knowledge monitoring, uncharted territory
Amy Abernethy, co-founder of Highlander Well being, highlighted upcoming improvements like implantable chips with robust battery lives that may repeatedly observe greater than 130 metabolites in actual time — instruments she described as just like steady glucose displays however extra superior. She stated she sees a future filled with potential for steady, longitudinal knowledge streams mixed with different sensor inputs.
Abernethy additionally cautioned that healthcare isn’t but ready to interpret this flood of information, noting that present proof frameworks are outdated — leaving clinicians unsure about find out how to act on these new metrics.
Turning present well being knowledge into worth
Matthew Christiansen, vp of well being affairs and chief medical officer at Valley Well being System, is worked up about AI instruments that make medical work extra environment friendly by lastly utilizing the huge quantities of well being knowledge already collected.
“I take into consideration our EMRs, which gradual us down and value us a complete lot of cash. They’re very inefficient. They’re the costliest buttons in the entire workplace, and we don’t do something with all that knowledge. We must be utilizing AI to assist us perceive what we have already got — and perceive what to do with what we’ve got,” he acknowledged.
Christiansen believes AI may also help flag vital info, reminiscent of lacking screening information, in addition to cut back clinicians’ administrative load.
Slicing prices with smarter tech
Lisa Bari, head of coverage and exterior affairs at Innovaccer, stated she is most hopeful about instruments that assist join knowledge and make it extra usable on the level of care.
She warned in opposition to adopting new instruments that add prices with out bettering outcomes. For her, the precedence must be applied sciences that may cut back the underlying prices of care.
“Proper at this cut-off date, healthcare is so costly that after we merely add know-how as one thing shiny and new, we threat dramatically rising the price of care additional. One of many issues that I’m actually eager for and dealing towards — it’s not simple and we haven’t solved it — is discovering methods to dramatically cut back that price foundation with superior know-how,” Bari remarked.
The place wearables meet AI
Annie Tilton, director of medical outcomes analysis at Oura, is watching the convergence of wearables and AI.
She identified that wearables can shift healthcare from reactive remedy to preventive care, and so they interact sufferers exterior the clinic.
“On the AI facet, we’re transferring from predictive fashions to multimodal agentic techniques that may assist sufferers and suppliers in between visits, offering extra info to make care-based selections and constructing a extra steady system, in addition to delivering extra customized drugs whereas sustaining privateness,” Tilton stated.
She additionally famous that there’s a “clear consensus” that AI instruments can solely have an effect in healthcare if they’re accessible, trusted and sensible.
