6 Innovative Healthcare IT Trends In 2022 And Beyond

The healthcare industry is always changing. The recent events like the COVID-19 outbreak, the rise of digital health technologies, and new transparency laws have increased the pace of change even more. Medical billing companies update them according to the latest innovation in healthcare IT trends for efficient healthcare management. Here are six innovative healthcare IT trends predictions for 2022 and beyond to keep an eye on.

1. Cost and Quality Transparency Regulation Advancement

Thanks to two new legislation, health plans and providers must now be significantly more transparent about the pricing and quality of both care and prescriptions.

The Hospital Price Transparency rule requires all U.S. hospitals to disclose clear and comprehensive pricing information online, including updates.

This will enable Americans to understand better the costs of medical commodities or services (such as psychotherapy, mammograms, and routine labs) before they utilize them.

Under the new Transparency in Coverage policy, health plans and payers must give real-time access to essential pricing facts, such as in-network rates, out-of-network costs, prescription drug prices, and more. As a result, customers will be more prepared for making healthcare purchasing decisions.

2. An Increase in Data Interoperability

Healthcare data sharing will increasingly standardize and become more API-based. The reason is two new interoperability standards are adopted to adhere to FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) guidelines.

The Interoperability and Patient Access rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will allow patients to access their personal health information (PHI). The lack of seamless data exchange in the healthcare business has historically harmed patient care. It has resulted in poor health outcomes and greater costs. With this rule in place, data will flow more freely (while remaining safe), inform patients and providers in a better way, resulting in better-coordinated treatment, lower costs and improved health outcomes.

National Coordinator’s Office for Health Information Technology released the Cures Act Final Rule.  Its goal is to give patients (and their doctors) free and secure access to their personal health information, which they should examine quickly utilizing smartphone apps.

As third-party companies begin to develop new strategies that presume more data interoperability with payers and providers, expect to see an increase in innovation and competitiveness. Interoperability also facilitates the establishment of innovative care models, such as virtual primary care, which thrive when establishing a longitudinal patient record.

3. Further Improvement of the “Digital Front Door”

As third-party companies begin to develop new strategies that presume more data interoperability with payers and providers, expect to see an increase in innovation and competitiveness. Interoperability also facilitates the establishment of innovative care models, such as virtual primary care, which thrive as it can establish a longitudinal patient record.

Throughout 2022, numerous access channels will redefine and redesign this strategy to establish healthcare’s right digital front door.

Transparency and interoperability improvements will complement these initiatives wonderfully. Furthermore, the topic of “Who owns the digital front door?” should be clarified.

4. Innovation in Primary Care

The existing primary care approach, in which patients see their primary care physician (PCP) once a year, if at all, for a 15-minute checkup, is outdated. One-quarter of the population in the United States does not have a primary care physician. In the 30-year-old age group, 36% do not have a primary care physician. Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, 46% of Americans went without seeing their primary care physician for more than a year.

With that information, you have to wonder if the existing model is effective. Is it making people healthy, or is it simply a checkbox? This is an area of healthcare that is ripe for new ideas. Expect to see primary care redesigned in ways that increase consumer involvement and influence downstream medical spending.

For example, instead of seeing a PCP once a year for a few minutes, primary care may be provided throughout the year.

The patient may regularly communicate with their PCP via a secure portal with video chat, email, and text options. The PCP could ensure that the patient follows healthy behaviors. And, it connects with the correct specialists, and is receiving all of the therapy they need.

Look for seamless movement between digital and traditional in-person care settings as the notion of virtual primary care is further defined in 2022.

5. Continued Conjoining of Digital Health Solutions:

The field of digital health has flourished in recent years, and there are now a plethora of options. Livongo (chronic disease management) and Teladoc (virtual care), two companies that merged in October 2020. These are examples of how the market is beginning to recognize that certain services and organizations should be matched together.

Similar mergers, acquisitions, and collaborations between complementary digital health technologies are anticipated to occur in the future. Their purpose is to establish more scalable healthcare delivery models.

6. Improved Telehealth:

Telehealth has become an essential part of innovative healthcare IT trends. Every patient doesn’t need to go to the emergency room or a hospital to consult with a doctor. Teleconsultation is the best alternative for those patients. Expert doctors are available for Telehealth services, and thousands of patients benefit from it. The changes in Telemedicine from the technology standpoint will further modernize in 2022 and beyond.