In our previous two posts we’ve been talking about the technology trends that are expected to have the greatest impact on medical offices in the coming year. From cloud storage to biometric authentication, technology is making the practice of medicine better, faster and cheaper overall once the initial investment is paid off. However, of all the tech trends highlighted in Gordon Makryllos’ article on CSO online, mobile tech is already revolutionizing medicine. As Makryllos says, go mobile or go home!
4. Invest in secure mobile technology. Near universal use of mobile communications will make investment in reliable HIPAAA-compliant secure messaging a critical necessity for physicians and medical offices.
Other tech trends worth watching:
5. Machine-to-machine communications. Medicine already employs M2M technology, but the field is expected to explode with new applications in the coming year. Self-regulating M2M technology will add a new dimension to patient care. Wi-Fi-enabled, wearable monitoring devices will not only deliver results to physician practices; they will have the ability to automatically administer and adjust medication levels.
6. An app for everything. Expect mobile app growth to mushroom as smartphones become our primary means of communication. Medical apps will vastly enhance medical practice management and patient care but security will become an increasing issue.
7. Beware of social sharing. Use of social media to share every aspect of life will become increasingly automatic, creating a potential threat to patient privacy. What Facebook calls frictionless sharing will automatically track and post where you go, what you do and what you buy, complicating patient privacy issues for medical providers.