Healthcare AI predictions for 2020

2020 is going to be an exciting year! Here are our CEO predictions for digital healthcare in 2020.

Looking Ahead with 2020 Vision – Our Predictions as we Start the New Year 

It’s that time of year again, where we think back over the past 12 months, and look to the future to see what’s coming just around the corner. To mark the beginning of a new decade, we sat down with our CEO, David Maman, and asked him for his expert predictions about what to look out for in the world of healthcare. Here’s the forecast. Remember, you heard it here first!

Personalized Healthcare

We’re already seeing the beginning of the push towards personalized healthcare, but this is just the start. We will soon see fully customized healthcare opportunities for remotely evaluating patient care, and making smart decisions that influence treatment options. This market is expected to more than double in the next five years.

Research and Markets echo our prediction, stating that “Personalized medicine has a huge potential in leading the healthcare industry with drastic changes with a key focus on diseases understanding & management integrated with advanced analytics, patient data, customized medicines and other possibilities.”

Widespread AI Acceptance

Personalized healthcare will also be boosted by more widespread acceptance and usage of AI-based solutions. AI capabilities are huge for the healthcare industry, and regulation is catching up with this reality. We’re already seeing the FDA and other regulatory authorities take AI-based solutions seriously around the globe, and this will open doors for new product design and implementation.

According to Scientific American, although healthcare has been trailing behind other industries in terms of AI acceptance, the widespread adoption of Electronic Healthcare Records, as well as the growing amount of data that we are collecting will help to make healthcare the most disrupted industry for AI in the coming decade.

Telemedicine Surpasses Traditional Medical Services

Maybe not this year, but in 5 years from now, telemedicine, telehealth, homecare and other remote medical services will be larger than traditional medical services. This will go a long way to provide medical services for the half of the world that do not have access to hospitals or medical care. We’re not going to see tens of thousands of hospitals being built in the next decade to solve this problem, but increasing remote medical consultations is a viable project that could make a real difference. We’re already seeing this happen for countries such as Germany, China, Japan and the USA.

Medical Trials go Virtual

Only 5% of American’s currently participate in medical trials, and yet these are essential for the development and implementation of all new drugs and procedures. According to Ken Getz, an analyst and professor for the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation, the top five reasons that participants leave a trial are all connected to the physical inconvenience of traveling to a specific location to take part.  “What’s at jeopardy is the ability to bring new treatments into the marketplace efficiently, yet in an affordable way” Getz comments.

This becomes even more complex when you consider evaluating cures to rare diseases, such as Hunters Disease, where there are only 2,000 people afflicted with the illness worldwide. In these cases it is impossible to organize a local trial, and remote trials will be revolutionary.

We’re going to see entirely remote trials growing in popularity. The same set of technologies that are enabling the remote medical services will help to get answers and input from hundreds of subjects remotely and in a personalized way.

Mass Wisdom will Close the Geographical Gap

Digital and connected healthcare solutions are only going in one direction – up. The benefits are too great, allowing the global population increased efficiency, availability, and ease of use for a wide range of healthcare needs. We are going to see legislation and governance catch onto this trend in a big way throughout the next decade, as we’re already seeing with countries like Germany, who recently passed a Digital Healthcare Act, investing in patient and healthcare innovation through digital channels as part of the national standard across the country.

As this trend grows, and more countries follow suit, we will see a closing gap between developed and developing countries. Through digital solutions, countries with large low-income populations such as India and parts of Africa will be able to reach the same levels of connected healthcare and cutting-edge medical treatment as the developed world.

Jump Aboard, the Train is Leaving the Station

The twenties looks set to be as disruptive a decade as it was last century, with new innovation and leaps forward in the healthcare industry driven by AI and personalization. With more efficient and accessible medical trials, increases in telemedicine and healthcare apps, and a wide reach for remote healthcare around the globe, we can’t wait to see it all unfold!

If you’re interested in leveraging our mobile applications for your own patients, to start 2020 strong, get in touch to schedule a demo.