Written by: Elizabeth Howard
If you follow the medical industry closely, you should be aware that change is afoot. There are several very important changes that are taking place throughout this particular environment. The ultimate effects of these changes are yet to be known. Here are 5 of the major changes happening as you read this.
1. The Rise of Telehealth
One of the biggest changes occurring across the landscape of the medical industry in 2021 is the rise of telehealth. You can now use this handy new tech process to arrange for an online doctor visit. This is a new convenience that is bound to result in major savings of energy, time, and money.
Telehealth can be conducted in the space of a very few minutes using the latest state of the art online conferencing tech. It saves patients the trouble of having to drive to your practice. It also saves you the trouble of having to drop what you’re doing to rush in for a face to face consultation. This savings translates to profit.
2. New Tech is Coming in
Another major advance in the world of the medical industry will be the rise of new tech. A huge wave of new tech advancements are reshaping the way that medicine is practiced in the United States as well as the rest of the world. Much of this can be traced back to the growth of the Internet of Things through the course of the 2010s.
As a result, the way that doctors, dentists, and other health professionals practice their trade is being radically reshaped. Patients will benefit by having access to new techniques that are far superior to any that they have yet experienced. Health experts have a serious learning curve to master to get used to this new wave of tech.
3. Payment Options Will Be Modernized
A huge change that is already taking shape as 2021 unfolds is the massive modernization of data storage and collection. This is largely due to the movement of data to cloud storage.
This will affect every stage of the patient treatment process. It will have a particularly large effect on payment. The new cloud-based online payment system will be far more advanced and convenient for patients to make use of.
4. Nonprofits Will Feel the Squeeze
One of the more unfortunate byproducts of the tech revolution in the medical industry will be the fact that many nonprofit organizations may be forced to consider switching to for-profit status. This has to do with the fact that the cost of maintaining health plans for their employees will become more prohibitive.
As a result, many nonprofits will be in a position of having to consider making moves to accrue more funds to pay for these employee health care programs. This may well necessitate a switch to for-profit organizations in order to compensate for the loss of funds. The switch to this new status will raise many concerns.
5. The ACA May Undergo Changes
The ACA (Affordable Care Act) as implemented by President Barack Obama has undergone some major changes in the past few years. This is a trend that may well continue. It seems as though Donald Trump was ultimately unsuccessful in his attempt to repeal the act. But more changes under President Joe Biden will probably be on the way.
What these changes will entail is, at the moment, still very much up in the air. But it stands to reason that this is a topic that should command the attention of millions of people all across the country. Changes to the pre-existing condition clause as well as the coverage of dependents and children are major trends to look out for in 2021.
