COVID has Accelerated Innovation and Technology Adoption in Healthcare

As of June 15, 2020, the World Health Organization reports that there are more than 2 million confirmed cases or COVID-19 and 115,000 deaths due to COVID-19 in the United States (worldwide, there are more than 7.8 million confirmed cases and more than 430,000 deaths).

With the necessity for social distancing brought by COVID-19, the healthcare industry is being forced to be innovative – to do things differently so that clinicians can continue to provide patient care and patients can continue to be cared for. As Cheryl Pegus, MD writes:

“In healthcare, our adaptability and innovative execution in the weeks since the novel coronavirus outbreak has been faster than at any time in the decades the industry has been pursuing systemwide innovation.

“Healthcare innovation combining technology, data integration and data sharing with a core of human-centered care has become our battle cry against COVID-19 today and in the near future. This pandemic has shown us that access to care, personalized behavioral health support and mobile health solutions are imperative to not only overcome a public health crisis, but to the future of the U.S. healthcare system. [emphasis added]”

So, even though the COVID pandemic presents a fluid and evolving situation, as new data and information is gathered and reported daily, we present below 5 healthcare innovation and technology predictions for 2020 (the uses of technology discussed below are not new, we believe that their adoption, acceptance, and use will increase) and what we at the Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS) have done to foster that innovation and technology adoption:[download_after_email id=”35600″]

• Patient Safety