At the start of a new year, many people begin to look to the future. Whether you’re setting personal goals or researching the latest trends in your industry, chances are you’ve already started strategizing for 2020.

Healthcare technology is an industry that’s constantly evolving, and there are plenty of trends and changes that are going to impact healthcare in 2020 and beyond. Let’s take a look at some of those trends and how they can help your facility increase its market share.

Artificial Intelligence

Okay, you probably saw this one coming. It’s no secret that AI is growing in popularity across industries, but especially in healthcare. From being used in diagnoses to creating treatment plans, artificial intelligence has many uses in healthcare settings.

For example, an urgent care center could use AI to allow patients to answer questions about themselves electronically. This information, then, can be used to determine if the patient is in the best spot — maybe they’d be served better at an emergency room or a retail clinic instead. This tool can make sure you’re spending your time serving the patients that need your help, and it can help others get the best possible care, rather than sitting in a waiting room.

Medical Devices Relying on IoT

The Internet of Things isn’t new, and neither are digital medical devices, but the two are being used together more frequently. Patients can now view data from their devices, like pacemakers or insulin pumps, in an app or online. While this can be a great advancement, it can also pose security risks, as these devices aren’t necessarily as protected as other technologies are.

Robotics

More and more facilities are bringing robotic assistants into healthcare. Right now, their tasks include disinfecting exam rooms and packaging medical instruments. Eventually, they’ll become more used during surgeries and other procedures. One small robot that’s still on the developmental horizon could help target medications or treatments to a specific area of the body.

Telehealth

Telehealth has been growing over the past few years and there is no sign of it slowing down anytime soon. Telehealth can help urgent care facilities follow-up with and treat more patients from a distance. Physicians can observe patients through virtual visits, saving patients the time and stress of making a last-minute appointment. Telehealth is often more efficient for practices, too, meaning urgent care centers and other facilities can increase their market share and serve more patients.

Machine Vision

In healthcare, there are so many factors that are hard to measure by sight alone. Luckily, technology is advancing to the point where computers are now able to “see” things like how much blood a person in surgery loses so doctors can provide the appropriate care. Machine vision is also used to help read imaging reports and scans to provide even more accurate results. These healthcare technology trends aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.