This is a guest blog post from RingCentral.

Looking ahead, the health sector can expect even further disruption as the new normal takes shape. Let’s consider the following four healthcare trends that are setting the scene for 2022 and beyond.

  1. Virtual and hybrid healthcare solutions
  2. Widespread use of data and analytics
  3. A sharper focus on interoperability
  4. The Internet of Medical-Things (IoMT)

1. Virtual and hybrid healthcare solutions

Virtual health has had an increasingly critical role in care delivery in recent years. Today, more and more providers are embracing telehealth to help improve patient outcomes. With technology, practitioners can monitor patient progress and collect mountains of information remotely.

As healthcare steadily rebounds from the pandemic, many practitioners have virtual health expansion as an essential item on their 2022 agenda. Bringing telehealth to the mainstream will help improve the access and quality of patient care, reduce healthcare costs, and alleviate the burden on hospitals.

More interestingly, 2022 will bring more well-formed hybrid health solutions, which combine virtual care with in-person delivery. With onsite clinics expected to recover, traditional providers will be looking to partner with communications platform providers to implement hybrid solutions that offer multiple touchpoints on a single system.

2. Widespread use of data and analytics

The amount of data generated by patients, medical devices, care providers, and payers is growing rapidly. In response, many healthcare organizations are turning to advanced data analytics to turn this data into actionable insights.

With the industry steadily moving toward value-based healthcare models, care providers are keen on leveraging data to accelerate innovation, reduce risks, and increase patient satisfaction.

In 2022, data will continue to play a critical role within the healthcare sector. Thanks to advanced data management technologies and AI-driven analytics, more hospitals will be able to identify opportunities for improvement, measure results, and improve outcomes.

3. A sharper focus on interoperability

Data sharing among stakeholders has long been a significant challenge in healthcare. Although the ongoing shift to value-based care is increasing the rate of data generation, many providers, payers, and patients still struggle to access relevant information.

The focus on interoperability will become more urgent in the years ahead as health players race to implement systems that can bridge the gaps in data sharing. Comprehensive cloud communication platforms and data integration solutions will play the key role of aggregating information from disparate patient touchpoints to create one holistic data source whose access can be shared throughout the healthcare value chain.

4. The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)

Healthcare is on the cusp of a new era of interconnectedness and data-driven insights, thanks to the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). According to a Deloitte report, more than half a million different medical devices are available today, including wearables like blood glucose monitors and insulin pumps, implanted gadgets like pacemakers and cardioverter-defibrillators, and stationary devices like connected imaging devices and scanners.

IoMT bridges the physical and digital worlds to improve an organization’s operational productivity and effectiveness and enhance the speed and accuracy of healthcare delivery. Connected devices aid real-time patient care and facilitate remote communication. Moreover, the massive amount of data collected by IoMT devices creates a solid foundation for delivering 4P healthcare — predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory.

As the leading provider of comprehensive healthcare cloud communication platforms, RingCentral helps healthcare organizations connect with patients and caregivers, manage care coordination and delivery, and improve engagement throughout the health ecosystem.

Contact a RingCentral expert today to learn more about 2022 healthcare trends and how our solutions can help your organization get ready. Catch us at booth 5043 at HIMSS22 or at the Virtual Citrix Ready Partner Pavilion!