The health care industry will never be the same again following the COVID-19 pandemic. We can’t risk dying from a virus that had already killed so many people and disintegrated fruitful lives the world over. We need to use new protocols, technological advances, and safety measures to safeguard ourselves from other possible viruses.
Health care is a complex industry where one small change can have a whopping impact. Unfortunately, the last few years in health care have been mostly about change for the worse. In fact, at this point, it’s fair to say that everyone in health care is suffering from some form of post-traumatic stress disorder or at least “border-lining” it. Here is a slant to the possible reasons why health care will never be the same after the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, medical records will move from their paper state to an electronic format that can be accessed from anywhere in the world. This means that even if a pandemic strikes a city, health care providers can access medical records as soon as they are online without having to journey to their respective clinics. However, this isn’t just a one-time transformation.
Instead, electronic medical records will be here to stay. Electronic medical records will make it easier for everyone involved in the health care system to track important information.
The world has also become increasingly digital, and health care is no exception. While some people opt to see a doctor in person due to COVID-19, many people are choosing to use an online symptom checker or an app for their health care needs. Digital health care is growing rapidly and will only continue to do so in the future. Also, many health care providers now have online portals where patients can easily keep track of their health needs, make appointments, and look at their medical records.
Telemedicine is the practice of providing health care remotely without the use of a doctor’s visit. It was used during the COVID-19 pandemic to improve efficiency and lower costs by reducing the number of unnecessary face-to-face visits. With more of us glued to our smartphones, it’s much easier to access apps that offer telemedicine services.
In fact, many people actually prefer to use telemedicine apps over traditional doctor visits. This is likely due to convenience and the ability to stay in the comfort of one’s own home. As technology continues to progress, telemedicine services will likely become even more commonplace.
Health care organizations are likely to adopt more advanced encryption techniques to protect patients’ data. This is particularly important in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, as health care providers will likely need to share information with other providers as hurriedly as possible. If data isn’t encrypted properly, it could be hacked or stolen by bad actors in the industry.
Furthermore, the health care industry will never be the same again after the COVID-19 pandemic. Advancements in technology have made it possible for people to receive health care remotely, store medical records electronically, and protect data with encryption. While these advancements are helpful, they also make health care data vulnerable to future breaches.
The release of COVID-19 was a particularly dark time for the health care industry because it came just after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). As many predicted, health care costs continued to soar despite strata of new regulations and taxes meant to rein them in. COVID-19 will make health care affordable and accessible to everyone in the country. It will do this by introducing a new health care system that’s expected to be cheaper and more accessible.
Naheed Ali is a physician and medical journalist.
Image credit: Shutterstock.com
