The first healthcare software as hospital database management system was introduced in 1960, and since then, it has greatly evolved with technology advancement and innovation in digital – with its ability to integrate with the existing facilities at healthcare facilities, and legacy systems.

Today, patients can begin the process of healthcare with just one tap, and providers in the healthcare industry are also looking to upgrade their system to match the speed of technology payers are leveraging. The government sector has been forerunner to integrate automated and smart healthcare delivery systems in order to make their offerings transparent, fast, and reliable for one and all.

Globally, digital health services are emerging at lightning speed, and new start-ups and technology players are entering into the market with advance healthcare digital tools. As per recent research, the year 2022 – 2025, the post-COVID-19 era, will witness a significant leap in the market both in terms of healthcare value and volume.

The last two decades have witnessed many healthcare facilities and networks, adopting digital strategies in their multiple functional areas. Various digital transformation initiatives, such as use of electronic health record systems (EHR), and health applications have been among top adopters, both at payers and provider’s level. 

Digital healthcare solutions, specifically developed for a purpose, are transforming how people access healthcare services and communicate with providers. As per latest study, the digital transformation in healthcare is becoming a main enabler for healthcare professionals to integrate a hyper patient-focused approach into their routine practice-care activities. 

On the other hand, digital health companies with their innovative and reliable solutions, are helping healthcare providers such as hospitals and small medical facilities, streamline their operations, understand patient needs smartly, and establish loyalty and trust, by offering a better healthcare experience. 

Here is a look at Trends Shaping the Healthcare Industry in 2023

Remote Healthcare Services

Healthcare services that are delivered remotely have increased significantly during the COVID 19 pandemic. As one of the top healthcare trends, still existing in the market, even after generalizing face-to-face health appointments, many health facilities, hospitals, and doctors are preferring patient care to be provided more efficiently and cost-effectively from a distance.
While falling under many categories, home-based care has been driving force for remote healthcare services, globally. Evidently, a familiar recovering environment and proximity to a known member from the family, have shown positive patient outcomes, along with reduction in higher crowded hospital beds and small facilities with minimal amenities.

Telemedicine solutions, that covers consultation to surgery from a remote location over a video call and robotics, has also gained momentum in recent times. Eliminating a higher footfall on already contaminated medical wards and doctor clinics, such telemedicine solutions are working best for routine check-ups, seasonal flue and fever cases, and small surgeries, that does not require huge machinery and experts in person.
One of the prominent and fast-growing trends in the healthcare sector is a complete virtual hospital ward, that involves practitioners’ delivery patient care and critical medicinal services from a centralized location to number of remote patients, residing at multiple locations, often with similar diseases, or related conditions.

Retail Health & Wellness

Retail health is one of the increasingly visible trends in the global healthcare space. As per recent study by Forrester, the healthcare businesses that are conducted through retail outlets are expected to double during year 2023-24. This is because, big brands and retailers like Amazon, and Walmart have already started delivery healthcare services such as instant blood tests, mandatory infant and adult vaccinations, and subscription based medical check-ups at their stores and online platforms.
With global economic conditions leading to squeezed budgets of primary healthcare, many services, that have traditionally been delivered by health facilities, labs, clinics, or practising doctors are now becoming a prominent attraction point of large retailers and healthcare associated brands who already own some part of healthcare inventory such as medicines, and routine hygiene products. Leveraging their existing streamlined customer experience process and automated operations, such providers are set to make a strong market presence by giving a choice of health services and benefits to patients at their convenience. This trend is expected to continue and become more robust in the global market, as it would provide better value of primary healthcare delivery, than traditional facilities.
Moreover, in 2023, retail healthcare and wellness services providers are extended to continuously expand their presence and array of services to be more accessible and may not ask patients to book prior appointments and payments, as compared to traditional healthcare providers. Challenges like staff, space shortage are also expected to add push for this trend to continue for a longer period.

Wearable Devices

Increasingly used by individuals during the COVID 19 outbreak to monitor heartrate and other vitals like oxygen levels, wearable devices are continuously booming the healthcare and global fitness market as well. The trend for wearable devices is also expected to dominate over a longer period due to the many companies entering the market both for software and hardware innovations.
Wearable devices are coming with advanced technologies and patient-friendly software solutions that serves as one of the key components of primary-care just on a tap or a click of a button. These devices are not just used by patients, but also by healthcare professionals and medical experts to monitor patients remotely. Smart devices just as pads and mobiles, specifically developed for healthcare purpose, also combined with today’s “Internet of Medical Things” that has rapidly expanded in recent years.
Started from a simple device to track heart-rate and other basic vitals, to smart watches, capable of scanning ECGs, and detecting blood pressure, wearable devices rapidly growing at an unstoppable rate with latest introductions features such as predicting the risk of heart attacks, and assistance in mental illness. A study suggested how important physical indicators in a patient lifecycle such as activity levels, and heart rate can be used as patterns to detect when individuals may be at risk of depression more, or excitement.

Personalized Treatment

Personalized treatment has been in trend for a few years, however, the year 2023 will witness patients who would receive healthcare delivery in a hyper-personalized manner, with more opportunities to choose their time, convenience, and cost, specifically curated for them. This will include, but not limited to, precision health from past treatment patterns, and medicines, that would be specifically tailored for patients, based on factors such as age, genetics, and future risk. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms are going to play a key role in shaping the personalized healthcare future of global facilities and the Healthtech sector.
Personalized health services will also allow patients to make more informed choices about how their care is planned and delivered by a particular facility or unit. Many healthcare professionals and online treatment applications such as telemedicine and remote care solutions are already drawing up a personal treatment plan, based on patient’s present circumstances, their opinions towards their illness, and capability to intake medicines. Such personalized treatment plans are rapidly gaining momentum due to their wider acceptance among general patients having minute or moderate illness, and looking for a travel-free and cost-effective specific care options. Pre-built surveys, and self-kiosk at the medical facilities to measure an individual health vital(s) to generate a generic, yet personalized treatment plan of normal health conditions is also contributing to the personalized healthcare solutions.

Healthcare Management

One of the most demanded software by Hospitals in today’s time is Hospital Management System, or largely referred to as Hospital Information Management System (HIMS). A highly custom built mobile and web application that acts as an online Chief Information Officer, enabling digitization of routine task at a healthcare facility. These tasks include billing, appointment scheduling, writing prescriptions, maintaining charts and notes, pharmacy management, keeping lab results & X-rays, etc.

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Why is HIMS Important for a Hospital?

HIMS solves a hospital complications that emerges from managing all routine offline task and paper-work of patients associated with various departments, along with maintaining proper records and confidentiality. It also enables hospital to manage all the task at centralized location, reducing the work of staff in arranging and analysing the paperwork, making healthcare delivery more efficient and effective.

Explore Successive Digital Hospital Management Features

Mobile & Web Interface

Successive Digital professionally developed web and mobile interface helps healthcare facilities establish a seamless digital presence across all channels and departments.

• Centralized Admin Control
  • Rose based access control to Physicians, Nurses, Front Desk, Support Team, and more.
• Customized Branding
  • Specific hospital/ clinic branded applications to generate personal touch for payers & providers

Intelligent Document Processing 

Specially designed for faster & efficient patient admission, transfer, and discharge across various departments, effortlessly.

• Admission Discharge Transfer (ADT) Management
  • Real-time bed management, smart admission, and discharge documentation
• Operation Theatre (OT) Scheduling
  • Fast-track OT processing and medical approval mechanism. Schedule surgery, blocked and available status

Outpatient Department Management ( OPD)

Robust and reliable OPD management system that van be integrated with legacy software, and enable incremental experience of outpatient.

• Dedicated Patient Portal
  • Self-service check-in, department selection, doctor scheduling, personalized registration slip
• Alert Management
  • Booking alerts to physicians, notifications to patients for confirmation, release, medication
• Booking Management
  • Scheduling online & walk-in appointments, automated workflow & approvals, overcrowding management

Online Prescription & Billing 

Integrated billing and financial record management system, handshaking with diagnosis, labs, and pharmacy. Discount authorisation, automatic payment alerts, overdoes, and e-invoicing. SMS prescriptions to patients, past and present medication records.

• Inpatient ( IP)/ Outpatient ( OP) Billing
  • Streamlined billing process, planned discharge cycle, automated financial operations
• Diagnostic Reports and Transactions
  • Supervising outpatient successful transaction, online book-keeping, report management 
• Payment Channel Integration
  • Online and offline payment management, automatic receipts, payee profile set-up, third-party administrator (TPA) operations, settlements & outstanding alerts.

Pharmacy/ Lab/ Inventory Management

Comprehensive pharmacy, lab, medical equipment, daily consumables, and essential items management. Centralized portal handles inward and outward stock, intelligent reporting, usage graphs, and more.

• Master Information Management (MIS)
  • Access to MIS based on ward/ departments, centralized controlled.
• Pharmacy Management
  • Prescription integration capabilities, availability & on-road medication, purchase records, and loyalty programs
• Lab Management
  • Reports and book-keeping, password protected confidentiality, access and retrieval of records, superintendent duty management

Smart Operations Department 

Comprehensive HIMS features seamless functioning and overall efficient management of critical routine task at the healthcare facility

• Workforce Management
  • Attendance, duty allocation, automatic optimization during peak hour, emergency response system
• Smart Housekeeping
  • Permanent and contractual staff management, payroll, and online HRMS systems
• Central Sterile Supply Department ( CSSD)
  • Fully automatic request, release, ready, receive mechanism for faster and smoother operations during emergency calls.

Comprehensive Healthcare System

Customized portal to all stakeholders for easy and quick access to healthcare services from one single tap.

• Patient Portal
  • Slot availability, profile management, booking and scheduling appointment, teleconsultation, alerts & notifications
• Physician Portal
  • Receive request, managing schedules, online prescription, patient history, accept/ modify appointments
• Admin Portal
  • Centralized role-based view and access to enterprise-wide operations and management of staff and store.

Patient Response System

Capture patient improvement status, automatic feedback form emailer, monitor recovery level, and operational feedback

• Medical Improvement Tracking
  • Monthly push notifications for improvement level surveys, service feedback, loyalty enrolments.

Benefits of Hospital Management System

• Digitized Medical Records
• Self-Service Portal
• Operational Improvement
• Higher Patient Experience
• Effective Resource Management
• Smart Reporting & Analytics
• Integrated Information
• Centralized Processing
• Cost-Effectiveness
• Data Confidentiality & Security
• Paperless and Scalable
• Cross-Department Communication
• Decreased Work-load
• Transparent & Informative
• 24/7 Helpdesk and Online Emergency
• Automatic Workflow