4 Healthcare Trends B2B Software Developers Can’t Ignore

In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, technology is key to improving patient care, streamlining operations, and increasing efficiency. From leveraging cloud-based platforms to automating tasks and analyzing data, to adopting sustainable practices like electric vehicle charging, healthcare organizations are adopting innovative solutions to address pressing challenges and achieve positive outcomes.

As cyber threats and labor shortages persist, there is a growing shift toward alternative platforms and robotic solutions to enhance security and reduce workload. Additionally, integrating inventory intelligence and advanced supply chain management is becoming essential to optimizing resource allocation and reducing costs.

I participated in “Opportunities and challenges in healthcare” educational session at BlueStar’s VARTECH event this week. Here are four key takeaways for B2B software developers:

1Bring healthcare organizations to Google or Android platforms

Microsoft has long been a force in healthcare, holding the top spot with 6% market share among tech giants. But there are some real contenders for the top spot. One in particular, Google, is quickly becoming a force in healthcare, offering compelling features that Microsoft lacks, says Katherine Cummins, Elo’s chief healthcare officer. “With all the cyberattacks and system failures like the CrowdStrike disaster that caused more than $5 billion in damage, we’re seeing organizations looking at alternative platforms beyond Windows and Microsoft to achieve better security and lower costs.”

2Solve customer service challenges with autonomous mobile robots (AMRs)

The mobile medical robot market is estimated to be worth around $3.8 billion in 2023 and is expected to register a CAGR of over 15.4% between 2024 and 2032, according to the latest research by Global Market Insights. The growing demand for automation and improved patient care in healthcare settings and the ongoing shortage of skilled nurses and medical personnel are expected to remain key factors driving the market expansion. Some of the tasks that mobile robots can perform include:

Sweeping and scrubbing floors in common areas
Vacuuming carpets in common areas
Clean plumbing fixtures, countertops and floors
Towing tasks such as pulling carts of food, laundry or garbage
Courier services for blood and tissue samples
Transferring medications from the pharmacy to the nursing station or patient room.
Delivering meal trays from the kitchen to the patient wards
Once finished, pick up and put away the trays

“Why do nurses and patients have to wait hours for an EMT to transport a patient to another floor or discharge them from the hospital?” says Buck Ward, CEO of Nexus AMR. “Robots can perform many low-skill tasks as well as or better than humans, freeing up healthcare workers to focus on higher-skill tasks.”

4Inventory Intelligence: Improving Healthcare with an Advanced Supply Chain

Healthcare organizations sometimes waste money on poor inventory systems because they have to overstock. Counting thousands of pieces of equipment is difficult, and sometimes too many items get ordered and expire. Recent research from Zebra Technologies reveals that the percentage of decision makers who rate the ability to track real-time location and use of assets as extremely/very important:

Consumables or medical supplies—90%
Pharmaceutical products—90%
Sterile tools and materials—88%
Implants—88%
Medical devices, durable medical equipment—84%

“There are many inventory visibility solutions that can help solve these challenges,” says Matt Jordan, Senior Healthcare Channel Manager at Zebra. “Some of the top technology solutions that decision makers are asking for, based on our research, are:

Real-time location systems (RTLS)—55%
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)—54%
Handheld barcode scanners—48%
Laptops with integrated barcode scanner—48%
Barcode labels or thermal printers—45%”

For additional information and trends in healthcare, please see the following article from DevPro Journal: The Evolution of Healthcare Creates Opportunities for ISVs.