Embracing the era of the engaged patient

Emerging diagnostic tools are empowering patients to flag health concerns before seeing a doctor, harnessing the power of the smartphone to bring the capabilities of yesterday’s million-dollar lab to a patient’s pocket. Meanwhile, the cost of genomic sequencing is plummeting, bringing new meaning to preventative medicine. Rather than reducing the need for high-touch healthcare, these developments are intensifying it. Tomorrow’s most effective care providers will be those who embrace the era of the educated and engaged patient, learning from their insights and working in tandem to craft solutions in personalized medicine. 

Photo by michaeljung/iStock / Getty Images

Photo by tetmc/iStock / Getty Images

Photo by TommL/iStock / Getty Images

Improved efficiency for active lives

For many, daily life has never been faster; schedules, never more full. Patience for idle time is waning. Luckily, advancements in processing power are bringing welcome efficiency to all aspects of healthcare, from more accurate scheduling to expedited test results and more searchable records management. The care providers of tomorrow will contribute to, rather than impede, the efficiency of modern life.