Healthcare Trends in 2023 and Beyond

Several factors are impacting what we see happening in 2023 relate to healthcare trends. Just to name a
few – the aftermath of the pandemic, the current financial downturn, labor shortages and the increasing
adoption of technology/digitization.

We see Artificial intelligence (AI) and more specifically, machine learning (ML) tools, dramatically
increasing, that market is forecast to top $20 million in 2023. Various AI-aligned technologies, such as
computer vision, natural language processing, and pattern recognition algorithms, are already deeply
embedded in the healthcare ecosystem and will continue to be adopted as evidence of their usefulness
grows. AI is also becoming more prevalent in areas such as revenue enhancement, claims processing
and other financial functions.

Remote healthcare continues to grow. There is an increase in home-based care driven by evidence that
shows that a familiar environment and proximity to a family can have a positive effect on patient
outcomes, as well as being hugely cost-efficient compared to inpatient care. And we can’t forget
telemedicine, which covers everything from video calling your doctor rather than visiting their surgery to
remote surgery where a surgeon carries out surgery on a patient in a remote location using robotic
technology. Another remote healthcare model is the virtual hospital which involves practitioners in a
centralized location providing care for several remote patients, often with related conditions.
With the cost of delivering in-person healthcare continuing to rise, and ongoing shortages of medical
practitioners in many countries, it’s a safe bet that all varieties of remote healthcare will be a growing
trend in 2023.

Researchers at Forrester are predicting that the amount of healthcare business conducted through retail
outlets will double this year. This is becoming an increasingly visible trend as retailers like Walmart,
Amazon, and CVS offer healthcare services such as blood tests, vaccinations, and medical check-ups.
This trend will become more prominent as global economic conditions lead to squeezed budgets at
traditional frontline primary care facilities. This is compounded by Retail healthcare providers leveraging
consumer expectations of streamlined customer experience and choice to create services that patients
will increasingly find a more convenient and better value than traditional primary care delivery. Per
Forrester, “In 2023, patients will choose retail health for their primary care needs as health systems,
constrained by inadequate resources, fail to match retail’s elevated patient experiences.”

Wearable devices continue to be in the mainstream as people track their own health and exercise
activity and clinicians use the data to monitor patients remotely. These devices are not just for physical
illness but also mental illness. There is a growing emphasis on developing wearable devices capable of
monitoring and detecting signs of mental illnesses. There was a recent study that spoke to how physical
indicators such as activity levels, sleep patterns, and heart rate can be used to detect when individuals
may be at risk of depression.