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PokitDok Reveals 5 Healthcare Technology Trends for 2017PokitDok today unveiled its predictions for 2017 in the wake of an historic US presidential election that brings sweeping changes to the administration and the $3T US healthcare industry. "Mapping these important trends will help participants in the healthcare system prepare for a year of both ambiguity and fundamental transformation," said Lisa Maki, co-founder and CEO, PokitDok. "As a company situated at the intersection of healthcare and technology, we closely track the trends that materially impact both. These trends reflect what our stakeholders are buying, using, valuing, and telling us - it is clear that consumer-driven, not institution-driven healthcare is here." To read the full report, click here. The top 5 healthcare technology trends featured are: 1. Healthcare on the Blockchain Moves from Theory to Practice The buzz surrounding blockchain hit a fever pitch in 2016, but it was not supported by much in the way of real world examples. That will change in 2017, as academic and theoretical discussions give way to pilots and production-ready applications running on DokChain. 2. Demand Drives Adoption of Healthcare E-commerce Much like it is possible to shop, book, and pay for an airline ticket, a similar e-commerce experience has arrived for healthcare services. In 2017, watch for more marriages between major health systems and technology companies, who bring scalable infrastructure with baked-in cyber security and HIPAA compliance. The comination will power digital experiences at scale, complete with a web storefront and payment backbone for healthcare services. 3. Telehealth Finally Goes Mainstream Financial risk continues to shift from payers and employers to providers and patients, driven by untenable cost increases, an aging population, and legislative changes. With telehealth, providers can directly diagnose, monitor, and treat patients remotely whether it is through a video call, telephone call, email, chat, or text. Healthcare IT, particularly Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), will support these experiences with speed and efficiency. Look for expanded reimbursement policies, usage, and outreach programs to make virtual care mainstream. 4. The Trump Presidency Will Rock the Healthcare Boat But Will Not Tip it Over While immediate and total repeal of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was Donald Trump's campaign promise, that is not likely to happen, even with the Republican congressional majority and the recent appointment of ACA critic, Tom Price (R-Ga.) to lead the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). To read the details supporting this prediction, click here. 5. Efforts in Auto-Adjudication Will Accelerate In 2017, PokitDok predicts that providers and payers alike will be even more motivated to work with their EHRs, RCM, and practice management vendors to more quickly process claims. This will be driven by auto-adjudication as the holy grail for revenue cycle stability. These vendors will ultimately serve as nodes on the blockchain, and through smart contracts, common business rules and processes will be implicitly encoded on the chain. The result: efficiency gains that are more profitable than legacy business models. "2016 was all about modernizing the business of health," continued Lisa Maki. "Security concerns put blockchain center stage, free-market inspired insurance innovation began to take hold, APIs are making business data portability a reality and healthcare is changing not only in the US but overseas, especially in regions like Japan and India. The market dynamics will continue to prompt everyone who interacts with the healthcare system to consider technology's role." To read the full report, click here. About PokitDok, Inc. PokitDok provides a software development platform to free, secure, and unify data that drives the business of healthcare. Its 30 API endpoints facilitate eligibility checks, claims submissions, appointment scheduling, payment optimization, patient identity management, pharmacy benefits, and other business processes. PokitDok maintains Trading Partner agreements with more than 500 health insurers and payers, representing 92 percent of members across the US. Hospital systems, digital health companies and systems integrators use PokitDok to improve workflows, cut costs, and discover business patterns with big data. Nearly 1000 third party enterprise applications run on the PokitDok platform. PokitDok is based in San Mateo, CA (News - Alert) and Charleston, SC. For more, visit pokitdok.com. Information provided contains opinion and is for general informational purposes only. PokitDok makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of this content and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis.
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