The healthcare industry is rapidly digitalizing. In 2021 alone, $44 billion was raised globally for health innovation, double the figure in 2020. This is driven by accelerating digital transformation- according to a recent Accenture survey, 81% of healthcare executives say this holds true for their organization.
The change is urgent since healthcare organizations have begun to compress their decade-long transformation agendas into two or three-year plans. The primary technological focuses are digital health, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML), which provide better treatment and meet the demands of modern patients.
Overcoming Technological Barriers
While the need to rethink healthcare approaches and tools is obvious, the sector requires the right IT expertise to address the necessary changes. Some may choose to partner with startups or hire freelancers. Yet, such an approach poses a lot of risks.
First of all, a healthcare organization may lose a lot of resources if a freelancer or startup fails to deliver the expected outcomes. Secondly, vendors with irrelevant or poor expertise might build insufficient solutions that increase reputational risks for a healthcare company.
That’s why, when searching for IT expertise, it’s best to find a vendor with a proven track record and background.
Intetics Case Study. How Technologies Help Surgeons Navigate Neural Implant Insertion
In healthcare, software solutions are primarily developed to improve patient experience and outcomes and facilitate recovery. Intetics has 27+ years of experience in developing software solutions that bring patient care to a whole new level of quality and provide clients with the most advanced technologies for achieving their business goals.
One of Intetics’ Case Studies covers the solution for neural implants, which have incredible medical potential. According to Arizton, the global neural implant market will reach more than $7 billion by 2025, with strong double-digit growth of approximately 11%.
However, the use of neural implants is still limited since they are highly invasive and may alter the nervous system: seeing, thinking, moving, and feeling. Typically, surgeons turn to such treatment only in severe medical need. However, with the invention of medical devices that enable reaching deep into the body without a serious impact on tissues, the situation is changing.
How Did It Start?
A medical engineering company with a specialty in innovations for patients with severe central nervous system (CNS) diseases decided to develop a technology to surgically implant an electrode into the sphenopalatine ganglion. This helps augment collateral blood flow and drive positive results for stroke patients within 24 hours.
To facilitate the implantation process, the company decided to build a desktop application to help surgeons navigate during implant insertion. The idea was rather simple but difficult to implement without the necessary medical and technical expertise:
- The app processes MRI images of the patient’s head
- AI and ML build a path, which is displayed on the screen, for a neural implant
Since the medical engineering company didn’t have technical experts with relevant experience, it turned to Intetics.
The Results of Med-Tech Cooperation
Intetics’ team of engineers with experience in creating healthcare applications engaged in the project. They had several goals to achieve:
- Deliver a high-quality solution that would facilitate sensitive surgeries
- Use C+ to ensure high-quality processing and provide full control
- Develop a functional and user-friendly interface
Twelve months later, the Remote In-Sourcing team delivered an application that was integrated into the company’s software and hardware infrastructure. Now, when conducting surgery, surgeons can see the patient’s head and the implant’s position in real-time with a 3D view. This allows them to minimize the surgical burden, make neural implants less invasive, and help more patients after an ischemic stroke. What is more, the solution is FDA-approved, which means it can be safely used by many healthcare organizations.
The digitalization of healthcare is an opportunity to save more lives and improve the well-being of the global population. However, innovations are impossible without the cooperation of technology and healthcare visionaries.
Find out more on Custom Healthcare Software Solutions in the article.
Intetics is proud to be among the reputable IT companies that have already successfully addressed digital transformation initiatives in healthcare. If you have any ideas on how to improve healthcare with technology, the team of experts will gladly help you implement them!
