7 predictions for how technology will shape healthcare in 2021

COVID-19 accomplished what entrepreneurs, doctors, and activists couldn't: Designing a healthcare system that works for patients instead of providers and health insurance companies. The industry promised to be "patient-centered" for the last decade but only the harsh demands of COVID-19 have made this a reality. As Ian McCrae, CEO of Orion Health, described it, COVID-19 is ushering in the long-overdue transformation of the healthcare system and, finally, a move to "patient-centric" health. "There will be a dramatic shift in health IT spend away from large, monolithic hospital upgrades, towards digital front doors into healthcare," McCrae said. This means better data sharing, a universal rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine, operationalized machine learning, and more options for mental healthcare.