Today, BCG Digital Ventures (BCGDV), a subsidiary of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), released a new report highlighting anticipated innovation in healthcare by 2022.

With virtual mental health trending during the exponential growth of remote care, AI, and femtech, the survey focuses on three key areas that could increasingly shape future healthcare.

BECAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT

Published annually, the report is a qualitative study that compiles predictions from 14 healthcare professionals from around the world within the BCG Digital Ventures network.

“They represent a wide range of disciplines in digital companies, from products to strategic design and engineering. Before coming to BCGDV, they practiced as physicians or worked in industries such as health insurance, medical technology or pharmaceuticals," a company spokesperson told Healthcare IT News.

BCGDV predicts that the "new normal" of hybrid and remote work models that have proliferated during the pandemic will have a profound impact on future healthcare. Many of the recently introduced tools, solutions, platforms and business models in the digital arena will remain and grow, according to the forecast.

Looking ahead to 2021, the report finds a high demand for virtual mental health consultations. 60 percent of all virtual doctor visits were in this area last year.

Another result relates to innovations through "Femtech": digital technologies and applications related to women's health are becoming increasingly important, especially as this represents a supply gap in the US. approach 2011 In contrast, according to the authors, women play a predominant role in health decisions and have about a third more health spending.

Finally, artificial intelligence (AI) is gaining traction and facing more rigorous scrutiny in the US with more than a hundred new AI and machine learning (ML)-based device approvals from the FDA.

The new BCG Digital Ventures report is the second after its initial publication in 2021. The report series aims to present "what industry leaders need to know to navigate the changing media and forms of healthcare."

THE BIGGEST TREND

BCG Digital Ventures was founded in 2014 as a multidisciplinary network of entrepreneurs, operators and investors.

The growing demand for virtual mental health care was also a discussion panel at the HIMSS21 APAC conference last November.

IN THE REGISTRY

Commenting on the pervasive trend of digital mental health, Andre Heeg, managing director and partner and leader of BCG Digital Ventures' healthcare practice in Europe, the Middle East, South America and Africa, said: “The COVID pandemic -19 has left the public with their eyes wide open to mental and behavioral health issues.

“As of January 2021, adults in the US had reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorders, a fourfold increase since 2019. The rise of open conversations about mental health has sparked a wave of digital offers.

Speaking of women's health, Heeg explained, “Most of the funding has focused on reproductive health and fertility, ignoring the multidimensional complexity (and opportunity) of women's health. This leaves a lot of room for innovation and investment that addresses intersectionality in femtech.”