The rise of the digital age continues to change the way the healthcare industry does business in 2019. Whether you’re looking to start a new career in the healthcare industry or you are looking to gain valuable knowledge and insight to further your career, some smart learning can only help. Here are a few things you should know about virtual medicine.

1. Social Media Is Key.

With the rise of social media, most major healthcare companies – and most companies across all business sectors – now know the importance of social media. Whether you are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube, for example, social media helps you to stay up to date with industry trends, if you are a healthcare professional, or learn about the way surgeries are performed, learn how to connect with other healthcare professionals, or learn how to find a job if you are new to the healthcare field, for example.

2. Apps for Real-Time Online Patient Interaction.

These days, you’ll have to look pretty hard to find a business without – at least – a website and possibly an app. As the digital world evolves, it’s becoming the norm that patients are able to do everything from set appointments to viewing their medical charts all from the comfort of their home. As a medical professional in almost any position, you’ll want to be comfortable working with computers in a digital setting.

3. Telecommuting for Work.

As the cost of technology continues to go down and the percentage of people with access to the Internet goes up, telecommuting for all professions – including healthcare – will continue to rise. For you, it’s great, because you don’t have to dress up and leave home to get paid. For your employer, it’s great, because they don’t need to pay overhead. Avidity Medical Design Academy offers a course entitled, “How to Make Money in Healthcare Working From Home (Full Time!) ,” where  you can learn about careers such as medical coding, medical transcription, medical claims processing, medical writing, healthcare teaching, and healthcare customer service, for example, that allow you to work from home.

4. Online Security and the Future of Healthcare.

Last but not least, as a healthcare professional, you’ll want to be aware of online security and privacy concerns, especially if you’re telecommuting full- or part-time. Whatever your role, you will likely be exposed to private medical history covered by federal laws such as HIPAA. Review our article entitled, “Everything You Need to Know About HIPAA” to learn more about what HIPAA is and what it means in terms of your work as a healthcare professional.

With the rise of virtual medicine, the healthcare industry will continue to evolve, and you’ll want to keep up with the current trends. Visit the Avidity Medical Design Blog for more information on many different topics pertaining to the healthcare industry.