How a Futurist Sees Healthcare Being Delivered!

 

In a recent episode of the “Healthcare Rethink” podcast by FinThrive, host Brian Urban explored the future of healthcare with Trond Arne Undheim, a leading Futurist and Research scholar in Global Systemic Risk, Innovation, and Policy. Undheim, author of “Health Tech: Rebooting Society Software, Hardware, and Mindset,” shared his vision of a healthcare system transformed by emerging technologies and innovative business models.

Undheim’s futurist outlook emphasized the revolutionary potential of generative AI and remote patient monitoring to democratize healthcare access, particularly in underserved regions. By leveraging these technologies, healthcare providers can offer remote consultations and continuous monitoring, bridging gaps in care and ensuring that even those in rural or low-income areas receive quality medical attention. This shift improves patient outcomes and addresses longstanding disparities in healthcare access.

A significant part of this transformation involves redefining the roles of healthcare professionals. Undheim envisions a future where AI and advanced technologies support and enhance the capabilities of nurses and other healthcare workers, enabling them to take on more significant responsibilities. This evolution could alleviate the burden on doctors, optimize resource use, and improve the efficiency of healthcare delivery. However, it also requires a thoughtful implementation approach to maintain high care standards.

Undheim argues that a systemic overhaul of the healthcare industry is essential for these technological advancements to reach their full potential. This overhaul includes updating regulatory frameworks, rethinking economic incentives, and fostering a culture of innovation. With such comprehensive reforms, the healthcare sector can stay caught up and fully benefit from the advancements that could transform it into a more effective and equitable system.

Recent Episodes

Health insurers love to advertise themselves as guardians of care, but the real story often begins when a patient’s life no longer fits neatly into a spreadsheet. In oncology especially, “coverage” isn’t a bureaucratic checkbox—it’s the fragile bridge between a treatment that finally works and a relapse that can undo years of grit…

In “Fighting for Coverage,” a patient describes a double war: the physical fight to stay alive and the bureaucratic fight to prove to an insurer that her life is worth the cost. Her account spotlights a core tension in the U.S. system—coverage decisions are increasingly shaped by prior authorizations and desk-based reviewers who…

The sustainability of the healthcare system won’t be secured by another round of cost-cutting or clever benefit design alone, but by a hard cultural pivot toward alignment: payers, providers, employers, and patient advocates pulling on the same rope instead of grading each other on different exams. Right now we’ve built a maze that…