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Technology is likely to change how care is delivered, monitored, and coordinated—not replace the health system with one breakthrough. Artificial intelligence (AI), telehealth, remote monitoring, health apps, wearables, and better data exchange each address different parts of care. Whether they help depends on the clinical purpose, the evidence, who can access them, and how well they fit into real clinical workflows.
What technologies are changing health care?
“Digital health” is an umbrella term, not a single product category. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) includes mobile health, health information technology, wearables, telehealth and telemedicine, and personalized medicine in its description of the field. These tools use computing platforms, connectivity, software, and sensors for purposes ranging from general wellness to medical care.
That range matters: a wellness app and software intended to perform a medical function are not interchangeable, and their claims and regulatory treatment can differ. A technology label alone does not tell you what a tool is designed to do or whether it has evidence for a particular use.
| Technology | What it can do | What its presence does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| AI | Support tasks such as clinical care, drug development, disease surveillance, outbreak response, and health-system management. | That a particular AI system is safe, accurate, or appropriate for every patient or setting. |
| Telehealth and virtual platforms | Connect patients and care teams remotely for some appointments and services. | That every service can be delivered remotely or that virtual care works equally well for every need. |
| Remote patient monitoring | Use digital devices to monitor a patient’s health and share information with providers. | That monitoring alone improves outcomes; benefits depend on the care model and response to the information. |
| Wearables and health apps | Collect or present health-related information, with intended uses that range from wellness to medical functions. | That a consumer device can substitute for clinical-grade equipment or a clinician’s assessment. |
| Data exchange tools | Help move health information among patients, providers, electronic records, and technology platforms. | That systems already exchange all relevant information seamlessly or nationwide. |
Where is AI being used?
The World Health Organization (WHO) describes AI use across diagnosis and clinical care, drug development, disease surveillance, outbreak response, and health-systems management. Those are different jobs with different risks: an application that helps organize information is not the same as one that informs a clinical decision.
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WHO’s position is not that adoption should be automatic. It emphasizes evidence, safety, equity, trust, and governance. In practice, decision-makers need to ask what the system is intended to do, how its performance is evaluated for the people who will use it, who reviews its output, and what happens when it is wrong or unavailable. The existence of a use case is not proof that a specific product improves care.
How can care extend beyond the clinic?
Telehealth brings some services to a remote visit
Telehealth and virtual platforms can make some interactions possible without an in-person appointment. They are one way to broaden access, but they do not remove the need for in-person examinations, tests, or other services when those are clinically necessary.
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Remote monitoring connects measurements to care management
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) defines remote patient monitoring (RPM) as the use of digital devices to monitor a patient’s health. The model can support information sharing between patients and providers and care management for acute and chronic conditions. A wearable health monitor is one illustrative kind of connected device; it should not be assumed to replace clinical-grade equipment.
For monitoring to become care rather than data collection, a service needs a plan for what information is reviewed, who responds, and what action follows. HHS’s description identifies a care model, not a uniform clinical benefit. Outcomes depend on the condition, implementation, and surrounding care.
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What is changing in health data access?
Connected care depends on information moving between patients, providers, records, and digital services. In July 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced voluntary criteria for data exchange across health information networks, electronic health records, and technology platforms. CMS also reported that more than 60 companies had pledged to collaborate on a patient-centered digital health ecosystem.
The announcement described intended tools and use cases, including apps for diabetes and obesity management, conversational AI for navigation and scheduling, and digital check-in. These were announced plans and commitments as reported by CMS at that date—not evidence that a complete nationwide exchange system has been implemented or that the proposed tools have improved outcomes.
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What health systems are doing to prepare
WHO Member States extended the organization’s 2020–2025 Global Strategy on Digital Health through 2027 and asked WHO to develop a succeeding strategy for 2028–2033. In a May 2025 update, WHO reported that 129 countries had established national digital health strategies and 130 Member States had conducted digital health maturity assessments. WHO also reported that more than 1,600 government officials from over 100 countries had received digital health and AI training, and that 40 Member States were in the Global Digital Health Partnership.
These figures describe policy, assessment, training, and participation—not clinical outcomes. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus put the distinction this way: “Digital health is not about applications, platforms, or devices. It’s about transforming how health systems serve people—more equitably, more effectively, and with greater attention to individual needs.”
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How to judge whether a technology is likely to help
There is no universal winning technology. Before adopting or relying on a tool, assess the full care arrangement around it:
- Purpose: Is it intended for general wellness, a specific medical function, or a defined care-management task?
- Evidence: What outcomes have been evaluated, for which people and conditions, and over what period? Evidence for one use should not be generalized to every product in the category.
- Access: Can the patients who need it obtain and use it, including people with limited connectivity, devices, digital skills, or accessibility support?
- Interoperability: Can relevant information move to the patient and care team, and can it be used in the systems where decisions are made?
- Privacy, security, and oversight: How is sensitive data protected, and what regulatory requirements apply to the tool’s intended function and location?
- Operations: Who handles alerts and follow-up? Does the organization have the staff, workflow, and payment arrangements needed to sustain the service?
HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) described technology-enabled care as spanning AI, telehealth and virtual platforms, wearables, and remote monitoring. Its December 2025 brief reported evidence of success in some cardiometabolic, musculoskeletal, and mental-health contexts, while noting that long-term evidence is limited and implementations vary. That supports cautious, condition-specific evaluation rather than a blanket conclusion about all products or patients.
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