Is Mixed Reality on the Horizon for Healthcare?

Published on Apr 1, 2022

Mixed Reality (MR) also known as “hybrid reality” and “extended reality,” has the potential to change just about every industry, healthcare being no exception. A combination of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Artificial Intelligence (AI); MR is emerging as a tech to create experiences that blend the real-life environment with digital elements.

It is lauded as being revolutionary because of its ability to provide a more personalized and immersive experience and recent advancements are paving way for previously unimagined possibilities in medicine, not only by lowering training and operational costs but also by improving surgical safety and precision.

According to a report by Research and Markets, the mixed reality market was valued at USD 376.1 million in 2020 and is expected to reach USD 3,915.6 million by 2026 with an expected CAGR of 41.8% over the forecast period 2021 to 2026.

With the rapid adoption of Mixed Reality in the coming years, the technology could find a variety of uses in the healthcare sector, including reducing the use of cadavers in medical student training, patient engagement therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and pre-operative visualisation of brain tumours by reviewing scans in-person using AR.

How ‘Mixed Reality’ is reshaping complex health procedures?

Mixed Reality offers infinite possibilities in medical diagnosis, training, surgeries, medical treatments, and rehabilitation, making it extremely detailed and accurate.

Instant diagnoses

MR headsets can record patient history discussed verbally by medical professionals which can be accessed by anyone including the nursing staff. Furthermore, these headsets can even analyze data and provide reports to doctors in real-time, eliminating the need to manually go through physical reports, making diagnosis faster and more accurate.

Medical training

Mixed Reality in recent years has seen more popularity in academics where it acts as an aid for teachers to teach various subjects and techniques. Students too can hone their skills before performing surgeries on patients. Doctors can also use MR to rehearse complicated surgeries, saving valuable time during their procedure while increasing their success rate.

Enhanced surgery

MR develops personalized 3D models for each patient and visualizes the interior anatomy in a completely immersive environment, thereby helping in pre-operative simulations. The MR wearable devices in combination with new emerging imaging technologies can aid greatly in complex surgical procedures such as reconstructive surgeries where holographic overlays helped surgeons to better view the bones and identify the course of blood vessels.

Recent applications of Mixed Reality in healthcare

Renowned medical universities are researching and using mixed reality in different areas of medicine, and the results appear to be promising in cardiology, training, autism, surgery, and more.

Cardiology:

Apollo Hospitals, one of the largest hospital chains in India, launch a mixed reality programme- Apollo ProHealthDeepX that uses machine learning, digital signal processing, and mixed reality to provide a visual insight into the internals of the heart using 3D images and assess a patient’s risk factors for heart disease all using the MR headsets.

Medicine Training:

NUS Medicine (Singapore) created Project Polaris which aims to integrate MR into their learning experience and create a realistic clinical scenario and give students a visual presentation of actual clinical procedural skills like inserting a cannula, as well as inserting catheters in male and female urinary tracts with the help of 3D holograms projections.

Autism Treatment:

The autism glass project of the medical school of Stanford University uses Google Glass to assist autistic children in interpreting their emotions and automating facial expression recognition using AI. They also intend to improve its accuracy and allow users to interact with it without the use of glasses in the future.

Phantom Limb Pain Treatment:

Aalborg University in Denmark conducted a study to examine if virtual reality (VR) can help reduce the pain of phantom limbs by tricking the amputee’s brain into believing it still controls the missing limb. When a patient moves his arm, the virtual arm moves in lockstep with them, allowing the patient to control the amputated limb with his brain.

Why the hesitation to implement MR?

Mixed Reality can be used in a variety of situations in healthcare, from home care to acute care units. While MR technology is expected to save costs and increase patient outcomes and satisfaction, healthcare professionals are encountering several challenges as they prepare to implement it.

The lack of adequate skill among medical practitioners, high investment costs, technical glitches, establishing interoperability with existing systems, defining reimbursement schemes, creating a secure environment, and the fear of data loss are all likely to stifle market growth for the time being during the assessment period.

The Road Ahead

Despite these challenges, over the projected period, improvements in regulatory policies are expected to ease the adoption of this technology. Factors such as rapid advancements in sensor technology, increased user acceptance, growing applications of MR in medical treatment, and increased workload of healthcare workers are driving the adoption of mixed reality in the global healthcare market. The benefits of MR systems, such as better operational efficiency, improved service quality, and reduced human effort, are also expected to boost mixed reality’s rise in the healthcare sector.
Statista report estimated that in 2025, the global mixed reality market will increase to about 3.7 billion U.S. dollars and the healthcare sector will hold the majority. It won’t be a surprise to see hospitals and clinics doubling the use of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), or Mixed Reality (MR) technologies in their clinical activities. Soon, we can expect to see MR technology being used in every other doctor’s clinic.

The insurance industry thrives on relationships—but it can only scale through efficiency, precision, and timely distribution. While much of the digital transformation buzz has focused on customer-facing portals, the real transformation is happening in the field, where modern sales apps are quietly driving a smarter, faster, and more empowered agent network.

Let’s explore how mobile-first sales enablement platforms are reshaping insurance sales across prospecting, onboarding, servicing, renewals, and growth.

The Insurance Agent Needs More Than a CRM

Today’s insurance agent is not just a policy seller—they’re also a financial advisor, data gatherer, service representative, and the face of the brand. Yet many still rely on paper forms, disconnected tools, and manual processes.

That’s where intelligent sales apps come in—not just to digitize, but to optimize, personalize, and future-proof the entire agent journey.

Real-World Use Cases: What Smart Sales Apps Are Solving

Across the insurance value chain, sales agent apps have evolved into full-service platforms—streamlining operations, boosting conversions, and empowering agents in the field. These tools aren’t optional anymore, they’re critical to how modern insurers perform. Here’s how leading insurers are empowering their agents through technology:

1. Intelligent Prospecting & Lead Management

Sales apps now empower agents to:

Prioritize leads using filters like policy type, value, or geography
Schedule follow-ups with integrated agent calendars
Utilize locators to look for nearby branch offices or partner physicians
Register and service new leads directly from mobile devices

Agents spend significantly less time navigating through disjointed systems or chasing down information. With quick access to prioritized leads, appointment scheduling, and location tools—all in one app—they can focus more on meaningful customer interactions and closing sales, rather than administrative overhead.

2. Seamless Policy Servicing, Renewals & Claims

Sales apps centralize post-sale activities such as:

Tracking policy status, premium due date, and claims progress
Sending renewal reminders, greetings, and policy alerts in real-time
Accessing digital sales journeys and pre-filled forms.
Policy comparison, calculating premiums, and submitting documents digitally
Registering and monitoring customer complaints through the app itself

Customers receive a consistent and seamless experience across touchpoints—whether online, in-person, or via mobile. With digital forms, real-time policy updates, and instant access to servicing tools, agents can handle post-sale tasks like renewals and claims faster, without paperwork delays—leading to improved satisfaction and higher retention.

3. Remote Sales using Assisted Tools

Using smart tools, agents can:

Securely co-browse documents with customers through proposals
Share product visualizations in real time
Complete eKYC and onboarding remotely.

Agents can conduct secure, interactive consultations from anywhere—sharing proposals, visual aids, and completing eKYC remotely. This not only expands their reach to customers in digital-first or geographically dispersed markets, but also builds greater trust through real-time engagement, clear communication, and a personalized advisory experience—all without needing a physical presence.

4. Real-Time Training, Performance & Compliance Monitoring

Modern insurance apps provide:

On-demand access to training material
Commission dashboards and incentive monitoring
Performance reporting with actionable insights

Field agents gain access to real-time performance insights, training modules, and incentive tracking—directly within the app. This empowers them to upskill on the go, stay motivated through transparent goal-setting, and make informed decisions that align with overall business KPIs. The result is a more agile, knowledgeable, and performance-driven sales force.

5. End-to-End Sales Execution—Even Offline

Advanced insurance apps support:

Full application submission, from prospect to payment
Offline functionality in low-connectivity zones
Real-time needs analysis, quote generation, and e-signatures
Multi-login access with secure OTP-based authentication

Even in low-connectivity or remote Tier 2 and 3 markets, agents can operate at full capacity—thanks to offline capabilities, secure authentication, and end-to-end sales execution tools. This ensures uninterrupted productivity, faster policy issuance, and adherence to compliance standards, regardless of location or network availability.

6. AI-Powered Personalization for Health-Linked Products

Some forward-thinking insurers are combining AI with health platforms to:

Import real-time health data from fitness trackers or health apps
Offer hyper-personalized insurance suggestions based on lifestyle
Enable field agents to tailor recommendations with more context

By integrating real-time health data from fitness trackers and wellness apps, insurers can offer hyper-personalized, preventive insurance products tailored to individual lifestyles. This empowers agents to move beyond transactional selling—becoming trusted advisors who recommend coverage based on customers’ health habits, life stages, and future needs, ultimately deepening engagement and improving long-term retention.

The Mantra Labs Advantage: Turning Strategy into Scalable Execution

We help insurers go beyond surface-level digitization to build intelligent, mobile-first ecosystems that optimize agent efficiency and customer engagement—backed by real-world impact.

Seamless Sales Enablement for Travel Insurance

We partnered with a leading travel insurance provider to develop a high-performance agent workflow platform featuring:

Secure Logins: Instant credential-based access without sign-up friction
Real-Time Performance Dashboards: At-a-glance insights into daily/monthly targets, policy issuance, and collections
Frictionless Policy Issuance: Complete issuance post-payment and document verification
OCR Integration: Auto-filled customer details directly from passport scans, minimizing errors and speeding up onboarding

This mobile-first solution empowered agents to close policies faster with significantly reduced paperwork and data entry time—improving agent productivity by 2x and enabling sales at scale.

Engagement + Analytics Transformation for Health Insurance

For one of India’s leading health insurers, we helped implement a full-funnel engagement and analytics stack:

User Journey Intelligence: Replaced legacy systems to track granular app behavior—policy purchases, renewals, claims, discounts, and drop-offs. Enabled real-time behavioral segmentation and personalized push/email notifications.
Gamified Wellness with Fitness Tracking: Added gamified fitness engagement, with rewards based on step counts and interactive nutrition quizzes—driving repeat app visits and user loyalty.
Attribution Tracking: Trace the exact source of traffic—whether it’s a paid campaign, referral program, or organic source—adding a layer of precision to marketing ROI.
Analytics: Integrated analytics to identify user interest segments. This allowed for hyper-targeted email and in-app notifications that aligned perfectly with user intent, driving both relevance and response rates.

Whether you’re digitizing field sales, gamifying customer wellness, or fine-tuning your marketing engine, Mantra Labs brings the technology depth, insurance expertise, and user-first design to turn strategy into scalable execution.

If you’re ready to modernize your agent network – Get in touch with us to explore how we can build intelligent, mobile-first tools tailored to your distribution strategy. Just remember, the best sales apps aren’t just tools, they’re growth engines; and field sales success isn’t about more apps. It’s about the right workflows, in the right hands, at the right time.

Is Mixed Reality on the Horizon for Healthcare?