Small-cap healthcare stocks might be the next stock market goldmine, but many investors are overlooking the sector’s potential. Small-cap healthcare stocks tend to be nimbler and more innovative than their blue-chip counterparts (with some exceptions), meaning they’re better equipped to navigate tricky market conditions and changing industry trends.

At the same time, many of the best small-cap healthcare stocks capitalize, in one way or another, on global trends that sent stocks like Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) soaring. Innovations within small-cap healthcare stocks include advanced AI, machine learning, automation, alternative transportation, and more. What sets these small-cap healthcare stocks apart from megaliths like Nvidia or Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), of course, is their relative cheapness – and their potential to skyrocket and join the ranks of the biggest stocks driving tomorrow’s market.

ClearPoint Neuro (CLPT)

ClearPoint Neuro (NASDAQ:CLPT) is on a winning streak this month, making it one of the best-performing small-cap healthcare stocks you’ve never heard of. CLPT’s flagship product is its ClearPoint platform, which helps surgical providers better navigate the brain and associated systems when diagnosing and treating neurological disorders. So what’s sending ClearPoint’s shares surging nearly 15% since Jan. 1? Rapid-fire regulatory approvals across market domains entrench ClearPoint as the “next big thing” in medical device manufacturers.

The first and most impactful approval was the FDA’s nod towards clinical usage of ClearPoint’s SmartFrame OR Stereotactic System. This platform helps providers better navigate directed radiation therapy during stereotactic radiosurgery. This non-invasive surgery is a radiological alternative to slicing patients open and, instead, beams radiation toward cancerous areas to damage the cancer cells and shrink tumors.

Critically, the platform leverages ClearPoint’s tech within the operating room rather than restricting it to an MRI facility, as past tech demanded. President and CEO Joe Burnett summarized the bullish benefits well:

“More than 95% of all stereotactic neuro-navigation procedures take place in the OR [and] this product is the first in ClearPoint’s history that does not require the use of MRI during the procedure, allowing us to access more hospitals, and to support an order of magnitude more patients than our legacy portfolio.”

ClearPoint also secured approval from European Union regulators to ship existing products to the continent this month, further expanding its footprint and increasing its total addressable market.

TransMedics Group (TMDX)

TransMedics Group (NASDAQ:TMDX) leads small-cap healthcare stocks as the only FDA-approved platform for lung, heart, and liver transports. This sets it apart operationally, of course, but also helps the healthcare industry address major issues within its organ donor infrastructure.

In 2022, about 15,000 organ and tissue donors died, but the total donor organ utilization rate was a fraction of the total available. For instance, of the 14,905 viable lungs available in 2022, providers successfully transplanted just 2,692. The delta between available organs and those transplanted is primarily due to difficulties in safe transport and tissue maintenance, a challenge TMDX effectively addresses.

To that end, the sales of this small-cap healthcare stock are skyrocketing, showcasing its long-term potential. The company’s third-quarter revenue increased by 26% to $66.4 million and marked seven consecutive quarters of revenue growth. We’ll have to wait until Feb. 20 to see TMDX’s end-of-year report, but if 2022’s 200% revenue jump compared to 2021 is any indication, we should expect big things from this small-cap healthcare stock.

Hims & Hers Health (HIMS)

Hims & Hers Health (NYSE:HIMS) is a small-cap healthcare stock that’s tapped into the expanding telehealth trend that, while obvious in retrospect, was innovative at its inception. The company specializes in providing healthcare services considered “embarrassing,” such as sexual wellness and hair loss treatment, remotely and conveniently. This approach bypasses the discomfort and inconvenience of in-person care. HIMS expanded its services to include therapy post-pandemic, creating a self-contained ecosystem that retains customers on its platform.

But, serving a long-term strategy, HIMS recently partnered with Hartford HealthCare to offer in-person referrals for conditions like heart health and weight loss. Though seemingly contrary to the telehealth model, this decision aims to bolster the company’s stability. By incorporating in-person referrals, HIMS expands its service range for existing patients and eases the management of elective healthcare needs.

This approach mirrors its expansion into mental health treatment, further developing a comprehensive, closed-loop ecosystem. Moreover, HIMS is poised to gain from Hartford providers who may recommend HIMS for specialized patient needs. While the synergy only benefits Connecticut users and patients for now, successful implementation today could mean a national pivot tomorrow for this small-cap healthcare stock.

On the date of publication, Jeremy Flint held no positions in the securities mentioned. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.