TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGES AND COST  

Prepared by:Ahmed Mohammed Zinhom

Rady Mubarak

Supervised by:prof/Abeer Seada

Objectives:At the end of this session each participant will be able to:

1 -Discuss factors affecting technology adoption in medical fields

2 -Explain the Lifetime Impact of Medical Technology3 -Discuss technological advancements in healthcare that have

emerged over the last ten year.4 -Identify the Advantages of Technological Innovation

5 -Determine the Dark Side of Technology

OUTLINES:1 -Factors affecting technology adoption in medical fields.

2 -The Lifetime Impact of Medical Technology.3 -Technological advancements in healthcare that have emerged

over the last ten year.4 -The Advantages of Technological Innovation.

5 -The Dark Side of Technology.

Introduction

 

It is commonly accepted that technological change has been

one of the most important drivers of health care spending

growth over the past decades .

for instance, suggests that 50% of health care growth in the US

can be attributed to the introduction of new technologies over

the past five decades.

Factors affecting technology adoption in medical fields

Several factors have been shown to affect the adoption of medical

technologies. They include

- the adopters’ characteristics (demand for medical technologies),

-the characteristics of medical device companies (supply of medical

technologies)

-the regulatory and geographic environments where they develop.

 

1- The characteristics of adopters

 

The demand for medical technologies is driven by

both the care consumers (patients) and the care

providers (physicians) With respect to patients.

2- The supply of medical technologies

 With respect to the medical device industry, three strategic aspects are

considered as being influential in the adoption and diffusion of technologies: -

competition among technologies, competition among suppliers and availability

of complementary goods or services.

-Competition among technologies involves: competition between old and new

technologies .

3- Regulation and geography

The regulatory environment is an important determinant of

medical technology adoption in terms of regulation of both

technology and health care financing.

Technology regulation ranges from requiring advance

approval of technology acquisition to detailed reviews of the

use of the technology.

 

The Lifetime Impact of Medical Technology

A natural desire is to estimate the costs and benefits of the new

technology .

Short-run costs and health impacts are relatively easy to measure, if

one has the right data .

One looks at how spending and health for people with the

treatment compare to similar people without the treatment.

The following are ten technological advancements in

healthcare that have emerged over the last ten year.

1 -The electronic health record:

In 2009, only 16 percent of U.S. hospitals were using an EHR .

By 2013, about 80 percent of hospitals eligible for CMS' meaningful use

incentives program had incorporated an EHR into their organizations.

2- Mobile health:

is freeing healthcare devices of wires and cords and enabling

physicians and patients alike to check on healthcare processes on-

the-go .

Smart phones and tablets allow healthcare providers to more freely

access and send information.

Physicians and service providers can use mobile Health tools for

orders, documentation and simply to reach more information when

with patients.

3- Telemedicine/telehealth:

Studies consistently show the benefit of telehealth, especially in

rural settings that do not have access to the same resources

metropolitan areas may have .

A large-scale study published in CHEST Journal shows patients in an

intensive care unit equipped with telehealth services were

discharged from the ICU 20 percent more quickly and saw a 26

percent lower mortality rate than patients in a regular ICU .

4- Portal technology:

Patients are increasingly becoming active players in their own

healthcare, and portal technology is one tool helping them to do

so.

Portal technology allows physicians and patients to access medical

records and interact online.

5- Self-service kiosks: الذاتية الخدمة اكشاك Similar to portal technology, self-service kiosks can help

expedite processes like hospital registration. Patients can

increasingly do everything related to registration without

having to talk to anyone .

However, hospitals need to be cautious when integrating it

to ensure human to human communication is not entirely

eliminated .

6- Remote monitoring tools:

At the end of 2012, 2.8 million patients worldwide were

using a home monitoring system, according to a Research

and Markets report. Monitoring patients' health at home can

reduce costs and unnecessary visits to a physician's office .

For example: a cardiac cast with a pacemaker automatically

transmitting data to a remote center .

If there's something wrong for a patient, they can be contacted. "It's basically allowing other people to monitor your health for you. It may sound invasive but is great for patients with serious and chronic illnesses

7- Sensors and wearable technology:

The wearable medical device market is growing .

Wearable medical devices and sensors are simply another

way to collect data, it is one of the aims and purposes of

healthcare .

8- Wireless communication:

"Hospitals are catching up to the 21st century with staff communicating to

one another, adding that internal communication advancements in hospitals

followed a slower development timeline since they had to account for

security.

9- Real-time locating services:

Another growing data monitoring tool, real-time locating

services, are helping hospitals focus on efficiency and

instantly identify problem areas. Hospitals can implement

tracking systems for instruments, devices and even clinical

staff.

10- Pharmacogenomics/genome sequencing:

Personalized medicine continues to edge closer to the forefront of

the healthcare industry .

Tailoring treatment plans to individuals and anticipating the onset of

certain diseases offers promising benefits for healthcare efficiency

and diagnostic accuracy .

The Advantages of Technological Innovation

-Without doubt, medical technology is essential to people’s health and

improved quality of life.

-It also contributes billions of dollars to the economy. There are many

benefits that innovative technology brings to the table when it comes to

healthcare.

For example,

-the widespread adoption of electronic health records has resulted in

significant savings in health care costs as well as improved patient health and

safety.

-This is not only a time saver but it also results in better data coordination and

management.

-It is also technological innovation that has opened the door to more non-invasive

procedures.

- -Diagnostics have never been easier and more accurate, especially due to advancements

in areas like nuclear medicine. Nowadays, numerous methods of imaging allow for

technicians and physicians to examine a patient’s anatomy without needing invasive

procedures to form a diagnosis .

-The development of better instruments and more

advanced technology have allowed surgeons to

perform procedures in minimally invasive ways that

just wasn’t possible a few years ago.

The Dark Side of Technology

-Technology can also bring hidden dangers if you aren’t careful. The

internet in particular is known for this. Though some would disagree,

the infinite stream of medical knowledge available online is not

necessarily a good thing. 

-Websites like WebMD can be a great resource for living a healthy

lifestyle, but they should never be used to replace your physician. Far

too often a simple ache can be misconstrued as something far more

serious.

Self diagnosis is a dangerous road to go down. At best you’ll scare yourself into

thinking something is seriously wrong when it isn’t. 

-At worst you’ll misdiagnose yourself and cause serious damage to your

health and well being .

- -Unfortunately the internet provides a cheap and “easy” way to avoid going

to the doctor. In the long term, however, it may wind up costing you much

more than you ever expected.

Any Question????

Thank You