Technology Revolutionizing the Health Care Industry! 0 comments
Patient Care Technology Systems of Mission Viejo, California has developed technology that will futuristically change the system of health care as we know it today. The game changer used to avoid newborn abductions in the early eighties has now revolutionized the way Health Care Administrators track and monitor their patients, staff, and equipment. Electronic tags similar to bar codes used in products at local stores such as Wal Mart, and JC Penny are being used by hospitals to keep an eye on vitally necessary equipment used for emergency purposes such as EKG’s, and defibrillators in the emergency room, all the way down to monitoring arriving patients, and sending needed staff to understaffed areas of the facility. On one side of the table this technology provides for a more efficient health care facility, one that keeps patient waiting times low, inventory control more effective, and accurate, and staff more closely available for emergency tasks at hand. “Christiana Care Hospital, a 907-bed teaching hospital in Newark, Del., installed an electronic tracking system in 2004. The system, using infrared sensors in the ceiling that automatically read badges, shows the location of patients and doctors on an electronic map. By keeping closer tabs on people, the hospital says it has been able to cut about 40 minutes from what used to be a typical emergency-room stay of four to six hours. It's also reduced by about half the 4% to 5% of emergency patients who used to become frustrated and leave without treatment.”
However, this technology does not sit well with the pundits, which although given all of these qualities still poses major drawbacks; one in particular is the privacy issue. In a way it is like treating all of your assets as if they were items, in terms of equipment that would be perfectly acceptable, but when closely monitoring your employees for known, or unknown reasons that in my opinion crosses the lines. Staff members also felt that administrators could, and would use this device to track employee coordinates, thus eliminating confidentiality of paid or unpaid downtime. Also, a study published this year in the Journal of the American Medical Association warned that systems using high-frequency radio waves, the most powerful of the tracking systems, could interfere with the functioning of medical devices. The signals could stop a hospital pump from operating, switch off a ventilator or interfere with a pacemaker, the researchers warned. It is almost like using the philosophy of kill one to save a thousand, if the benefit outweighed the risk in the majority of circumstances it may just be in the best interest of companies to install, and utilize the up and coming technology.
Do you believe that health care facilities would benefit, or lose from this type of technology? Why or Why not....
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122645364411819495.html
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What Is? The Future of Healthcare in America 0 comments
A diminishing U.S. dollar, tightening in the credit markets enabling banks to lend and make a profit, discouraged business owners unable to invest in expansion methods and/or new technology to grow their business, rendering them no choice, but to result to lower wages, massive layoffs, and higher unemployment rates. Inflation is intensifying beyond belief, due to the decreasing purchasing power of the U.S. Dollar, and several other failed policy factors. Although recent activity in the markets have caused a drawback in energy prices leading to deflation…. a sign of relief, this is only because of a bleak forecasted outlook of economic activity for the ensuing months to come, the effects are still damaging to present day life’s. The everyday essential items like gas, water, and food are rising, and our personal income hence our disposable income is steady if not declining, and at the pinnacle of the iceberg comes the baby boomer generation on the verge of retirement.
According to Dr. Michael Ragain (2008) Health Affairs “by the year 2017 one dollar out of every five dollars spent in the United States will go towards healthcare costs”, equating to 20%.
The rising costs associated in healthcare are attributed to many reasons. Some include the amount of money spent on research and development in this country, emerging technology, reduced government reimbursements related to healthcare issues, and the increased utilization of health care services by the elderly, and those with chronic health issues. Whatever the case may, or may not be, the insured, and uninsured are feeling the woes. More companies are raising premiums paid by their employees to offset the rising healthcare costs. It’s also said that healthcare is the 3rd leading expense company’s pay next to payroll, and administration costs. This leaves employers no choice now that market conditions are cutting away at profit margins, but to shift this cost over to their employees.
Healthcare availability is a touchy issue, whether a country has universal healthcare, or a delivery system such as the United States, there will always be problems. The only thing that gets me is that although healthcare costs are going up, why is the quality of care staying the same if not declining from previous levels? With these tremendous strains on our economy two front runners have emerged from the billows of smoke Senator John McCain, and Senator Barak Obama with insightful ideas of correcting the issue. One poses a $5,000 tax credit per family to buy your own policy, which will be taxed by the government, while the other poses universal coverage for those who want it, and imposes fines for those who don’t. (Hmmm) none of these seem like solutions to me.
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