The Patient Will See You Now

 The Future of Technology in Healthcare

    By Dr. Nic Gay, SimpleTherapy

January 15, 2014

  

The world of Health IT is evolving — fast — and the prospect of a virtual doctor visit becoming as well accepted as a traditional office appointment. It is not far-fetched, but in fact is the most appropriate care for many patients.

Imagine a face-to-face interaction with your doctor without haggling over the time of your appointment, avoiding the waiting room and avoiding exposure to other patients. Although this is not sufficient for acutely ill patients, many patients do not require an in-person evaluation by their physician.

As the notion of the healthcare consumer evolves, the long-delayed application of modern technology that allows a doctor-to-video conference with patients is finally being applied, and even accepted as a proper form of care. In parallel, smartphone attachments are turning cell phones and “wearables” into traditional doctors’ tools that allow vital-sign recording, activity logging, heart-rhythm tracing and many other forms of in-depth physical examination.

This tech trend is building as our overall healthcare landscape changes with the Affordable Care Act. Despite its setback at the outset, 10 percent of Americans may eventually obtain some form of “health insurance” under the new plan. This influx of patients may increase already overburdened doctors’ offices. and subsequently push more individuals into taking their sore throat to the hospital because they can’t get an appointment with their physician. To this aim, the truest application of the virtual visit is for the patient  to be reassured that nothing ominous or malignant is going on. Reassurance drives a significant portion of doctor visits.

Continued at:

http://www.wired.com/insights/2014/01/patient-will-see-now-future-technology-healthcare/