Utilizing advanced technologies in the medical industry has the potential to cut costs and provide constant and more accurate care than traditional methods. Here's a close look at three exciting new options.
It's
undeniable that health care costs across the globe are on the increase, but
technology like smart pills, wireless heart monitors and robot surgeons may be
changing the equation.
The progress
symbolized by these concepts helps to shift the picture considerably. After
all, around-the-clock tracking for a patient can typically cost $1,400 or more.
If a doctor instead uses a sensor embedded in a pill to perform the same tracking
function, the costs will drop dramatically. Proteus Biomedical suggests that
the inclusion of smart pills costs just pennies more per prescription.
(Source:
medGadget)
The goal
of a smart pill is to offer activity information, such as sleep patterns, to
help track heart rate and other essential bodily functions. The information can
reach a doctor via a text message instantly, offering actual monitoring without
the high cost of a full-time nursing staff.
Other
technology, such as the wireless heart monitor, can achieve similar results.
Because so many patients had to have removed what were once bulky, awkward
devices, Corventis came up with a much smaller machine. The new monitor is the
size of a Band-Aid, and it's completely waterproof. Disposable, it relies on
Bluetooth technology, allowing a team to continually monitor a patient and
notify the doctor of any problems.
Robot
surgeons are also entering the picture. While surgeons have used robotic
technology for decades to help work in small spaces, newer, cheaper options are
coming forward. Robotic options mean minimally invasive surgery with machine
precision at the cost of just $20,000 for some units.
The real
benefit with technology like this is that, according to the New England Journal
of Medicine, more than $100 billion in avoidable hospitalization costs could be
completely eliminated. With this fast-growing sector, costly hospital stays
could be a thing of the past much sooner than anyone imagined.
A user comment on this articlePosted on: 06-22-10 | By: AnonymousRobotic surgical options are particularly exciting. I doubt surgery will ever be completely run by machines, however, since it requires so much improvisation - even artistry.
