Technology in healthcare is driven by innovation.

I am no computer geek, on the contrary I have been a student of surgery since 1994, and have been intrigued by the rapid developments and significant contributions of Engineering and computing technology to my field.

Having seen Paediatric cardiac surgery evolve from one of high mortality in 2001 to what it is now, I know how supportive technology and innovation have been to all of us. 

As per the definition by the WHO,

Health technology is the application of organised knowledge and skills in the form of devices, medicines, vaccines, procedures and systems

developed to solve a health problem and improve quality of lives.

 In my frank opinion,

Modern technology has made this is the best time to be in the healthcare delivery system, or even to be alive!

Life expectancy is at its highest and most diseases are largely under control. Thanks for technology!

The speed at which transformation is happening recently, is unprecedented by its quality and impact, for the cost involved. The areas we will look at are:

Information technology (IT)

Health care technology and innovation are being driven by advances in IT now. The Information/data/intelligence collected in the medical sciences has been growing exponentially.This is of the near universal adoption of computers in modern medicine. This data is easy to analyse for research and more publications than ever are being produced.

This increased availability of information has given us tons of data. This data has given us a quantity of intelligence that has grown beyond the human capacity to analyse without bias. To avoid Bias and apply it in treating patients needs the power of computer analysis and AI systems. This is the reason we have started seeing the development of #artificial intelligence as a tool to help us understand the evolving trends in diagnosis, investigation and management of various illnesses (especially cancers and other degenerative diseases), and these are baby steps in the right direction.

Now that the technology of artificial intelligence is finding its feet in health care, simultaneously we are learning the importance of real social intelligence and using this wisdom for the management of the wholesome wellbeing of the individual and the society.

 Access, affordability and assurance of quality in Healthcare.

?      Travel and medical tourism have become possible because of the ease of international travel and India is a powerhouse in the field of quality healthcare.

?      Telehealth is reaching out to patients separated from physicians by distance, It enhances the reach and delivery of healthcare bringing down costs.

?      Mobile health platforms enable people to take care of their own wellbeing and gain access to tele-health and hospital records through sharing of information. Wearables enable realtime tracking by the caregiver/hospital to monitor compliance and followup.

?      Realtime location and HIPPA compliant data sharing enables timely interventions leading to better outcomes with low costs.

Payment for healthcare, Technological answers:

?      Business models – loans, mortgages, EMIs, cooperative hospitals, charity.

?      Crowd funding

?      Insurance – self, company, governmental / social insurance.

?      Keeping costs down (affordability) using modern technology, research and new expertise

?      By reducing the hospital stay through AI guided quality care and better outcomes

?      Participation of governmental organisations and NGOs across the globe through cooperation at various levels.  

Quality assurance that is driven by technology and data analytics:

In a world sold to fear and mistrust - Accreditation gives a source of assurance to the public by setting uniform quality standards. These standards are updated regularly and enforced by the necessity to be empanelled with payers.

?      NABH

?      JCI

?      Social media opinions and Google reviews are presently strong tools in the hands of the people, to identify well performing institutions and doctors. Most patients check the reputation of the doctor on search engines that are available on their smartphones before a call.

Biotechnology

cancer treatment, genetic analysis and gene therapy are at their peak of development especially with the increased availability of computing power at very low costs. .

What cost a million dollars ten years ago now costs a few hundred. 

?      New drugs to act at newer levels in the cell

?      Newer genetic knowledge

?      Stemcell therapy

?      Diagnostics based on nano level analysis.

?      Drug manufacturing costs makes India the Pharmacy of the world as it has been able to supply high quality at a low price. Competition in India is so intense that Pharma companies have to keep quality up and costs down, to sell anything.

 Imaging technology :

CT, MRI, USG, radiotherapy, blood tests, augmented reality are all evolving through active developmental research in Engineering and computers. Just like mobile phones have evolved, smaller, smarter and with flexible applications. science fiction turns real!

?      CT scans are going mobile, USG is hand held – miniaturization

?      Augmented reality for 3D understanding of disease

?      Wearables to give cloud-based updates from where ever the patient is, to the doctor.

?      Newer life saving devices, stents etc.

?      Instrumentation and robotics have made surgeries safer.

?      Outsourced reporting of results in realtime.

Finally, The Start-up culture:

With the creativity of the human mind on one hand and a large population innovating in the race against each other, the sky is the limit for progress.

The Start-up culture is a child of technology. The number of M&As in the corporate world are increasing and at the same time the healthcare industry is now challenged to the same demanding standards meant for all industries. P&L statements may guide the company directors opinions, but the latest evidence shows that Hospitals headed by doctors perform better and have greater reputation in the society.

Meanwhile Awareness about health care business and Health insurance management has also evolved beyond cash revenue to marketable value. 

?      This is the latest and most difficult challenge "Value in healthcare"

?      Revenue and reputation have to be given equal priority, without either we fail.

?      ROI – short term, long term and social returns.

I leave it to you to ponder and take use technology to take us forward.