By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    stress management for healthcare workers
    3 Tips For Healthcare Professionals: How To Stay Beautiful, Healthy, and Happy
    November 2, 2021
    importance of relaxing on the weekend for your health
    Importance of Relaxing During the Weekend for Optimal Health
    March 25, 2022
    LASIK Eye Surgery
    What Is LASIK Eye Surgery?
    May 16, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    The PCMH and Home Care Data: An Interview with Melissa McCormack
    December 19, 2013
    IT Strategy for Health Plans: Interview with ikaSystems CEO Joe Marabito
    August 11, 2014
    A New Kind of Stress Test
    May 26, 2015
    Latest News
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
    Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
    June 25, 2025
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: #ThinkFurther: The Future of Medicine [VIDEO]
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Technology > Medical Innovations > #ThinkFurther: The Future of Medicine [VIDEO]
Medical InnovationsPublic HealthTechnology

#ThinkFurther: The Future of Medicine [VIDEO]

David Harlow
David Harlow
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

This post is part of the ‘Think Further’ series, sponsored by Fred Alger Management, Inc. Follow the link for more #ThinkFurther content.

This post is part of the ‘Think Further’ series, sponsored by Fred Alger Management, Inc. Follow the link for more #ThinkFurther content.

More Read

ePatients
ePatients: What’s the Big Deal?
Can We Survive an Epidemic of Corporate Wellness?
Germany’s No-Nukes Decision
Why Point-of-Care Diagnostic Testing Will Become a Game-changer in Healthcare
Health Awareness Observances for the Month of July

It is human nature to think about the future, and to predict great advances. Fifty years from now – we say to each other – the world will be entirely different. But in what ways? Some futurists, including some great science fiction writers, get parts of the future right — but the big picture is often elusive.

In health care, there have been tremendous advances in the past fifty years, and we quite reasonably expect the pace of change to pick up and bring us into a profoundly improved future.

The science will surely advance, but far more complicated is the social milieu within which the science must develop.

Alzheimer’s Disease and other chronic conditions now occupy most of our attention, as modern medicine has effectively eliminated most serious infectious disease. Social factors rather than scientific factors have kept us from calling a final end to polio and a handful of other infectious diseases – religious opposition to inoculation, economic hardships limiting the availability of reliable refrigeration for vaccines, cross-cultural fear of quarantines – but we are nearly there.

How will we be able to get to the next level in terms of control, or even prevention, of debilitating chronic diseases including Alzheimer’s? Well, the model of personalized medicine is compelling, and is of a piece with the rapid advances in genomics that we have seen over the past decade and which are likely to continue into the future. The key challenge is making sure that we can achieve and exploit advances in personalized medicine in a cost-effective manner – bringing us back full circle to the social factors that determine health status of individuals and populations.

Some medical futurists predict that costs will fall as technological advances are made, but this is not an ineluctable conclusion.

As runaway health care costs in the U.S. are poised to shatter the 20% of GDP barrier, we have no choice but to work to ensure that health care is as efficient and cost-effective as possible, to create a paradigm shift that moves us away from overuse of health care resources, away from the “technological imperative,” and away from a mindset that defaults to concluding that more expensive health care is by definition better quality health care.

It is my fearless prediction that in the future we will be more sensible, that the social contract around health care will be improved, so that the medical advances of tomorrow may be equitably shared with those who may reasonably expect to benefit from them – without breaking the bank and without continuing to mortgage the next generation’s future.

Improved patient engagement, improved outcomes tied to patient self-determination, and improved partnerships between clinicians and patients that make the other improvements possible are the stepping stones to achieving the population-level goals of improved quality, improved cost-effectiveness and improved population health status.

TAGGED:Alzheimer's Disease
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

9 Lifestyle Tweaks That Can Add Years to Your Life
9 Healthcare Lifestyle Tweaks That can Add Years to Your Life
lifestyle
July 11, 2025
car accident lawsuit
Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
Policy & Law
July 6, 2025
women dental care
What Is a Smile Makeover and How Much Does It Cost?
Dental health
June 30, 2025
HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps
Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
June 25, 2025

You Might also Like

preventative care
NewsPublic HealthWellness

Person-Centered HealthCare: Prevention Starts in Kindergarten

July 12, 2013

Hospital Robot Disinfects Rooms

January 5, 2012

Alzheimer’s and Exercise

June 22, 2012

Implantable Drug Delivery Systems: Delivering Medication One Dose at a Time

September 28, 2015
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?