By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health 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
    How Not to Become a Victim of Medical Scams
    How Not to Become a Victim of Medical Scams
    December 22, 2021
    11 Ways You Can Care for Your Elder Family Members Health
    11 Ways You Can Care for Your Elder Family Members Health
    April 6, 2022
    How Can Brain Injury Lead To Dangerous Long-Term Effects?
    How Can Brain Injury Lead To Dangerous Long-Term Effects?
    August 30, 2022
    Latest News
    Clean Your Mattress Properly to Avoid Common Health Issues
    March 29, 2023
    5 Benefits Of HIPAA-Compliant Answering Services
    March 28, 2023
    3 Ways To Deal With Health Issues In Cities With High Pollution
    March 22, 2023
    What Tools Should Your Caregiver Have?
    March 22, 2023
  • 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
    5 Self-Care Strategies For Dealing With Sugar Level Stress
    March 18, 2020
    Addressing Mental Health Problems in America’s Schools
    July 10, 2018
    improving patient experience
    7 Helpful And Important Tips For Improving Patient Experience
    October 5, 2020
    Latest News
    What Are Bioidentical Hormones Made With?
    March 23, 2023
    Cover Medical Costs of Child Dog Bites with Legal Specialists
    March 23, 2023
    3 Ways to Improve the U.S. Healthcare System By 2030
    March 14, 2023
    6 Steps To Ensure Speed And Efficiency Of Clinical Studies
    March 14, 2023
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Further Disruptive Changes in Health Care Delivery
Share
Sign In
Notification Show More
Latest News
healthy travel tips when visiting Australia
7 Essential Tips to Stay Safe and Healthy Visiting Australia
News
health risks of dirty mattress
Clean Your Mattress Properly to Avoid Common Health Issues
Health
eligble for NDIS?
Are You Eligible For NDIS? How To Apply
News
upgrade to your nursing career
4 Pertinent Ways to Upgrade Your Nursing Career
Nursing
career in nursing
8 Keys to A Fulfilling & Successful Career in Nursing
Career
Aa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Aa
Search
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Health Reform > Further Disruptive Changes in Health Care Delivery
Health Reform

Further Disruptive Changes in Health Care Delivery

StephenSchimpff
Last updated: 2013/06/03 at 12:14 PM
StephenSchimpff
Share
5 Min Read
Image
SHARE

 

 

Technology to lower costs rather than accelerate them. Smart phones to increase physician and other providers’ productivity. Fewer primary care physicians but more involvement by nurse practioneers and others. And increasing appreciation of the value of integrative medicine. These are but a few of the disruptive changes in care delivery that are coming. 

 Image

In my last post I observed that  the health care delivery system will change in coming years – quite unrelated to reform – and gave the most important drivers of change and how these changes will often be disruptive, transformative or both. Here are a few more. 

 

More Read

What Will Machine Learning Do With Healthcare In 2020?

Keys To Proper Disposal Of Pharmaceutical Waste
New Mesothelioma Treatment Approved: Here’s What To Know About It
5 Fantastic And Healthy Outdoor Activities For People Over 40
Pros And Cons Of Supplements In Your Daily Diet
We think of new technologies as exacerbating health care costs. But it is also quite correct to look to technology to reduce costs or at least slow the growth of expenditures. There will become a new value proposition for technology. Today and tomorrow technology wil be accepted if it to helps health care professionals to 1) compensate for shortages, 2) enhance their responsiveness to patients 3) control costs and 4) improve quality and safety. 

 

Smart phones with wireless connectivity and multiple apps are a good example of technology to assist, compensate, enhance responsiveness and improve quality. Increasingly, physicians are becoming very reliant on their phones as a shortcut to knowledge, to stay well informed, to argue and debate among themselves and perform many other functions. 

 

Robotics can likewise benefit all four parameters. A good example is how robots have made the hospital pharmacy more efficient while substantially safer. One robot selects pills via bar code; another prepares intravenous medications and solutions more accurately then a technician and a third transports medications to the nursing unit using wireless technology – sort of like R2D2. This frees up the pharmacist to do what he or she does best such as watching for drug-drug interactions, proper dosing, and critical higher order functions.  

 

But the coming changes are not just in technology but in the distribution and work of providers. With shortages of physicians, especially primary care physicians, appropriate integration of nurse practioneers and physician assistants can not only partially compensate but provide quality interaction with patients, augment preventive programs and enhance care coordination for those with chronic illnesses. And although there is considerable controversy as to appropriate scope of practice, it is certainly clear that the interaction of PCPs with NPs and PAs can enhance the totality of patient care.  Similarly, expect to see more mental health delivered by psychologists and social workers; visual care by optometrists; and hearing care by audiologists. 

 

Consumers (patients) will press for and expect a more integrative approach from their PCP and other providers. Patients today increasingly search out and use practioneers of acupuncture, massage, chiropractic, yoga, mind body techniques, energy channeling (Healing Touch, Therapeutic Touch, and Reiki) and other complementary medical modalities. More and more medical students are graduating with at least some understanding and training in the use of these approaches. And the acceptance by already practicing physicians is growing, albeit slowly in many cases.  

 

Integrative medicine means more attention to the whole person – family history, social situation, work environment, and how all of these plus stress, eating, smoking and drug preferences interact with the patient’s illnesses. A “prescription” for high cholesterol may still include a statin but it might well also include a trip to a nutritionist, a personal trainer, a program for stress reduction, etc. The end result is better medicine yet completely coordinated by the primary care physician.  

 

Health care delivery is transforming. It will come in fits and starts but it is and will continue to change. Hopefully most of the changes will be for the betterment of patients and providers alike.
 
 image: healthcare/shutterstock

TAGGED: healthcare delivery

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
StephenSchimpff June 3, 2013
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Copy Link Print
Share
Previous Article Creating Your Mission in Health IT Can Lead to Unanticipated Consequences
Next Article Image Annual Healthcare Costs For Family of 4 Now At $22,030

Stay Connected

1.5k Followers Like
4.5k Followers Follow
2.8k Followers Pin
136k Subscribers Subscribe

Latest News

healthy travel tips when visiting Australia
7 Essential Tips to Stay Safe and Healthy Visiting Australia
News March 29, 2023
health risks of dirty mattress
Clean Your Mattress Properly to Avoid Common Health Issues
Health March 29, 2023
eligble for NDIS?
Are You Eligible For NDIS? How To Apply
News March 29, 2023
upgrade to your nursing career
4 Pertinent Ways to Upgrade Your Nursing Career
Nursing March 29, 2023

You Might also Like

protect patient's information
Health ReformMedical EthicsPolicy & Law

7 Key Tips To Protecting Patient Health Information

September 8, 2022
Long-Term Disability Insurance
Health ReformPolicy & Law

What Can You Do If Your Long-Term Disability Insurance Won’t Pay Up?

March 30, 2022
Psychiatrists are now working online
Global HealthcareHealth ReformMental HealthPolicy & LawPublic Health

Psychiatrists Now Working Online: How the Mental Healthcare Industry Is Evolving

December 12, 2021
people in the office having a discussion
HealthHealth Reform

Health Benefits of a Clean Office

October 25, 2021
//

We influence million of users and is the most authentic source of information on healthcare business and technology news.

Quick Links

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Subscribe

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

Follow US

© 2008-2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?