Technological Advances in Health Care in America - Essay Example

Technological Advances in Health Care in America Abstract Health care in America is changing swiftly. This change results from the development of new settings for care; however, communities in the US still rely on hospitals to offer them access to health care services. Uninsured or underinsured, they look upon physicians and hospitals while accessing health care. Question 1: “Evaluate at least two different historical perspectives on the delivery of health care in America, How has technology and the lack of developing technology affected these perspectives”? The perspectives of healthcare in the US have been changing consistently. This is evident in the development of health care insurance to eliminate bad debts resulting from the provision of services to persons unable to pay. This program reduced the financial burden of patients during service delivery (Duncan, 2008). Therefore, insurance covered the financial ruin during illness. This led to the development of Blue Shield Insurance to cater for physicians services (Duncan, 2008). The development of the insurance process enabled the physicians to recover full costs for providing services. Health care costs have increased swiftly over the past decades because of the expenditure on prescription drugs. Additionally, the increased dominance of chronic diseases has resulted in a high demand for health care. Estimates show that health care costs resulting from the treatment of such diseases account for over seventy-five percent of health expenditures (Sherry & Adriana, 2008). The health care system has also changed as evident in the emergence of specialty practices aimed at reducing health care costs without interfering with the quality of health care. This approach controlled the total health expenditure because it involved physicians. This limited the access of individuals to competent specialists. Additionally, diagnosis was the foundation for payment regardless of the treatment period. Increased health care costs are attributable to innovative medical services within the health care system. However, these extensive advances in medical science have allowed the health care specialists to treat illnesses in ways that were previously impracticable. These innovative services prove costly because several patients insist on using them (Sherry & Adriana, 2008). The extensive training in health technology plays a critical role in health care expenditure because it automatically increases training costs. Inappropriate utilization of technology often culminates in the emergence of specialty care providers. The growth of these providers will threaten the access of patients to basic health care and endanger patient safety. Reducing health expenditure, these care providers will perform their services less expensively (Sherry & Adriana, 2008). New technologies will result in the emergence of efficient methods of paying health premiums; this will lead to different health covers that will enable individuals to choose a cover that is affordable and convenient in terms of payment. This will reduce the financial burden of the patient during service delivery (Sherry & Adriana, 2008). Inappropriate technology tends to complicate the procedures of payment. This is likely to expose hospitals to financial troubles. 2. “Compare and contrast two technological advances that have affected health care delivery in America”. Telemedicine is a major advancement in American health care that involves medical activity from a distance (Sherry & Adriana, 2008). The methods associated with telemedicine give patients an opportunity to obtain expert opinions that they would not have otherwise obtained. Telemedicine plays a critical role in connecting populations that are based in remote areas and that have the preferred expertise level. Moreover, a major contribution of telemedicine is that it minimizes the necessitation of facilities and competent personnel (Shi & Singh, 2011). There is a high concentration of specialists in fewer locations, and this involves transmission of information from non-medical staff. Therefore, telemedicine provides a useful mechanism for connecting diverse interests of the specialists with the general care. Additionally, this advancement eliminates unnecessary admissions to hospitals and timed discharges, and allows transmission of information efficiently. This advancement reduces care costs for patients suffering from long-term disparities. This advancements influence the American health care because it ensures efficient monitoring of patients with chronic diseases and diabetes. Advancement in genetics is a major process in American health care. It majors in supporting some aspects of health care such as reproduction, enhancement, and therapy (Shi & Singh, 2011). Timely diagnosis connected with this advancement assists in the improved disease management. Moreover, genetic screening has the capacity of identifying individuals at high risk of contracting a certain disease and allows the introduction of suitable interventions before the development of the disease (Shi & Singh, 2011). Therefore, the role of medicine shifts from the curing of disease symptoms to elimination of their causes. Furthermore, this advancement improves health care because of increased monitoring and reassurance. Telemedicine and genetic advancement enhance the monitoring of patients. Telemedicine ensures efficient monitoring of patients with chronic diseases, while advancement in genetics allows the introduction of suitable interventions before a disease develops further. This ensures the efficient monitoring of patients. Question 3: “How have these changing technological advances affected public opinion of the changing health care system? Are the opinions positive or negative, how do you see these advances affecting the delivery of health care in the future”? Drawing criticism from the public, these technological advancements have resulted in the increased health expenditure. Additionally, the increased expenditure is attributable to the incorporation of new technologies to support existing processes that were efficient (Shi & Singh, 2011). The public welcomes these advancements because of their ability to improve relations; however, it is cautious of their ill effects. Several challenges are associated with technological advancements although they improve health care and service delivery. Telemedicine would involve the installation of equipment at the patients’ home, meaning that it would create problems in transferring the essential equipments. Some of the machines are heavy to carry to the preferred destination, and this interferes with the procedures of treatment. Moreover, the equipments are not sufficient to cater for patients in the comfort of their homes. These technological advances may be less useful because of problems associated with their implementation. For example, there are ethical restrictions regarding discretion and integrity of information in the utilization of telemedicine. Additionally, leading to unforeseen diseases, advancements in genetics may interfere with the normal human functioning. Concurrently, it limits ailments and disorders that have been common. Technological advancements have the capacity of benefiting patients and clinicians. These advancements promote patient care because they focus on efficient treatments. In addition, they allow patients to reside at home during the treatment instead of living in hospitals. Lastly, medical advances enable the specialists to treat patients effectively, increasing their quality of life. References Duncan, M. (2008). Modelling downstream effects in the presence of technological change. Impact Analysis, 26(12), 991-1003. Sherry, G., & Adriana, L. (2008). Technological innovation and inequality in health. Health Care Access, 45(3), 741-761. Shi, L., & Singh, D. (2011). Delivering health care in America. New York, NY: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Read More