New Platforms in Healthcare Technology

Health information technology is not less than a boom in the field of healthcare. Health technology significantly improves the quality of healthcare, increases patient satisfaction and safety, reduces number of medical errors, and also fortifies the interaction between patients and healthcare providers. In a 2010 survey titled Technology, medical tests 'changing the face of health care', Amy Bernstein, the report's lead author, a health scientist for the National Center for Health Statistics said that, “Technologies can be very helpful, there are newer and better technologies all the time, and they're changing the face of health care and practice patterns". To markup the value of E-Care Management, health information technology plays a vital role in improving healthcare delivery in America.

This aid has a repertoire of offerings to help patients and doctors to critically analyze more in the field of medicine. However, with the rapid increase in usage of Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), the creation of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), and the rise of health information exchanges, the delivery of medical care became more trouble-free, study said. The following technologies are also considered to be a part of health technology, study said:

1. Drugs: e.g., antibiotics, ACE inhibitors, aspirin, beta-blockers, antibiotics,
2. Biologics: gene therapies, antibodies
3. Devices: e.g., pacemakers, CT scanners
4. Diagnostic tests: e.g. DNA fecal test for colorectal cancer, genome sequencing
5. Medical and surgical procedures: e.g., psychotherapy, coronary angiography
6. Support systems: e.g., electronic patient record systems, telemedicine systems,
7. Organizational and managerial systems: e.g., cholesterol management program, billing and accounting.

All above stated paradigms are unique contribution in healthcare IT, since they can easily:

• Prevent
• Screen
• Diagnose
• Treat
• Rehabilitate 
• Assist to reduce errors

This is not the end, there's still room for improvement, says Lloyd Michener, director of the Duke Center for Community Research. "It's a call for accelerated efforts that will build partnerships between academic medical centers and public health groups in order to address some of our persistent health issues”, stated in a survey. More progress in medical technologies will endeavor better healthcare delivery with improved life expectancy and quality of life.

Electronic Health Record: For Efficient and Error-free Practice Management

To provide better and more efficient medical care, doctors need to have access to information about their patients. A provider can better treat the patient if he or she has access to the patient’s medical history, demographics, lab results, clinical reports and other relevant data. Real-time access to all this information prevents errors and results in accurate diagnosis, better treatment and improved patient outcomes.

The question is how a provider could get all this information at a single centralized place. The answer is Electronic Health Records (EHR). EHR is a comprehensive healthcare system that provides a complete solution for a medical practice. It helps practices improve their services and double their revenues. Moreover, practices that make meaningful use of EHR also become eligible to earn a meaningful use bonus from Medicare or Medicaid. With the e-prescription feature, the EHR allows the provider to send prescriptions directly to the drug store. Similarly, the lab connectivity feature allows the provider to access lab results and reports directly on his or her computer system. With quick access to a patient’s data, a provider can accurately diagnose the disease and treat the patient in a better way.

One of the convincing features of EHR is that it handles all the data electronically, thereby reducing errors. It ensures smooth, efficient and error-free operations. Once the data about the patient is stored in the EHR, the doctor can always retrieve that patient’s medical data even if the patient is not present or is unconscious. This is really helpful in emergency situations when providers have to take prompt action for an unconscious patient.

Electronic Health Records (EHR)