Top Ten Medical Transformations


From checklists to surgical robots, new approaches to health care are making their way into practice—with some stunning results—though for many the jury is still out.


Ten Innovations That Will Transform Medicine




1. Checklists

Hospitals will require health care providers to follow strict protocols for procedures that benefit from routinization—from preparing a patient for surgery to inserting a central line.


2. Behavioral Economics

Health care will incorporate insights from behavioral economics–everything from weight loss incentives to using peer pressure to change how doctors work.


3. Patient Portals

Consumers will use secure web connections to make and check appointments, see lab results, renew prescriptions, and communicate with doctors and nurses.


4. Payment Innovations

Payment schemes that reward good outcomes and value rather than volume of procedures will become the norm.


5. Evidence-Based Decision Making

Electronic medical records collect important information for coordinated care, and physicians and nurses are alerted to potential errors and best practices.


6. Accountable Care Organizations

Hospitals and doctors will coordinate care for shared patients in order to keep them well-rather than simply treat them when they’re sick-and share in savings that result from improved quality.


7. Regenerative Medicine

Stem cell research will lead to treatments for cancer, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, and other intractable conditions.


8. Virtual Visits

Health care will be done at a distance with videoconferencing and remote monitoring of blood sugar, blood pressure, heart rate, and other health data.


9. Genetics Enters Practice

Individual genetic profiles will help doctors to prescribe the most effective treatments, tailored to the patient.


10. Surgical Robotics

Although ready for prime time technologically, the technology may be ahead of the usefulness. They don’t—yet—necessarily improve outcomes or deliver better value but may offer exciting potential.












Copyright: arcticle: Harvard Business School Publishing



Original article from: http://hbr.org/web/extras/insight-center/health-care/10innovations/1-checklists


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