Wireless Revolution in Healthcare

The healthcare industry has experienced significant growth over the past two decades.   The industry prior to the Social Security Act of 1965 (introduction of Medicare and Medicaid) wasn't innovative.   But the introduction of a government 3rd payer introduced millions of new dollars into the industry and innovation took off.   Under a Fee-For-Service system, providers were reimbursed what they spent up until the 1980's.   This can best be seen in Radiology where the introduction of CT, MRI, PET scan, nuclear medicine testing, and cryotherapy technology have been the major contributors to the industry's rapidly rising costs.   Along with this, the industry has recently seen an influx of wireless technology that is revolutionizing the industry.   This has allowed physicians to increase volume making them more efficient.   In addition, wireless technology has allowed for physicians to order prescriptions directly preventing errors and limiting the number of people involved in each patient transaction.   The wireless revolution in healthcare has allowed for increased information security, patient safety, and efficiency and will continue to revolutionize these areas over the next decade.
To fully understand what is happening in the healthcare industry, one must understand where it came from.   The industry was practically a paper and pencil industry just like every other industry; however, healthcare was the last to change making it very time consuming for providers.   Technology really didn't exist until the late 1960's early 1970's.   The reason is that the industry was not considered to be profitable until the passing of the Social Security Act of 1965.   The introduction of Medicare and Medicaid introduced millions of patients as paying patients.   These millions of guaranteed dollars under a Fee-For Service reimbursement scheme caused the industry to explode.   The more the industry spent, the more money providers received.   Innovation took off and costs began rising.   In... [continues]

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