How to reduce the cost of medicine
Three technologies that will save patients from ruin
Sergey Kolenov, Hi-tech+
The development of medicine allows people to live longer and get sick less, but this process also has a downside – an increase in health care costs. This is one of the problems that modern technologies should solve.
Today, healthcare costs in the United States amount to about $3.5 trillion, with the federal government's share of this amount being 28%. In the coming decades, the burden will only increase due to the rapid aging of the population. However, Gary Shapiro, president of the American Consumer Technology Association, is confident that the crisis can be avoided thanks to new medical technologies.
In his column in the Wall Street Journal, the expert identifies several major technological trends that, in his opinion, will reduce the cost of medical services. These are biosensors, artificial intelligence and digital assistants.
Microscopic sensors, which are already used in wearable devices today, register the smallest changes in the human body and its environment.
Relying on their indications, the doctor can assess the patient's condition without invasive procedures and subjective analysis of his complaints.
The widespread use of such sensors will generate a huge amount of data that will become the "fuel" for artificial intelligence.
Medical algorithms that will summarize this data, improve care and even save lives. Already today, some artificial intelligence systems are reducing the average time spent in the hospital.
The use of diagnostic algorithms that detect cancer and other diseases looks particularly promising. They do not replace doctors, but significantly reduce the burden on staff.
Voice assistants will provide support to the elderly at home. For example, some Alzheimer's patients report that Alexa prompts partially compensate for their memory loss. The ElliQ algorithm from the Israeli startup Intuition Robotics was created specifically for the elderly and is configured to remind about meetings, send messages to friends and relatives and turn on music. There are also assistants equipped with a drop sensor. One of the most popular is in the latest Apple Watch.
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