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Running head: TECHNOLOGY CHANGES IN HOSPITALS AND CLINICS 1

TECHNOLOGY CHANGES IN HOSPITALS AND CLINICS 8

Technology changes in a healthcare organization have immense impacts pertaining to the operations and delivery of the services to the patients. The changes in technology have led to a change in the structure as well as the organization leading to the efficient and effective provision of health care services. Examples of these technological changes involve the introduction and adoption of electronic health records which ensures that there is no wastage of time in searching for the patient's information. Overall, the changes in technology have led to the improvement of medical services in healthcare.

When it comes to technology in today’s society, we are well on our way of periodic discovery. Advanced technology has transformed the way health care organization provides care to their patients. Medical technology is very indispensable to people’s health and also help to improve the quality of life. San Diego is known for one of the most refined healthcare industry in the United States. “San Diego hospitals hold some of the highest ratings by national publications, such as U.S. News and World Report, for both overall care and unique specialties” (sandiegobusiness.org). Sharp Healthcare and Kaiser Permanente are known to be two of the best healthcare organization in Southern California, both organizations are not-for profit, and vow to provide the best quality care to their patient.

Both Sharp Healthcare and Kaiser Permanente has developed new advanced medical technology for their organization, technology that will provide their patients with outstanding quality health care. Providing good quality health is the goal for all healthcare organization. With both organizations emerging new advanced technology, customers have the opportunity to decide which of the two organization is best. Sharp Healthcare is the first hospital in San Diego to offer an innovative, minimally invasive surgery for patients at risk for stroke due to carotid artery disease. (sharp.com). Kaiser Permanente is using the 3-D printer to enhance patient care. The 3-D printer allows for surgeons to pin point exact trouble spots inside a patient. The surgeon can then scrutinize and handle the models, then simulate a variety of possible procedures before ever going into the operating room. With these type of development, patient recovery time and expense has gone down significantly. (Morrissey, 2015).

Now in days hospitals have to stay on top of the competitive game and they do that by exploring many different options for example, Kaiser Permanente hospital offers the most up to date and most modern app that allows video appointments between the patient and their doctor from just about anywhere by just using a cell phone.. Video visits are easy, secure, and part of the patient’s coordinated care. With video visit, there is no need for a patient to take time off from work to drive across town or sit in a waiting room, and no need for a copay or deductible. (kaiserpermanente.org). As a patient, we seek to find the best healthcare organization, an organization that will provide the best quality care, organization like Sharp Healthcare and Kaiser Permanente has to provide us San Diegans with the opportunity to experience the best quality care.

Another example is Sharp Memorial hospital they “employ advanced technologies, including powerful imaging systems that allow for less invasive testing, state-of-the-art neurosurgical techniques and advanced radiation treatment” (Brain and Spinal Cord Cancer Treatment Program, 2017) In other words, these hospitals have listened to what their patients want which is up to date advanced technology and surgical procedures that will allow them to still maintain their normal lifestyles however many hospitals have failed to listen to the part of their patients wanting it at an affordable rate.

There are several different types of advanced surgical options that doctors can use such as open surgery, laparoscopic, endoluminal, endovascular, percutaneous each of these options have their plus and minus for the reasons doctors use them many of them just depend on the patient and what will be better for them at times cost does not have anything to do with it, however when it comes to something like robotic surgery which is a more advanced and expensive surgery a doctor may choose not to use that on a Medicaid or State Medical patient because they are state paying programs that do not reimburse at the rate that an insurance or a cash customer would pay for that type of surgical procedure.

In order for these hospitals to keep up with advanced apps and surgical procedures it requires cutting edge testing and research which in turns costs the hospital money and someone has to pay for that and that cost is in turn passed down to the patients. To some patients advanced surgical procedures such as the ones that Sharp Memorial offers does not cost them anything but a co-pay because their insurance will cover but to those who have state paid insurance or to those that do not have any type of medical insurance they face the harsh reality of never being able to receive the most advanced surgical procedures due to cost. At times even those that do have medical insurance have to pay for everything for instance at Kaiser advanced surgical infertility treatments are as advanced as they come but if the patient does not have that type of insurance coverage the patient cannot use those services unless they are a cash customers.

Many surgeons know that being up to date in the most advanced surgical procedures is a good thing for them but when it comes to the cost effectiveness for the hospital the hospital has to evaluate if the cost is greater than the return they are receiving from the insurances or the cash customers. Even if the hospital is performing the most up to date procedures such as Sharp Memorial hospital does not mean that Kaiser hospital is not as up to date it just means that Kaiser has chosen to possibly not perform the higher expensive surgical procedure because their cliental is not in need of that they are possibly more advanced in other surgical procedures such as gastric bypass surgeries.

In the end no matter how advanced or up to date a hospital thinks they may be there is one thing for sure and that is change is constant in hospitals and technology what might be advanced today can actually be history within a matter of months if not sooner.

In hospitals today, patient medical record are stored and managed electronically. Electronic Medical Records (EMR) have changed from the traditional way of paper storage. This was founded to be the easiest way to maintain patient records and keep it all in one place. Another system used is Electronic Health Record (EHR) this system kept record on the “total health of the patient”. (The University of Scranton, 2007) Information entered using this system is a collection of data from the visits to their primary care provider. If needed, the EHR tells clinicians in the Emergency Departments about the patients overall health.  It gave flexibility for the doctors and nurses to share data collected between offices. In the mid 1960’s one of the earliest date processing systems originated and the healthcare industry began using electronic medical records systems. In 1991, the institute of Medicine made the case to have all medical practices use computes to better improve patient care. As the years went on more rules and regulations were put in place. In 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was introduced. HIPAA gave direction to healthcare coverage, privacy, and security. Following the rules and regulations created by HIPAA, organizations shifted to electronic systems to comply with the current laws. In the early 2000s, web-based software started to emerge. Electronic medical record systems was developed through remotely-hosted systems. (The University of Scranton, 2007) The electronic method made keeping records more affordable and appealing for doctors to implement into their practice. In 2014, the adoption of electronic health records became industry-wide. Funding and incentives was given to those healthcare professionals who did adopt these systems. The use of EMR’s and EHR’s provide a way to eliminate some of these inconsistencies and standardize patient records across the board. The misspellings and illegible handwriting captured on handwritten documents became less to none. It lowered cost for filing and is more effective. The technology used for patient records has evolved over time. In present day, we now have the benefits of minimal errors, maximizing cost-efficiency, and better coordination between healthcare Providers. According to National survey of doctors there is important evidence that 94% of providers report that their EHR makes records readily available at point of care. This makes a doctor visit more beneficial to the patient, doctor, and the Health care facility. By the year 2024, prediction of technology used for patients’ records will be all digital or virtual. Predictions suggest that waiting rooms will phase out. According to a Software Advice, survey of 5,000 patients in the U.S. found that 97 percent of respondents felt frustrated by wait times. They predict online check in’s will be the future for wait times. “Dr. Natasha Burgert, a pediatrician who frequently blogs about the patient-doctor connection, believes that wearable technology will also elevate the patient-doctor experience to new levels, providing doctors with a much more in-depth understanding of what activities and behaviors a patient engages in and how they affect their health”. (Gaby Loria, 2007) This follow-up on the second prediction that traveling to the doctor’s office for a routine checkup will be done virtually. You would be able to speak to your doctor via web cam and computer. The 3rd prediction, according to a survey from Wolters Kluwer Health, 80 percent of patient will control their own medical charts. Burgert imagines that new technology will allow patients to answer a series of questions regarding the reason of their visit. This technology will allow a comment section for more information to be provided and the doctors will be able to have a more accurate record. Preparing for the future of how technology is used to gather patient records is unpredictable. Doctors will need to take steps now to be ready for the technology created over time. Healthcare is continuing to become consumer-driven. Technology will become the leading way in the healthcare field. Today’s doctors will need to learn the new systems used to keep their relevancy and avoid becoming “old-fashioned”.

Technology makes different impacts on various parts of the healthcare. Another example to define this is Kaiser's online apps. These apps are for the use of patients and doctors. They have three main apps which are; "My Doctor Online App, KP Mobile App, and My KP Meds App" ( Kaiser Permanente, 2017). Through these apps, patients can manage their health, and their families health (Kaiser Permanente, 2017). This app allows the patients to; "make or cancel their appointments online, email their doctors , refill their prescriptions, receive their mail orders, review their medical records, view their upcoming preventive health screenings and tips, view a list of their present and past medications, set alarms to take their medications on time, take photos of their medications, and write notes or instructions about their medications" (Kaiser Permanente, 2017). Many other hospitals are following this trends of having online apps for their organizations. Similarly, Sharp also has their own app called Follow My Health. Their app also has almost all of the similar features as Kaiser Permanente's app does. Though these apps can be very helpful, but at the same time they can affect the communication between physicians and patients. While many people from the new generation like to use the online apps, but some of the older generation people would still like to speak to the physicians face to face, and enquire about their appointments and other information through the phone or over the counters. So overall, I think that these apps can be a great help, but at the same time they can affect the communication and the people that are not used to so much technology.

References

1. Brain and Spinal Cord Cancer Treatment Program. (2017). Retrieved July 27, 2017

https://www.sharp.com/hospitals/memorial/departments/brain-cancer-

treatment.cfm

2. Gaby Loria, G.L. (2007). The Doctor’s Office of 2024. Retrieved 25 July, 2017, from

http://www.softwareadvice.com/resources/the-doctors- office-of- 2024/

3. Kaiser Permanente. (2017). Health Education. Retrieved from

https://thrive.kaiserpermanente.org/care-near-you/northern california/sanfrancisco/departments/health-education/technology-and-wellness-center-2/

4. Morrissey, John (2015). The Medical technologies That Are Changing Health Care.

Retrieved from: http://www.hhnmag.com/articles/3580-the-medical-technologies-that-are-changing-health-care

5. San Diego Regional Healthcare. Retrieved from: http://www.sandiegobusiness.org/our-

economy/healthcare

6. Sharp Healthcare: Technology and Patient Care. Retrieved from:

https://www.sharp.com/about/fact-sheet.cfm

7. The University of Scranton. (2007). EMR: The Progress to 100% Electronic Medical Records. Retrieved 25

July, 2017, from http://elearning.scranton.edu/resource/health-human- services/emr_the-progress- to- 100-percent- electronic-medical- records

8. Video Visit. A Efficient Way of Providing Care. Retrieved form:

https://mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/videovist/mdo.htm