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| Issue 4. August, 2006 |
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Smaller Chips Could Make Patient Records Easier Technological advances in miniaturization will aid patient care in the near future. Have you noticed how electronic devices like cell phones, DVD players and computers have gotten smaller and smaller in size while having increased storage or capabilities? Besides the development of faster processors, the increased miniaturization of memory chips allow for smaller devices with more and more power. Hewlett Packard has been developing miniature memory chips for over a decade and soon hopes to bring to market a re-writable chip specifically for healthcare. This chip would be embedded into a patient's wristband, with their medical data encrypted on it. Doctors will be able to download the data using a PDA or tablet PC to analyze, update and then upload to the chip. This process will save time during medical treatment encounters because filling out and searching for patient records will be eliminated. There is a rival data storage technology available today that performs similar tasks through the use of RFID. RFID is being used currently for tasks like tracking inventory and identification purposes. This difference though is RFID has smaller memory capability and can transmit about 15 feet. Miniature data chips have opposite features - larger storage capability and very small transmission distances. Low transmission distances reduce the potential for data theft. Despite the advantages of the these memory chips, they won't be on the market for a few more years.
American healthcare organizations including HMO's, benefit planners and insurance companies are turning to overseas companies in an effort to process medical paperwork and lower costs much like other businesses attempted at the beginning of this decade. Some benefits administrators are performing research on having medical procedures performed overseas as well. Following the lead of other American businesses, administrative functions like medical transcription are being outsourced to countries like India and Pakistan where costs are lower and there is an educated labor pool. Unlike the offshoring earlier this decade that displaced thousands of workers, there is very little outcry over these moves because there are not enough American workers to fill the positions. In fact the Department of Labor says that medical transcription jobs are projected to "grow faster than average" through 2014. Technology solutions are also being employed to reduce costs and paperwork. A potential downside to offshoring medical records processing is security. While HIPAA laws apply to all companies working with patient data, there is anecdotal evidence that breaches can occur. For example, a Pakistani transcriptionist threatened to post patient data on the Internet after not being paid. Another trend in medical offshoring is "medical tourism". Patients seeking healthcare now travel overseas for the entire procedure and convalescence. Traveling overseas for medical treatment used to be for those seeking non-FDA approved procedures, low cost plastic surgery or uninsured medical surgeries. But with healthcare costing so much, some employers and insurance companies are considering moving offshore for traditional procedures. The cost savings can be significant. An Indian hospital for example offers coronary bypass surgery for $6,500, while an average cost for the same procedure in California would cost $60,400. There are risks to going overseas for medical treatment, like the burden of a long flight, little recourse if something goes awry and lack of U.S. government oversight. However, the quality of facilities is top notch and many foreign doctors studied in the U.S. Any way you slice it; healthcare expenses in the U.S. are very high. Everybody is impacted and looking to save as much as they can for their business or household. Offshoring is just one of the many ways to accomplish this goal. Resources US Employers Look Offshore for Healthcare |
Quotable Joke Doctor: Nurse, how is that little boy doing, the one who swallowed ten quarters? Nurse: No change yet. Coding News Legal Watch Events Watch AdvancedMD will be showing at the 2006 Fall AMBA Conference (American Medical Billing Association) in Dallas, TX. Come see us October 19-20. |
