As a whole, the healthcare industry has experienced astounding changes over the years and technology is at the heart of many of these improvements, offering new procedures, treatments, and diagnostic tools that serve both patient and provider.
Jeff Comer, a hospital CEO, from Cave Creek, Arizona, who has 20 years of experience operating as a CEO of many hospitals, shines a light on how technological innovation is enhancing the overall capabilities of hospitals.
Digital and Electric Records
Through digital records, waiting lists are reduced, patient care is expedited, and medical departments can exchange information in a hassle-free manner, CEO Jeff Comer states. This ensures better quality patient care because crucial information is available to the medical practitioner instantly, allowing for a faster potential diagnosis and solution. Healthcare professionals also stand to save an abundance of time because digitization greatly decreases administrative duties and the need to sift through paperwork. Medical information is easily accessible to healthcare professionals remotely from cloud storage.
Electronic Health Records (EHRs) summarize a patient's medical history, focusing on matters like lab reports, diagnoses, hospital visits, surgeries, and prescriptions. Similar to the digital records, this information can be transferred immediately, giving labs and specialists the vital details (allergies, intolerances, pre-existing conditions) promptly. Easier to create and organize than traditional files, Electronic Health Records are pivotal in preventing errors, assuring accountability, and keeping patients in good health.
Software Program Development
Specific software programs have been instrumental in the World Health Organization's (WHO) efforts to classify illnesses, their symptoms and causes into a large database, Jeff Comer points out. Data of this variety is also beneficial in identifying medical trends relating to ailments that many patients are suffering from during any given period. Medical professionals may then procure, track, and utilize the data to combat diseases and provide superior healthcare to the patients. Having timely access to these records, healthcare experts can potentially get a head start on diagnosing their patients and determining a suitable treatment method.
Testing and Imaging Advances
Presently, medical testing is more comprehensive in its information, with breakthrough updates in areas such as x-ray, computed tomography, sonography, magnetic resonance imaging, and electrocardiography, Jeff Comer, CEO, confirms. From this technical capacity, doctors receive highly resolved, accurate images of anatomical structures and physical functions that were previously undetected. Much like the software programs, the testing and imaging improvements afford physicians the opportunity to swiftly discern, diagnose, treat, and prevent extensive harm.
CEO Jeff Comer on Telemedicine
Telemedicine makes it possible for patients to consult with a specialist in nearly any part of the planet, removing geographical impediments and simplifying the availability of urgent care. Real-time interactive services put the patient in direct contact with healthcare providers, electronically, in what can be described as a video appointment. Patients can depend on telemedical devices, whether they are applications or handheld devices, for home care and support. One of the extraordinary features on these devices is the power to relay medical images, bioelectrical signals, and other critical data to a specialist, which can quicken the treatment delivery process. Additionally, patients can be monitored remotely by their physician, which is especially useful in managing those who are living with chronic conditions.
