Future Care - Book Summary - Page 2 of 4 - Dr. Doug Green Dr. Doug Green

Future Care – Book Summary

Thanks to the pandemic, virtual care or Telehealth became a new reality for many patients and doctors. Many patients prefer it as it saves the time and hassle of a trip to the hospital or clinic and sitting in a waiting room filled with sick people. While it may not replace the in-person visit, it is a useful adjunct and it looks like it is here to stay.
Trips to hospital labs for various tests will still be necessary, but thanks to sensors, more can be done at home. Physical touch is still important, but the time may come when it too is no longer essential. Hospital rounds are increasingly done in a remote manner. Setting up multidisciplinary consultations is much more convenient when participants only need to find a computer rather than all being in the same room. The next step may involve the use of virtual and augmented reality tools.

In order to bill a patient, doctors have to enter the results and recommendations of each visit. Like me you may have noticed that they now spend more time typing than maintaining eye contact. Technical glitches at either end can also reduce a doctor’s efficiency. Money certainly dictates care as tele-visits often pay less. AI has allowed non specialists to take on new diseases such as skin disorders as it can analyze pictures of remote patients.
As we move forward, doctors may be able to diagnose patients who are outside of the usual niches for ailments. Borders may also expand beyond states and national boundaries. The near-term availability of the much higher bandwidth of 6G technology will be a game changer. This will reduce the need for urgent care and ER visits. People can now join virtual groups with common symptoms for support and inspiration. A big question is how Telehealth will impact the digital divide.

One goal is to create sensors that can monitor activity and physiological data needed to make the right medical decisions. The data captured must be continuous and the gadgets need to be simple to use and easy to install. Sophisticated algorithms are needed to make sense of the data and prevent false alarms.
With the right technology and systems in place, the next step will be to make them universally available. Most of the world does have access to at least 3G bandwidth, a large percentage of the world population, however, still lacks Internet devices. What is needed is the leadership and the political will to increase access to everyone, probably via smartphones for most of us.

Digital devices are not regulated under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which governs patient privacy. This means that anyone can gather and sell users’ electronic data indiscriminately. There is also a concern that insurance companies may deny coverage or penalize patients based on information gained from digital devices.
80% of adults text and more doctors use texts to share information with patients even though texting is not HIPAA-compliant. Many apps have been shown to be vulnerable to cyberattacks and such cyberattacks have increased by 50% as a result of the pandemic. Government regulations are also likely to slow the pace of adoption and integration of digital data. Jag is optimistic that we will work though these privacy, security, and regulatory issues.