New medical technologies, beyond advancing the accuracy of diagnoses and theeffectiveness of treatments, are reshaping the economics of healthcare and thelives of both patients and healthcare professionals at every level.
Each year, nearly $1 trillion is spent on healthcare delivery in the UnitedStates; approximately five to six percent of this sum is spent on technologyincluding biotechnology, information systems, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),computer tomography (CT), radiology, ultrasound, and radiation therapy.
As for the future, technology expenditures in the healthcare field are expectedto grow at the rate of five to eight percent every year. In the area ofinformation technology (IT) specifically, the growth is expected to be 15 to 20percent annually. Although 50 percent of the nation's hospitals already havesome level of IT incorporated into their infrastructure, forecasts predict thatnearly all healthcare providers based in the U.S. will be operatingenterprise-wide, fully-integrated IT systems within the next 25 years.
Clinical decision support systems that enable disease management and healthmanagement in practice would also play a key role in the endeavor for fullyintegrated systems. Implementation of information technology would be muchfaster in certain areas of healthcare delivery. For instance, by the year 2005most healthcare providers will have some level of automation in radiology,using picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) and radiologyinformation systems (RIS). In fact, penetration of similar information systemsin the laboratory and the pharmacy is already at a significant level today.
There are many reasons for this heavy integration of IT into the healthcareinfrastructure. Managed care and consolidation are increasingly pressuringproviders to curtail spiraling costs while simultaneously enhancing the qualityof care. As a result, many organizations are working closely with suppliers tohelp identify the latest and best technologies for cost-effectively treatingand diagnosing patients, as well as expediting outcomes.
A factor creating even greater stress on the nation's healthcare system,furthering the need for advanced technologies to help alleviate the burden, isthe country's changing demographics. According to the Administration on Aging,there were nearly 34 million individuals aged 65 or older living in the UnitedStates in 1996. Forecasts predict that this number will reach 50 million by theyear 2020 as the average American life span increases and baby boomers reachsenior citizen status.1
The ever-expanding elderly population has diverse needs and requires manyservices-not only for prolonging life, but also for increasing the quality ofthat life. Consequently, career opportunities are plentiful in the healthcarefield and, according to the Department of Labor, are expected to rise by 31percent within the next six years. More than 3,100,000 new openings areanticipated in many areas, including home healthcare, nutrition, diagnostics,treatment and administration.
The entire healthcare environment must rapidly evolve to meet these needs. Inaddition to reshaping the quality and economics associated with patient care,the continual introduction of new technologies at every phase is creating aplethora of new healthcare-related positions and services (such asInternet-based access to personal medical data) that are affecting the lives ofeveryone already in the field, as well as the career choices of those planningto enter the industry in the near future.

Increasing the quality of patient care

The healthcare industry's ongoing commitment to clinical excellence hasgiven rise to an array of information technologies that are providingorganizations with access to the right information when and where it is neededmost. As a result, diagnoses, treatments, and outcomes have been improved andexpedited by the implementation of IT systems. For instance, PACS technologyprovides an instantaneous link to computerized patient records (CPRs)containing diagnostic images, video, patient histories, and written and audioversions of physician transcripts. The ability to immediately access suchinformation has often been the key to timely diagnosis and the rapid initiationof treatment.
Connected via a central server, PACS allows seamless access to archived patientfiles via workstations that can be positioned anywhere within a facility,including operating rooms, physician and administrative offices, consultingareas, or even classrooms. Outlying facilities, such as other hospitals andclinics, can be networked to the system to speed consultation times and thetransmittal of pertinent patient information, especially in times of crisis.
Furthermore, decision support tools have been developed that are not onlysupplying physicians with greater access to patient information, but are alsoimproving their ability to make the proper diagnoses and prescribe the latesttreatments. Such technologies are designed to think with physicians and, ineffect, expand their knowledge of a field that is evolving daily with theintroduction of new study information, procedures, and technologies. Among thebenefits are clinical decisions that are rapid, cost-effective, and ultimatelyenhance a patient's quality of care.

Enhancing revenues and reducing costs

The healthcare industry's commitment to clinical excellence, coupled withthe ever-growing demands of managed care to reduce costs, is making itincreasingly difficult for hospitals and physicians to survive, let alonethrive. Consequently, healthcare providers have responded by implementing newtechnologies, as well as integrating services with neighboring institutions andproviders to increase referrals, reduce the duplication of services, establishcenters of excellence, and provide a given population with long-term care for aspecific fee. In fact, many new hospitals and teaching hospitals in the UnitedStates belong to integrated delivery networks (IDNs) consisting of two or morehospitals.
The implementation of new information technologies have helped many of theseorganizations increase revenue and reduce costs in several ways. For instance,technologies like PACS can expand the reach of hospitals or clinics via anetwork linking individual workstations located in separate departments, oreven at other facilities. This allows physicians, surgeons, and otherspecialists to review shared CPR files, consult on best care decisions, andultimately reduce costs by expediting diagnoses, treatments, and outcomes.

New careers in healthcare

Healthcare career opportunities are booming. According to the Bureau ofLabor Statistics, six of the 10 fastest growing employment segments in theUnited States are healthcare-related. In fact, there are more than nine millionindividuals currently working in healthcare in the U.S., and this number isexpected to rise to nearly 12.6 million by 2006. 2
Obviously, there are numerous reasons for this growth. As new technologiesbegin to supplant existing technologies, especially in the area of IT, newhealthcare positions will become available for individuals with high-tech andcomputer-related skills. Consequently, more than 1.3 million new jobs areexpected to open for computer and data processing personnel by 2006, and manyof these positions are expected to be in healthcare.
Opportunities for programmers, system analysts, and computer support servicesare expected to increase by 100 percent over the next seven years. Many ofthese positions will be healthcare-related, due to the industry's growingreliance on IT.
The United States' changing demographics is another catalyst for healthcare jobgrowth. As the existing population ages, healthcare deliverers will be forcedto implement a greater range of technologies that can rapidly andcost-effectively meet their diverse medical needs. As a result, many newpositions, such as nursing-oriented home care or assisted living centers, areexpected to arise in areas ranging from health and fitness to imaging anddiagnostics.

Conclusion

New technologies are not only emerging to meet healthcare's expanding andchanging clinical needs, they are actually generating the business. At everylevel, new technologies, especially those involved with processing andtransmitting medical information, are being implemented to create greateroperating efficiencies, enhance the quality of care, increase revenues, andreduce costs. Healthcare has become the nation's leading growth industry as aresult, and is expected to remain among the leaders for at least the next sixto seven years. AR