Observations from our Booth at HIMSS
Many of you will find it surprising that I am not putting together a status report but rather blogging about my observations from the Infosys booth at HIMSS. Well for starters the blogs are easier to write and are just my own opinions. This time the HIMSS was all about complex ideas about making healthcare simpler, cheaper and better. But looking at the X-ray machines which some of our co exhibitors were presenting and the cost of the same for so little additional benefit was kind of counter intuitive – in the name of connectivity and at the cost of adding a chip to the machine we are probably going to end up making the diagnostic process so complex that it would be hard to counter argue about the cost reduction and at the end of the day can even end blaming the machine or the user for a wrong decision. This I believe the providers are learning well from the Payers and the politicians!
Let me explain with a scenario:
“ Hi Welcome to the automated self service heart bypass surgery station. Your provider has the latest technology available to make this as painless and cheap as possible. Select your choice of options:
A – for Bypass surgery
B – for bypass surgery with assistance
….well you get picture and the capabilities that technology is going to bring to the table! Unfortunately most of us who would get into that machine will probably not walk out of that again.
About 40 years back my grandfather was told by his doctor walk 5 miles a day to help keep away from diabetes. He lived to be 80 by doing it. He just did that. Now my doctor gives me a medication with a page of side effects and sets up daily monitoring calls about compliance and also tells me to exercise, which I know I don’t need to if I take the pills! I know I won’t reach the 8th decade if I was on my own without the complex medical technology to support me. At the age of 40 , my grandfather acknowledged that he would become sicker and weaker as he grew older and took the steps necessary – so did his doctor; I don’t think I will even acknowledge that issue!
Essentially I am making a case for simplification, let’s just simplify the process and the cure. Preventive treatment is often cheaper than curative treatment and much more simpler to administer. We should start with one patient at a time!
