Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Disruptive Innovation Brings Down Medical Costs

"The type of competition that brings prices down is disruptive innovation. Disruption in health care entails moving the simplest procedures now performed in expensive hospitals to outpatient clinics, retail clinics, and patients' homes. Costs will drop as more of the tasks performed only by doctors shift to nurses and physicians' assistants. Hoping that our hospitals and doctors will become cheap won't make health care more affordable and accessible, but a move toward lower-cost venues and lower-cost caregivers will."

~Clayton Christensen, professor at Harvard Business School,
writing in BusinessWeek

3 Comments:

At 3/09/2010 10:56 PM, Blogger LP said...

Let the wailing and gnashing of teeth, the beating of breast and rending of hair from heads by the American Medical Association begin. THAT terrible org., representing 29% of doctors will scream,

"But, but, but, the patients will die!!!! Continuity of care!!!!"

Damn unions. As if you can get continuity of care when you can't afford it, or your government pretends to be able to afford it and bankrupts itself...

 
At 3/10/2010 9:16 AM, Anonymous Lyle said...

As Craig noted the Guild will object. Medicine is run by a Guild very like the ones in Europe in the middle ages. They always worry about the edge cases where something is missed, but Physicians overlook things also. Good electronic medical records solve some of the continuity of care problem.

 
At 3/10/2010 10:54 AM, Anonymous Гласность said...

"
electronic medical records solve some of the continuity of care problem.
"
Lyle

The patient should be allowed a copy of his technical data and electronic medical records. He should be allowed prescription refills without expensive re-examination whenever he wants to sign for such self-responsibility.

Do untreated poor people pass disease to the high rollers? You bet your bottom bacteria, fungus breath. We need to provide service to everyone. Universal coverage if you like.

Game the price of hula-hoops; but keep you mangy hands off our complex health delivery system.

Thanks, Weirdrdrdrdrdrdos
!

 

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