o.d. to o.d.

Technology Is Changing Everything…

… Or maybe not. Regardless of your point of view, many are increasingly concerned about the “real” future of health care.

BY SCOT MORRIS, O.D., F.A.A.O.
Chief Optometric Editor

We would be hard pressed to find something that doesn’t depend on ever-advancing technology: automated airport check-in, inventory management at retailers, online bill pay, online education and, most of all, health care. Almost every industry relies heavily on technology and, subsequently, faces the challenge of keeping up with the rapidly changing pace of technology. Just last month, I bought a new smart phone. Two days later, I saw an ad for the new version touting features that I “had” to have. It figures.

Taking a step back

Technology touches everything, and it is about to touch a lot more. In eye care we are so tech-heavy that many worry we may tech ourselves right out of jobs. Face it: It has happened in many other industries. But let’s step back. Technology has a much greater impact than just our day-to-day operations. It is revolutionizing the way medicine is being structured, delivered, monitored and even reimbursed. Technology has brought us EHR (good or bad), huge advances in biomedical engineering and micro and minimal invasive surgical procedures, such as small-incision cataract surgery and the iStent.

Diagnostic devices improve at such a fast pace, that we are left wondering exactly how much information we really need to make a correct diagnosis. I would love to list every new technology available in eye care, today, but by the time this column goes to press the list will likely be outdated.

Technology is also changing the way eye care will be delivered in terms of consumer expectations and demand. With Google Glass and other wearable technology no longer a thing of imagination, and with Facebook’s recent purchase of Oculus, we, as an industry, are about to see dramatic advancements in the technology that our consumers wear and demand. EHR, despite adoption issues, has improved communication, as well as patient health and safety across the spectrum of healthcare.

Trouble ahead?

With any advance comes a potential downside. Internet sales of eyewear and healthcare kiosks are popping up everywhere. Many providers and consumers alike are increasingly concerned about the “real” future of health care. Self-diagnosis, and maybe even worse, partial diagnosis, can be dangerous. This self-diagnosis may, in some ways, drive more people who are scared about what they read on the Internet to a health-care provider to rule out that rare disease. Then again, others may delay seeking the care that they need just because their symptoms are not exactly what they read on the Internet or smart phone.

A balanced approach

In this issue we explore the technology buying decision, the full benefits of EHR, competing with Internet retailers, retinal imaging devices and more. I encourage you to read it all, and be prepared for the next tech revolution. OM