NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- \"Obamacare\" may not please everybody, but Americans of all political stripes already benefit from at least one by-product of the new law: innovative health care technologies that make it easier and cheaper to access quality health care. <\/p>\n
A key driver for technology creation within Obamacare is the idea of \"accountable care,\" where providers receive financial incentives for delivering high quality care at a lower cost. If the old economic model was to build a hospital and fill it with paying patients, the new model rewards medical professionals for keeping people healthy and out of the building as much as possible. <\/p>\n
Accountable care requires that \"hospitals defend the perimeter against avoidable admission,\" said George Pace, a health care industry executive based in North Carolina. \"If I'm there because of a heart attack, okay, but it's not okay if it's because I forgot to take my medications. You have to expand the continuum of care into the community and identify and address symptoms, illnesses, and behaviors before they escalate.\" <\/p>\n
That's where technology comes in. Just as doctors and hospitals leverage \"physician extenders\" such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants to provide a broad range of services, said Pace, \"technology extenders\" such as mobile telemedicine, real-time collaborative tools and electronic monitoring systems will increasingly be used to maximize the reach of medical professionals, all while lowering costs. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Originally posted here:<\/p>\n
Health Care Reform Paving the Way for New Technologies<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- \"Obamacare\" may not please everybody, but Americans of all political stripes already benefit from at least one by-product of the new law: innovative health care technologies that make it easier and cheaper to access quality health care. A key driver for technology creation within Obamacare is the idea of \"accountable care,\" where providers receive financial incentives for delivering high quality care at a lower cost. If the old economic model was to build a hospital and fill it with paying patients, the new model rewards medical professionals for keeping people healthy and out of the building as much as possible Continue reading