Medicare system

The rising Medicare cost is an issue that has been of great concern to both the federal government and the state governments for a long time now. Successive governments developed policies and regulations and strategies aimed at reducing health care costs for the citizens. However, most of these have had their impacts of either low quality medication or increased government funding. Obamacare, (or Universal Health Care), for example, called for medical insurance and quality medical service for all Americans. Good as this sounded, the side effects were dire, and the government had to cough billions to make it a reality. Hence, for this reason, the current is considering repealing it to reduce the associated expenses. It is on this respect that digitalization of the Medicare system and the medical process remains the only most effective way of cutting medical expenditures while maintaining the health care quality to the required standards.

Automation and digitalization of the Medicare system and medical services is an area that has proven effective in the provision of quality health care to the citizens. Studies by different scientists show that this is an area that can be developed for the betterment of health care providers for the whole community. Looking back at the digital systems which currently help in the medical industry such as X-ray machines, it is evident that their success in solving some of the most complicated healthcare problems can be replicated to full application in improving quality while also lowering medical costs.

Automation is healthcare provides for digital ways to perform healthcare operations such as health record keeping and retrieval. Most modern digital devices have such capabilities as performing administrative roles in a war that is far more efficient and effective as would be compared to humankind (Poulymenopoulou et al. p. 199). The technology can serve more essential positions that previously required the intervention of human beings, thereby reducing the role of human employees in the healthcare systems.

Technologies such as telehealth and telemedicine are designed to offer an interactive relationship between a nurse or a clinician and the patient; thereby one clinician can serve different patient needs through this technology (Kvedar 196). It, therefore, reduces the need for human health care personnel and therefore cutting on the costs that would have been incurred in employing and paying human labor.

A ring configuration (called miniaturized telemetered ambulatory monitoring device) has the capabilities of monitoring the patients’ health conditions and physiological changes such as pulse rate, blood sugar, and oxygen concentration and giving warnings in cases of alarm (Yang and Sokwoo p. 289). Such technologies ensure that doctors can monitor the health status of a patient from whichever location, thereby reducing the need for hospital admission. It gives the patient the ability to get medication as an outpatient and thus removing the costs associated with inpatient admission.

Another benefit of automation in healthcare cost reduction lies in the cloud computation and storage of data. One of the most important health care practice ethics calls for privacy and efficiency of the highest capability. Cloud data storage and computation makes this possible since it provides secure and safe storage for information. It also saves on healthcare space that would have been used to store filed information for the millions of people visiting the healthcare systems. Cloud computation technology provides a unique ability of self-analysis and result compilation, and this removes the potential costs associated with hiring human analysts.

Application of technology in diagnosis and treatment also provides for an effective and efficient way of performing the said operations. It is a more accurate way as it reduces loses and wastage in the medical processes (Zachariah p. 205). Technologies such as X-ray and radiotherapy provide for the diagnosis abilities (such as bone and heart diagnosis) that were not possible with conventional means. They also make sophisticated medical processes like a brain tumor and cancer treatment possible.

Different people with contrasting reasoning feel that automation may be a threat to human health. X-ray diagnosis and radiotherapy medication are associated with gamma radiations which they say is a cause of cancer and other health hazards. Some people also feel that cloud computation and storage is not a safe way of storing and processing health data systems as they argue it is susceptible to hackers and other people with ill motives. Technology and automation seem to perform most active positions which were previously done through human labor ((Qureshi et al. p. 200). Hence arguments are that it reduces employment and this perpetuates the unemployment crisis in America and the world at large. Miniaturized telemetered ambulatory monitoring technology has been associated in with panic to some patients, especially those with low self-control and hence they get alarmed when body physiological conditions get a little out of balance.

A counter-argument on these perceived negatives of technology drives strong points which effectively address every health concerns raised. For example, claims that X-rays and radiotherapy devices emitting dangerous radiations are countered by the fact that most of these devices are currently fitted with lead plates that block any possible emissions from reaching the body. On the part of unemployment, these devices are operated by human beings. Hence they may appear to be creating a job crisis. The truth of the matter is that they create a job, only that they bring new skills into the industry (Qureshi et al. p. 201). Hacker problems can be solved by taking necessary security measures such as using a firewall to protect you web-hosting servers. Telehealth and telemedicine provide an immediate response to any panics that may arise due to the use of miniaturized telemetered ambulatory monitoring device inpatient treatment.

In conclusion, it is evident that automation is a critical aspect in health and medicine addresses cases that arise due to costs and quality of health care provided. It is therefore essential that the government and Medicare providers consider automation and technology as a way of controlling the ever-rising cost of diagnosis and prescription treatment.

Annotated bibliography

Connected Health: A Review Of Technologies And Strategies To Improve Patient Care With Telemedicine And Telehealth

Kvedar, Joseph, Molly Joel Coye, and Wendy Everett. “Connected health: a review of technologies and strategies to improve patient care with telemedicine and telehealth.” Health Affairs 33.2 (2014): 194-199.

The article by Kveder et al. reviews telehealth and telemedicine technologies in improving patient care. It is an important innovation depicting how technology can reduce costs while keeping quality constant. It will help in identifying how automation can help in reducing health care costs.

Automation of the Clinical Practice: Cost-Effective and Efficient Health Care

Zachariah, Prince K. “Automation of the Clinical Practice: Cost-Effective and Efficient Health Care.” Building a Better Delivery System: A New Engineering/Health Care Partnership (2005): 205.

A partnership of engineering and health results in innovations that help in providing efficient and cost effective health care. Applying this knowledge in my research gives me a proactive approach in the matter at hand and also helps me suggest possible innovations towards the subject.

Development of the ring sensor for healthcare automation

Yang, Boo-Ho, and Sokwoo Rhee. “Development of the ring sensor for healthcare automation.” Robotics and Autonomous Systems 30.3 (2000): 273-281.

A ring sensor is a technology which helps to monitor patient physiological changes remotely. It there an example whereby autonomous systems and robotics is applied in health care cost reduction without altering efficiency.

Emergency healthcare process automation using workflow technology and web services

Poulymenopoulou, M., F. Malamateniou, and G. Vassilacopoulos. “Emergency healthcare process automation using workflow technology and web services.” Medical informatics and the Internet in medicine 28.3 (2003): 195-207.

This article by Poulymenopoulou et al. discusses the need for automation in emergency response. The authors of this article feel automation is one of the most effective ways of addressing emergency cases in healthcare systems.

The Impact of Robotics on Employment and Motivation of Employees in the Service Sector, with Special Reference to Health Care

Qureshi, Mohammed Owais, and Rumaiya Sajjad Syed. “The impact of robotics on employment and motivation of employees in the service sector, with special reference to health care.” Safety and health at work 5.4 (2014): 198-202. 11 Apr. 2019.

This article addresses the potential negatives of automation in healthcare systems. It will help in identify and address concerns raised regarding the impacts of technology on employees motivation and job security

Work cited

Yang, Boo-Ho, and Sokwoo Rhee. “Development of the ring sensor for healthcare automation.” Robotics and Autonomous Systems 30.3 (2000): 273-281.

Zachariah, Prince K. “Automation of the Clinical Practice: Cost-Effective and Efficient Health Care.” Building a Better Delivery System: A New Engineering/Health Care Partnership (2005): 205.