There was a very interesting series of posts at HBR Insight Center which focused on health care, specifically health care innovations. In the main post titled “Health Care of the Future“, the author presents a list of 10 innovations believed to have big impact.
- Checklists
- Behavioral Economics
- Patient Portals
- Payment Innovations
- Evidence-Based Decision Making
- Accountable Care Organizations
- Virtual Visits
- Regenerative Medicine
- Surgical Robots
- Genetic Medicine
I’ve thought about this list and I can’t really argue against any of the items listed here. I would, however, add point-of-care technologies (POCTs) and video games. In terms of video games, I’ve written about the potential to use gaming systems for health promotion (with Nintendo Wii as a great example) and also for other types of activities like teaching, interface development, simulation, and public engagement.
POCTs are poised to change the lab services market using a classic disruptive approach. Specialized knowledge is becoming more accessible as technologies advance. Individuals can now access diagnostic testing services in a matter of seconds at the point of care. I can see that treatments (based on an immediate diagnosis) can be developed to accompany the test. As an example, a blood sugar testing device could measure the sugar levels in your blood and then automatically inject the appropriate sugar/insulin based on pre-determined controls.
Do you see anything that is missed?