Portable ultrasound devices provide a good case study about how technology can drive major changes in medical practice and diagnostic medicine. When they were first developed, they were quickly integrated into their practice by emergency medicine specialists because of the opportunity for more rapid and accurate diagnosis of patients seen in Emergency Departments (link here for a more detailed analysis).
These portable diagnostic devices also provided these physicians with an opportunity to generate additional professional fees for the interpretation of the ultrasound images. As one might anticipate, the migration of these useful devices has not stopped at this point. Here is the link to an article about the introduction of this technology into a medical school curriculum and below is an excerpt from it (boldface emphasis mine):
The University of South Carolina School of Medicine has been chosen by GE Healthcare as the nation’s first medical school to test an ultrasound device that could revolutionize diagnostic medicine. University of South Carolina medical students are testing GE Healthcare’s LOGIQ E ultrasound equipment as part of a pioneering curriculum that includes the use of ultrasound technology across four years of medical education....The portable units, about the size of a laptop computer, weigh 10 pounds and are a sharp contrast to the heavy and cumbersome ultrasound machines that weighed about 300 pounds just five years ago....The goal ... is to expand the use of ultrasound as a diagnostic tool in many areas of medicine, but especially in primary care fields. Medical students will learn about the benefits of ultrasound for family and preventive medicine and internal medicine, as well as surgery, obstetrics and gynecology and its uses in emergency medicine.
I was struck by the reference above about how portable ultrasound devices have the potential to revolutionize diagnostic medicine. In this same vein, The Dark Daily published a recent note (link here) about the increased number of tests achieving CLIA waived status by the FDA. Below is a quote from it about the implications of this trend for the clinical labs (emphasis mine).
Laboratories will likely feel the impact of simple and reliable diagnostic tests moving outside the core laboratory setting in the near future. Outpatient testing will be more convenient for patients and doctors alike, providing immediate answers to health questions. As more testing can be done in near-patient settings, the test mix in core laboratories is likely to shift away from routine testing and toward more complex reference and esoteric testing. Laboratories will have to adjust their focus so that these tests are viewed as their primary source of revenue.
Technology is a stern taskmaster. For both lab professionals and radiologists, it provides new diagnostic opportunities and takes others away at the same time. Pathologists and other lab professionals need to be continuously scanning the technology horizon and be prepared to quickly adapt to both new threats and opportunities.
As one might anticipate, the migration of these useful devices has not stopped at this point.
Posted by: Tratta | December 19, 2012 at 07:37 AM