Monday, November 23, 2015

Making the Healthcare system more accountable and efficient

The healthcare model of the 21st century requires a radical change because of the gradual increase in the medical expenses. Every year people pay huge premiums toward medical insurance. Currently, the predominant payment mode for patients is fee for service. Doctors charge separately for each procedure. Patients have to pay every time they access these services. It is a huge drain on resources; therefore, new healthcare payment models have come into existence to address the imbalance and duplicity. One of the best models is the accountablecare organization (ACO) model. Under this scheme, different hospitals, clinics, and physicians combine to share quality, treatment and care for a large segment of the population to eliminate duplicate tests and overlapping care.

The role of modern healthcare is to improve the well being of people:

  • Apart from the payment method, the new approach to healthcare will go a long way in carrying out sepsis prevention
  • Big data in healthcare facilitates the analysis of the historical information in detail to understand which group of people is most vulnerable to disease
  • After identification, doctors design the treatment plan as per the medical history of the patients
  • Advance analytics pinpoint the individuals who have higher chances of falling prey to chronic diseases
  • Prevention is better than the cure is an old saying that perfectly fits the modern healthcare scenario. Instead of waiting for the disease to become worse, doctors can start the treatment in early stages to save the patient’s life. For example, predictive analytics applications can also accurately predict whether an individual is vulnerable to pressure ulcers. Doctors can take immediate steps to prevent the occurrence and worsening of the problem





Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Data Mining to Deliver Efficient Medical Services to Patients

The advent of prediction applications in the health sector is a shot in the arm for hospitals and the medical team. Even highly specialized doctors face problems prescribing treatment to patients suffering from chronic diseases. As a result, individuals visit hospitals more frequently and medical insurance continues to rise. To correct the problem, doctors analyze the medical history of the patient and target only those individuals that are at serious risk of getting infected. For others, low cost interventions could provide the same results.

Boosting the efficiency of the medical care

Installing a system based on artificial intelligence in hospitals has proven to be a boon for users. Medical staff understands and streamlines the hospital workflow to ensure optimum efficiency. Instead of providing highest-level care to each patient, patients receive customized treatment according to their individual problems. People suffering from multiple comorbidities gain access to top of the line medical consultation. Doctors define their objectives regarding patients and explain the situation in simple language devoid of medical jargons. At each visit, medical staff focuses on problems that may lead to organ failure or even death in the future.

Pressure Ulcer example


  • Similarly, in case of pressure ulcers, doctors can analyze historical data and decide whether the patient will visit the clinic more often
  • They plan prevention strategies to eliminate the occurrence of emergency
  • Therefore, the doctors advise the patients to change the sleeping position on the bed frequently to eliminate bed sores in the skin
  • While administering treatment, the medical consultant use evidence based medication to benefit the health of the patients
  • Studying the treatment history of the individual will also provide valuable information about the effectiveness of the prescribed medicines