Technology Innovations Could Upend Today's Healthcare Delivery Model

Technology companies think differently. They explore concepts beyond their core offerings today. They take risks. They fail and move on. They succeed. Their success disrupts industries. At Amazon’s 1492 lab, Apple’s secret fitness and exercise lab, Google X, IBM’s Accelerated Discovery Lab, and the Microsoft Innovation Centers the focus is on changing existing healthcare services. By removing challenges today’s patients’ face while receiving care they aim to create a consumer-centric healthcare experience.

Most healthcare organizations do not innovate in the same way. Instead they make incremental improvements to existing care delivery models. For example, health care organizations are increasing the number of weekend and evening primary care appointment slots and offering extended hours for lab services. Meanwhile Google is transforming preventive care by developing a pill that uses nanoparticles to identify cancer, potential heart attacks and other health conditions. Based on the information provided by the pill, a physician could determine if an in-person visit is necessary or order follow-up labs without ever seeing the patient. Google says the pill could also provide continuous monitoring, detecting changes in health sooner. For many conditions, this could lead to improved outcomes and less invasive medical treatments.