You Need to Get Some Sleep

Several days ago, an acquaintance of mine had to go to the ER.  To rule out the possibility of a larger problem, the doctor suggested they get a CAT scan.  Right away, even before the procedure, registration had come back with the bill, which was a large mortgage payment for 95% of the country.  That cost will likely be negotiated down through the insurance carrier, but will still likely be in the 4 figures.

The procedure ruled out a serious problem, which was a major relief to all involved.  In this case, technology prevented a costly surgery – however, by the doctor saying the words, several thousand dollars will have exchanged hands.  Across the healthcare scene, we consistently hear year over year double digit cost increases, with ‘technology’ advertised as a way to cut the costs down.  In this case, a very powerful technology yielded a timely diagnosis for a fraction of the price it would have cost 5 years ago.  However, the actual costs still remain high, and I suspect we’ll continue to hear that the % of our GDP spent on healthcare will continue to climb.

It’s easy to grow despondent, that in spite of the best efforts of many, the rising costs seem out of our control.  How pleasant it was today, then, to read about a novel idea that sharply decreases costs and reinvents how to provide services.  In today’s New York Times, there was an article on a startup that allows for remote monitoring of sleep apnea.  Rather than sending patients to a sleep lab at $4k a night, the remote monitoring tool provides an option for about $450.  My favorite passage

"Owning his own sleep lab, Dr. Surkin said, would be far more lucrative under current insurer     reimbursement rates, but he prefers the at-home tests as a low-cost way to diagnose and treat far more patients. “This is a tool that moves health care toward where it has to go,” he said."

Where I hope technology takes health care is precisely where Dr. Surkin noted.  While we can talk about migrations and massive EMR implementations, my hope is that ultimately, we’re treating more patients for much less.  The taxpayers are providing a mandate to all of the solution providers to keep them well, by doing it better and cheaper.  I believe in technology, and know that we can deliver.