Here's why the stethoscope is basically a worthless icon of medicine

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/518881/this-doctor-will-save-you-money/

This Doctor will save you money. Cardiologist Eric Topol at the Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla, California, is on a mission to get health care out of the mess it’s in. 

"A 'Wellderly' study underway is analyzing the genomes of 2,000 healthy people over 85, hunting for clues to explain why they won the health lottery. A collaboration with the California Institute of Technology aims to put a wireless sensor into an artery. The sensor would be about a third of the size of a grain of sand, and will stay put and potentially detect an imminent heart attack. Ultimately, Topol predicts, digital technology will lead to 'the hyperpersonalization of health care' and innovations that save billions upon billions of dollars. 'For the first time perhaps in the history of technology in medicine, we can see that you can improve the outcome for patients and reduce costs.'

Starting in August, he’s spearheading a new study called 'Wired for Health' that will gauge the economic value of three commercial wireless devices (AliveCor, the Withings blood pressure monitor, and an iPhone glucose meter) in 200 patients with diabetes, hypertension and heart-rhythm disorders, the type of chronically ill patients who account for about 80 percent of all medical bills nationwide. The controlled study will give the devices to only half the participants and will assess whether actively tracking their health reduces health-care costs.

Yet another study led by Topol asks whether ZioPatch, a Band-Aid sized heart monitor that people wear for up to two weeks, can more readily detect heart arrhythmias than the clunky Holter monitor used for 50 years. The Holter monitor relies on wires attached to different parts of the chest sending signals to a device worn around the neck or on the hip. If ZioPatch works better, it could prevent heart attacks—an outcome that Topol says doesn’t require a cost-effectiveness study."

Yes, on a mission to help get health care out of the mess it is in http://t.co/XGenwiQrOO @techreview by @sciencecohen w/mistakes #indivmed
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) September 9, 2013

==> "Will An App A Day Keep The Doctor Away? The Coming Health Revolution"

The Big Disruption That Isn't Happening In Healthcare http://t.co/Dh0OFeC8kO
— Jean Michel Billaut (@Billaut) September 8, 2013