"When Smartphones Do a Doctor’s Job. A simple, cheap way to measure eyesight may face resistance."

The Explosion In Health Apps, And How They're Disrupting The Gigantic, Lethargic Health Care Industry http://t.co/GB6tdhkmsH
— Jean Michel Billaut (@Billaut) September 14, 2013

When Smartphones Do A Doctor's Job http://t.co/ZumoEI6S46 @techreview @EyeNetra @vkhosla Just the start of rebooting #CDoM
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) September 13, 2013

The Cost of Health http://t.co/OJsU5nOdlV @WGBHInnovate @BosPublicRadio w/Steven Brill, Jonathan Gruber #CDoM
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) September 13, 2013

"Eric Topol MD, a cardiologist, points to an explosion in technology-- including portable handheld ultrasounds and cell phone apps that can display vital signs, sequence genomes, and acquire ultrasound images -- as a key element in reducing cost.
Topol knows first-hand about technology's ability to deliver quick and inexpensive medical care. When a fellow airline passenger in October 2011 began suffering from chest pain, Topol plugged in a small electrocardiogram to his smartphone, quickly diagnosed the pain as the beginning of a heart attack, and recommended the plane made an emergency landing -- effectively saving the man's life.
The looming problem of health care is a daunting one. (...) [o]ver the long run, Medicare is 75 trillion dollars in debt and a significant factor in the government's long term budget problem. Topol, however, is optimistic about the future. 'If we can be receptive to rebooting of health care,' he says, 'we can innovate out of this mess.'" (Source: "The Cost of Health").

Why it matters: Much of what doctors do could be automated.

Eye app: A smartphone displays a measurement of the refractive error of a person’s eyes.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/518891/when-smartphones-do-a-doctors-job/

Dr. Eric Topol believes that new technology, like this portable ultrasound device, may be key in lowering health care costs.

Credit GE Reports / Flickr Creative Commons

"I must include a shout out for patient engagement. Nowhere else in the industry will you find such a large and untapped resource that is ready, willing – but perhaps not yet able to participate in the change. As I have stated many times: when a doctor and patient are in a room, there is nobody, I repeat nobody, more interested in successful outcomes than the patient. Give them the tools and make them part of the solution." Nick Van Terheyden, MD: Voice of the Doctor