Can Technology Slow the Growth in Health Care Costs

Implications: Technology is proposed as a means to control health care costs through making the system more efficient.  While a more efficient system will certainly be helpful, our current population needs a change in behavior in a societal way if we truly hope to bend the trend.

Analysis:  Technology and the latest and greatest system, imaging unit, test, or EMR has always been touted as a way to control health care costs. In the majority of cases these technologies have not necessarily reduced costs and we continue to see ever growing health care expenditures.

The key to containing and bending the trend is to change our population and health care system and move to a preventive model.  A recent study by the Milken Institute showed that we could save over $1 trillion dollars per year if we focused on prevention and chronic care management for seven conditions.

While technology can improve out systems and care, the real solution is to reduce the number of people coming down with obesity and other preventable chronic diseases, where 80% of our health care expenditures occur.