Can technology deliver better healthcare?

I’m a swimmer and have been for many years. Swimming a mile 4-5 times a week at  my local YMCA not only provides great exercise but also allows me time to catch up on some of my favorite programming available on NPR.org.  How’s that possible?

My not-so-secret weapon that keeps me swimming day after day, mile after mile, year after year is my waterproof iPod case. I download music, audio books and podcasts to my iPod, load it into my waterproof casing (complete with waterproof earbuds), strap it on to my goggles and I’m off to the races.  It’s a pretty ingenious device that turns what could be a really boring 45 minute swimming laps in a pool to a workout I look forward to.

NPR offers podcasts of their programming and I like to listen to my favorite shows while I swim. Talk of the Nation’s Science Friday is always at the top of my play list and this week’s episode just happened to be about digital healthcare: Smartphones can monitor many of your vital signs at home—and do it more cheaply than your doctor. But will technology deliver better medical care?.

Hosted by Ira Flatow, the show’s guests for this episode included Dr. Eric Topol, author of The Creative Destruction of Medicine, Dr. Reed Tuckson of UnitedHealth Group and author of The Doctor in the Mirror and Dr. Arnold Relman, former editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine.

In an incredibly interesting 30 minutes, they discuss and debate the future of digital healthcare.  You can listen to the podcast below or on NPR.

At about 21 minutes the EHR incentive program is discussed.  You can also read the transcript of the show.

If you’re a swimmer like me you can check out waterproof cases at H2O Audio.