Improving patient outcomes with medical technology

An ideal healthcare system cures every type of medical condition an individual may have. However, healthcare professionals have always had to judge whether they can cure a patient or simply manage their condition to provide a better quality of life.

Many pharmaceutical interventions and treatment options are designed to manage people’s illnesses, not necessarily cure them. This increases the cost of healthcare – particularly as people live longer and the proportion of illnesses that are manageable rather than curable increases – as do the requirements for long-term care.

Some conditions have proven particularly hard to cure, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, leaving no choice but to manage and monitor a condition across an extended period. However, this is costly and poses many challenges to medical and clinical resources. 

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A new approach
Technological advancements during the past decade have introduced new treatments, exploring non-pharmaceutical interventions instead of conventional methods. For example, healthcare professionals may suggest dietary changes, exercise, wearing specially designed clothing (such as non-restrictive socks for diabetics), or the use of medical technology (medtech) devices.

Consider leg ulcer treatment: 15% of older adults in the U.S. suffer from chronic wounds, usually either venous stasis ulcers, pressure ulcers (bedsores), or diabetic foot ulcers. Venous ulcers alone cost the U.S. healthcare system approximately $3 billion per year, and each year 2 million to 3 million more Americans are diagnosed with various types of chronic wounds which all take time to heal.

If the illness requires regular attention from healthcare professionals, issues become even more expensive and time-consuming – leg ulcer wounds need regular dressing by healthcare professionals, which is an extremely expensive treatment. As incidence of ulceration rises, so do the intervention costs.

However, we are now seeing new technology providing solutions to these problems. Medtech devices can better maintain people’s wellbeing and provide a permanent treatment to chronic medical conditions, saving time and money. 

The medtech revolution
Technology helps find faster, more effective solutions to deliver better results – so it’s no surprise that technological innovation is now being adopted more widely in healthcare. The goal is to reduce the financial burden on healthcare systems, saving clinicians time and resources while improving patient outcomes.

But this is easier said than done. It’s challenging to implement new medical devices into healthcare; innovators need time, money, clinical data, and regulatory approval – as well as support from clinicians within the system.

For leg ulcers: clinical data has shown that by increasing blood circulation to wound surfaces – to enhance oxygen and nutrient delivery – ulcers can be cured rather than simply managed. This can speed up recovery from months to weeks and, crucially, cure patients entirely rather than maintain. Today, with regulatory approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), bioelectronic medtech devices that increase blood flow in the lower limbs are now being deployed in these instances.

Soon, connected devices could also remotely share data with healthcare providers to enhance management of chronic conditions and treatment plans, focusing resources where they are needed most. This would eliminate the need to regularly visit a patient’s home to assess and redress ulcers, in turn reducing cost and time required to improve patient outcomes. 

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Transforming how healthcare providers operate
Simply having these innovative medical devices available is only half the battle. The challenge now is reshaping how healthcare systems reward positive outcomes to enable new solutions that are adopted effectively – rewarding innovation and risk without tearing up what already exists.

The healthcare reimbursement system in the U.S. presents a unique landscape, whereby the process of paying for healthcare products or services is managed by commercial health insurers or government payers. Traditionally, healthcare providers operate a fee-for-service model meaning they’re paid separately for each service they provide – regardless of whether that service leads to a positive and lasting outcome. For patients suffering with chronic conditions and requiring long-term care management, this can result in extensive medical bills.

However, things are changing. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is starting to take an episode-based approach to treatment and payment. With episode-based payments, the total cost for a patient’s care related to any single medical issue is predetermined, instead of having to pay separately for each service and provider along the way.

This changes things for healthcare providers, too. Based on projected costs, a single amount is issued to all healthcare providers and institutions working on the same case, including physicians, hospitals, nurses, medical equipment providers, and post-acute care operators. The more professionals can control the expenses throughout the treatment period – staying within the budget – the more they will all share in the savings generated.

This transformative approach means it’s in the interests of both the patient and the healthcare provider to adopt the best possible treatment plan – using the most effective medical technologies in attempt to cure conditions. 

A step in the right direction
Medtech is uniquely placed to bring positive change in healthcare across the globe, but especially in the United States. Instead of trying to ensure adoption of new innovations within the confines of the previous system, the healthcare system is changing to actively foster adoption.

The hope is this important shift will enable more investment in the development of new medical technologies and help lessen the pressure on the entire healthcare operation – creating a brighter, more effective, and affordable system for all.