Log out Go to App
Go to App

Learning Materials

Features

Discover

Chapter 7: Problem 9

A report from the American Council on Competitiveness noted that "there has been some recent progress in the digital health sector, which aims to better integrate information and software technologies into all aspects of healthcare." The report also concluded that "the U.S. has rather poor health outcomes relative to other developed countries and stands out as having exceptionally low healthcare productivity when measuring outcomes against spending." a. Briefly discuss the evidence for and against U.S. health care performing poorly relative to other countries when comparing outcomes to spending. b. If the U.S. health care sector makes increasing use of information technology, will it be likely to employ more workers or fewer workers than if it fails to widely adopt this technology? Briefly explain.

Short Answer

Expert verified
a. There is varied evidence regarding U.S. health care performance. While the U.S. is noted for high spending, some health outcome measures such as infant mortality and life expectancy are poorer compared to other developed countries. However, the U.S. excels in areas of medical technology and treatment procedures. b. With the increasing use of IT in healthcare, there may be a potential decrease in certain types of jobs due to the automation of routine tasks. However, there may simultaneously be an increase in jobs requiring IT expertise.

Step by step solution

01

Discuss U.S. health care performance

a. First, gather the specific evidence regarding the outcomes and spending on health care in the U.S. compared to other developed countries. This can refer to indices such as life expectancy, infant mortality, disease incidence rates, or prevention programs effectiveness, and compare these rates against the health care investment in those countries per capita or as a percentage of GDP.
02

Evaluate evidence for and against

After gathering the data, evaluate the evidence for the U.S. performing poorly. This could include instances where the U.S. has high health care spending but relatively poor outcomes based on the indices listed above. Conversely, look at where the U.S. might be performing well, e.g., technological advancements in health care or specialized treatment procedures that are unparalleled.
03

Discuss IT in health care

b. Discuss the role of information technology in health care. This can be done by looking at how digital health helps automate routine processes, integrate health data for better decision making, and create more effective treatment plans. Highlight the impact of IT on worker efficiency and productivity improvement.
04

Predict employment impact

Predict whether more or fewer healthcare workers will be required with the increasing use of information technology. List factors such as automation of routine tasks leading to fewer workers required for those tasks and the potential need for more workers with IT expertise to manage, maintain, and advance the digital health ecosystem.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

(Related to Solved Problem 7.4 on page 241 ) In 2017 , an article in the Wall Street Journal discussed trends in the health care sector. The article noted the "adoption of new health information technology," using "advanced algorithms and natural-language processing technologies to read and reformat" data on patients. Assuming that health information technology continues to advance, use a graph of the market for medical services to show the effect. Explain any shifts in the demand curve or supply curve and the effect on the equilibrium price and quantity of medical services.

What is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA)? Briefly list its major provisions.

What arguments do economists and policymakers who believe that market-based reforms are the key to improving the health care system make in criticizing the ACA?

Define the following terms: a. Health insurance b. Fee-for-service c. Single-payer health care system d. Socialized medicine

An article in the Wall Street Journal discussed Aspire Health, a startup firm that believes that it can use software to "predict which patients are likely to die in the next year and reduce their medical bills substantially by offering them palliative care at home. ... Palliative care focuses on easing symptoms such as pain and shortness of breath that are often overlooked amid aggressive efforts to save seriously ill patients." a. Should providing palliative care to very ill patients, who are typically elderly, be an important goal of a health care system? Are there other goals that should have a higher priority? (Note: This question is basically a normative one without a definitive correct or incorrect answer. You are being asked to consider what the goals of a health care system should be.) b. Would it be possible to measure how successful the health care systems of different countries are in providing palliative care? If so, how might it be done?
See all solutions

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free