The basic outline of a new Health Care System

Most of these ideas are not original but I can't identify properly their source because I do not recall where I read about them. Some of the ideas are original...I think.

The basic idea is that each individual will take the responsibility of maintaining current applicable data about their health in electronic records and give permission to an appropriate body (health delivery organization, clinic, medical practice, etc.) to periodically scan the data for potential health problems.

See NuPhysica, a Texas-based company that provides such a service. Interestingly this service began orginally as a means to provide service to personnel on oil rigs in the gulf of Mexico. It is now expanded to include people at vacation resorts..who are away from their regular medical care service delivery system...and correctional institutions. Then the service has been expanded to retirement homes...and now to the general public.

An immediate criticism of this idea is that some ...maybe many...of the very people who need better health care will not act in their own interest to maintain the data. Two responses occur to me:

One is that the criticism is simply patronizing. Its true I suppose, that there are some people who are unable or will simply act negligently.

But I would argue that a system can be devised that will contain positive incentives to participate.

A second response is that if health signs sensors (blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, sugar levels, etc) are properly designed and placed in devices that have ubiquitous utility [even to the negligent] ...such as a cell phone...the collection and uploading of vital data to electronic health records can be made easy. See this Harvard Nedical School web site about new sensor technologies.

Also see this web site describing a wireless device that senses many vital signs such as blood pressure.

See also Novel here.

And read a paper that discusses issues associated with such a scheme.

Here is an example of the rapid innovation that is occuring in body sensors. This is a sensor designed for exercise, but conceptually, vital signs sensing presents the same requirements. And this 'FitBit' sensor has a base station and the software to manage the data uploading and a web site that handles the data. Its perfect.

Identifying disease earlier will not reduce the incidence of disease in and of itself but earlier detection should permit more rational and ultimately less expensive treatment and some life style influenced diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure can be mitigated.

Computer aided screening diagnosis always has had great promise. That promise is not realized because doctors resist its use and without strong incentives to alter the established and comfortable basis for patients the practice persists

But there is wide agreement that computer-aided screening diagnosis is more likely to be comprehensive and thorough.

Here's a paper advocating a similar scheme.