No Docs, No PAs, No Nurses Available

Sometimes innovation is lead by demographics.  Figure out a large target market, and then create something that appeals to them.  Baby boomers are so huge, they have been targeted in different ways throughout their lives.

Now that they are older, business will target them right to the grave.

One piece of the puzzle will be the way we take care of boomers as they age.  There will not be enough doctors, physicians assistants, or nurses to handle them.  There are just too many to get the personalized attention they will need.

That opens up job opportunities for different types of care givers, some highly skilled and some low skilled.  However, personalized service is expensive.  Government benefits won’t cover the cost, and Obamacare will stratify who can get what.  Eventually, there will be two classes of medical care.  One hurry up and wait substandard government care, and private care the wealthy can afford.

The only way to take care of all the boomers and give them quality care is through technology.  Technology can commoditize and cheapen many services so lots of people can take advantage of them.

We are starting to see this today in devices.  Sonarmed lets care providers know when breathing tubes are installed properly.  They can monitor several tubes at once through a computer, rather than walk around and check them.

There are several companies out there using predictive analytics to figure out what’s wrong with you before it gets out of control.  Many times, predictive analytics will tell a doctor things they can’t see.  Like a computerized trade algorithm, a predictive analytic program can constantly scrape medical data 24/7, calculate probabilities and come up with a diagnosis.  Then the doctor can decide to treat or not to treat.

Vgbio, Vimedicus, and Pervasive-Health are just three companies in Chicago that are using some form of predictive analytics in their business models.  There are plenty of others.  It’s interesting to watch it all develop.

In healthcare, it used to be a highly fragmented market.  Devices, diagnostics, therapeutics and other things were all separate.  With sensors, big data, and other technology, all of them are melding together.

There are going to be massive changes in the way we use, and interface with our health care system sooner rather than later.  The reason isn’t Obamacare.  It’s because the boomers are older and are developing needs-combined with a technological revolution that we are just beginning to scratch the surface of.

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