Over the past 20 years, technological advances have fundamentally changed the way medical care is approached and administered. This continued, exponential growth in innovation has led to easier access to care, higher quality of treatments, and even higher levels of patient compliance. However, despite the clear benefits that technology has to offer when it comes to healthcare, there are some notable drawbacks produced by the integration of technology and public care. In this essay I will evaluate whether the cost of combining technology and healthcare outweighs the benefits and how the stigma surrounding this integration jeopardizes its growth. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Since the introduction of advanced machines into hospitals and clinics in the late 1990s, the monetary cost of health care has increased by about 7% each year. (Callahan) However, this value of 7% does not take into account the satisfaction or utility produced by the use of innovations. As a result, it is not possible to say with certainty based on this data whether medical technology costs too much. Technology integration can only be considered truly unsuccessful if the costs become greater than the benefits. Therefore, to reach a conclusion we must consider the benefits of adding technology to medical treatments, such as improved quality of life, increased lifespan, and the ability to return to work more quickly. (Santerre & Neun 83-101) The cost increase reported in the last paragraph, however, describes another important trend. The higher the cost of healthcare, the better the health of the entire society. For example, in 1990 the average life expectancy of a person was 75 years, and as the price of medical care increased, so did life expectancy. In 2014, the average life expectancy was up to 79 years. (Arias) A four-year difference may seem insignificant, but over time it adds up to show a positive trend. Yet despite these data, we cannot be certain that life expectancy has increased due to advanced healthcare alone. So, raising the question; Does the benefit of integrative technology in medical care really outweigh the cost to society? To answer this question I found a research study in which the benefits and costs of using technologically advanced treatments for certain diseases were evaluated and examined. The study performed in 2001 by Cutler and McClellan analyzed five medical problems; depression, low birth weight babies, heart attacks, breast cancer and cataracts. In all five health problems examined, Cutler and McClellan found that the benefits of technological progress in medical care are greater than the overall cost. They came to this conclusion by comparing the lifespan of a patient who had a medical problem before technological advances were made, with the lifespan of a patient who had access to such advances when the medical problem occurred. They found that when medical innovations were available, patients were able to live longer, consequently providing greater benefits and utility to society. For example, doing the calculations for a heart attack victim, they found that the new technology increased lifespan by a year. They then equated one year of life to a value of $100,000 and subtracted values ​​such ascost of treatment ($10,000) and cost of living ($25,000). Using this formula they found that the cost of treatment (10,000) is reasonable as the return benefit is almost 7 times that of the cost. (Santerre & Neun 83-101) As we can see, quantitatively, this study demonstrates that the benefit of integrative technology in healthcare exceeds the cost. Another cost I will talk about is one that most people don't conventionally consider; the cost of privacy. One aspect of integrating technology with medical care is the use of health information technology. In this type of technology, all of a patient's medical data is recorded on an electrical file and stored digitally. Examples range from devices like Fitbits, which store an individual's weight, sleep patterns and daily activities, to actual patient data stored on hospital computers. On both sides of the spectrum, there is a risk that personal information will be stolen, leaked, or even lost. For example, on March 28, 2016, a hospital in Baltimore called MedStar Health was hacked. This form of cyberattack left the hospital unable to function and left EHRs or EHRs frozen and at risk of theft. (Hagland)This shows that the cost of privacy is extremely high and that many people end up making risky decisions about where they would like their data to go. Often, once a patient's information is entered into the EHR, it becomes difficult to track or remove it. Consequently, each individual must weigh the benefit of having rapid, efficient and effective treatment against the cost of violating their privacy. In a survey conducted by the Informatics Institute, it was found that 94% of people would be willing to risk their privacy to get effective treatments for diseases. (Hagland) Therefore, according to this survey, we can conclude that, once again, the benefits outweigh the costs of technology integration. As seen in the previous paragraph, there are many things that are meant by integrative technology in medical care. Items that fall into this category include the latest drugs, medical devices, medical and surgical procedures, and electronic information systems. Medical devices that count as integrative technology can be anything from adjustable beds to scalpels. In clearer terms, as long as the item served a purpose in the patient's treatment or recovery period, it should be considered a medical device. Medical and surgical procedures deal with any physical treatment or procedure performed on an individual. It can include surgery, stitches, and even lasers. A good example of technology that makes healthcare more efficient is absorbable stitches. The innovation eliminates the need for patients to visit a hospital or clinic to monitor their progress; consequently the individual can concentrate on other things such as work, thus having greater economic and useful opportunities. Finally, electronic information systems are any programs used to store your personal information. An example would be the EHR, or electronic health record, a system we discussed earlier in the essay. (Santerre & Neun 83-101) Before we move on to the stigma surrounding the combination of technology and medical care, I need to clarify how innovations change the healthcare field. Usually, as new forms of technology and devices are introduced to the market, their demand increases. As a result, clinics and hospitals are forced toupgrade their older infrastructure to keep up with the demand and competitiveness of the medical market. For example, in the early 2000s a new type of dental braces (fastbraces) was created that promised to straighten teeth in half the time of traditional braces. Because of this advanced technology, people began to prefer offices where braces were offered rather than their regular offices. This demand has pushed almost all dental practices to switch to the use of rapid braces and abandon traditional braces. (Gelijns & Rosenberg 28-46) This shift from old to new technology is known as the treatment substitution effect. (Santerre & Neun 83-101)The treatment substitution effect is related to increasing the efficiency and quality of results of medical treatments, but it also increases the cost of treatments. Another way technology alters the medical field is related to its ability to increase access to information and care. This growth in the scope of medical care is known as the treatment expansion effect. As more effective drugs and treatments begin to emerge for a given disease, more people are likely to be prescribed or treated with the new drugs or procedures. For example, as the process of open heart surgery improved and showed higher success rates, the more frequently it was performed. This expansion of treatments is mainly the result of people's desire to free themselves from their health problems easily and effectively. But it is important to keep in mind that the more successful treatments become, the higher their monetary cost and overall benefit. (Gelijns & Rosenberg 28-46) Together, the treatment substitution effect and the treatment expansion effect help determine whether or not the integration of technology with medical care is a positive or negative change. They do this by giving us a pattern that we can apply to the healthcare model of the three-legged stool. The model was created on the idea that each leg of the stool; cost, quality and access must be balanced and strong enough to support a well-functioning health system. In the case of adding technology to the healthcare system, we see the quality of care increase tremendously. The use of technology makes the quality of care provided equal at every visit, as there is no room for human error. Turning to access, we see from the treatment expansion effect that there is an increase in the distribution of treatments, procedures and medications. As a result, people who would not normally have access to such medical care will now be able to access it. Finally, there is the cost leg. Because quality and access have such positive and strong values, the cost of healthcare overall increases. This can be a big potential downside as many people already struggle to make ends meet. Overall, this model describes how the cost of healthcare is increasing as the quality and access to healthcare combined with advanced technology increases. (Santerre & Neun 83-101) When it comes to incorporating technology with medical care there will always be pushback from certain groups and demographics of people. These groups of people are characterized by conservative ideals and are predominantly made up of an elderly population. This reluctance to integrate healthcare with new technologies is due to a number of reasons. First, older populations are more accustomed to the way traditional medicine was performed. As a result, they try a.