When it comes to home remedies for ailments, there are all kinds of tips and tricks that people will use in order to heal themselves. Gargling saltwater can help with a sore throat, drinking tea can relieve a headache and bread and rice can heal calm an upset stomach.
However, there are still many instances when going to a doctor is the right call. A serious infection or injury will need to be treated by a health care professional, but how doctors diagnose and treat these ailments will soon be changing due to the emergence of new technology.
According to physician Bob Wachter, who is also the author of The Digital Doctor, the health care industry is in the middle of a technological boom that is both necessary and will eventually prove to be successful. This transition is ongoing, says Wachter, which is why nobody has gotten it completely right just yet.
"There are many things that patients can do to help themselves […] if armed with good algorithms and good backup plans," Wachter told USA Today. "But the trick here is that you need to draw a line, and know how to tell when a patient needs to see a human, versus when they do not."
Investments in digital health startups totaled more than $2 billion in 2014, signaling the shift in reliance on technology to both diagnose and treat medical issues. In the last several years, more than 2,000 startups with the key words "digital health" and "new health care technologies" were founded in the United States.
Whether you choose to go to the home healthcare route, or visit a local physician, be sure to check back here again for more helpful health insurance information, or contact a member of our team to learn more about available options.
