What is medical technology? Medical technology is the set of procedures, equipment and processes through which medical care is provided. It is also any scientific discovery that finds its application in the provision of healthcare. As technology advances, so does the ability of providers to diagnose, treat, and prevent health problems, as stated by the Congressional Budget Office “The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) defines technological advances broadly to include any changes in practice clinic that improve providers' ability to diagnose, treat, or prevent health problems." (CBO). The use of medical technology plays an important role in the healthcare system and how the FDA plays a role in it, these issues will be discussed later. Medical technology has many pros and cons that impact our healthcare industry and these pros and cons will also be discussed. We use medical technology in our healthcare every day; we use this technology in clinics, hospitals and other medical facilities. The technology we use is used for medical and surgical equipment, devices, pharmaceuticals, and procedures. We also incorporate technology to create our own medical database for patients through an information system and this helps us manage and organize the data. Some of the applications of information technology are clinical information system, administrative information system, decision and support system, and Internet and e-health applications. Many more doctors and patients are using the Internet and e-health because some applications can make doctors more productive, such as appropriate virtual visits for monitoring and follow-up. The United States is one of the leading countries in developing technologies because we, as Americans, demand the most advanced… middle of the paper… growth in healthcare spending. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/89xx/doc8947/MainText.3.1.shtml(FDA)"U.S. Department of Health and Human Services." FDA US Food and Drug Administration. Np, 1/12. Network. November 22, 2011. .(ABC news)More Americans are using high-tech medicine, CDC finds. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/technology-medicine/story?id=9864930(MAAW)What does "too much" mean?. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://maaw.info/ArticleSummaries/ArtSumBastRueWesbury93.htm(WHO)World Health Organization. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2011/9789241501361_eng.pdf(KFF)kaiser, H. (3/8/). How changes in medical technology impact healthcare costs. Retrieved from http://www.kff.org/insurance/snapshot/chcm030807oth.cfm
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