Computers in Medicine :: essays research papers

We live in an age of science and technology. The appliances of science and technology have revolutionized our way of life. There is nothing that has influenced our lives more than a computer. We have become dependant on them for almost every aspect of our lives. There is no field that is devoid of the influence of computer applications. The demand of computers has been dramatically increasing in many fields. I believe that among the fields that have made tremendous advances in the twentieth century due to the advancement of computers, medicine stands out from the rest. The medical field is continuously using the newest technology to better the treatment and diagnosis of patients in order to help people. There are many different aspects in which technology is being used to improve the field of medicine. This technology aids in administrative matters, non-direct healthcare, and specialized medical equipment in fields such as pharmaceuticals, radiology, virtual surgery and virtual medi cine. In administrative matters, computers impact patient billing, online referrals, and computerized patient records. According to (Bader, S.A & Braude, 1998), there are software programs that exist to aid physicians in insurance billing. Without these applications, a physician or highly trained assistant would have to spend hours writing thousands of claims by hand. One program called Medical Billing Assistant accomplishes this tedious task. The program receives input such as dates, price, patient numbers, and medical procedure codes. The software records the data and produces an output, which can be mailed to insurance companies, kept for log, or given to patients. Computers not only aid in the administration and organization of patient records, but in actual health care. The Internet has made a huge impact on the health care system. Health care on the Internet has become diverse and significantly present in the past two to three years. Throughout the years, Internet services for health care evolved. According to (Douglass K., 1997), during the first generation, uses of the Internet have been applications of information that describe products, and services that are available from health care providers. During the second generation, the Internet was used for transactions that involved electronic data exchanges, which includes purchasing prescription drugs. As technology advances, the third generation will involve the use of complex health management programs and the managing of clinical information. (Douglass K., 1997), â€Å"It will be challenging to regulate health care on the Internet.