Believing Is Seeing: Technology and Healthcare
New White Paper Examines the Role of Technology in Health Equity
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 13, 2023
[COLUMBIA, MD] – AbsoluteCare, a healthcare organization that provides care beyond medicine for its members, is pleased to announce the release of “Believing Is Seeing: How Technology Affects Health Equity,” by Robert Posner, Chief Technology Officer.
This paper establishes a connection between health and available technology, positing that those who have access to the latest tech advances have a greater chance for optimal health outcomes. For example, telemedicine, was a boon during COVID—but only for those with secure Internet access and a computer or smartphone to make that connection. Then there are wearable health trackers, available to those with disposable income.
Now AI has begun to enter the medical industry. It’s helping healthcare providers analyze patient data and diagnose conditions early, so doctors can design the best treatment plans for their patients. But it’s a slow process. “Healthcare takes longer to approve, admit, and embrace technological advances, said author Posner. “It has to go through rigorous testing because people’s lives are at stake.” But some people have to wait even longer to see its benefits. “The more pressing issue is that the most vulnerable populations—those who need help the most—are usually the last to reap technology’s benefits,” Posner adds.
That’s one of the reasons AbsoluteCare partners with companies like Digital Diagnostics, makers of LumineticsCore. This AI retinal imaging tool is used to detect early signs of diabetic retinopathy. “With all the barriers to care our members and others like them face, visiting the eye doctor is just not a priority,” said Dr. Greg Foti, Chief Medical and Transformation Officer of AbsoluteCare. “This technology is an extra layer of protection. We can act on the results and get our members appointments and transportation quickly.”
“If it’s happening in healthcare for some,” said CEO Mike Radu, “it should be happening for all. AbsoluteCare exists to make sure it does.”
Read “Believing is Seeing” here.
About AbsoluteCare
Headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, AbsoluteCare is a leading value-based integrated healthcare provider. We go beyond medicine™ to provide comprehensive and preventive care to the most vulnerable populations. AbsoluteCare offers health services using a risk-bearing, PCP-driven care model. We treat the most clinically complex members of the communities we serve—many of whom face behavioral health, substance use, and SDoH challenges. AbsoluteCare tends exclusively to the needs of the high-risk population who persistently represent a disproportionate amount of unnecessary utilization and cost, regardless of whether they are engaged with other PCPs. We deliver this care in our Comprehensive Care Centers as well as in the communities we serve. In our more than 20 years, AbsoluteCare has consistently achieved unprecedented outcomes by addressing medical and psychosocial issues, as well as life’s hardships that exacerbate chronic health conditions and complicate access to care. AbsoluteCare currently operates in seven markets: Baltimore and Prince George’s County, MD; Cleveland and Columbus, OH; New Orleans, LA; and Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, PA.
For more information, visit www.absolutecare.com.