Health Care Network
Ideally, humans prefer to visit the doctor as rarely as they can because this means that they are in good health. However, this is not feasible, for many reasons, such as illnesses and accidents. Unfortunately, there are times when patients have to bounce around from doctor to doctor. If one does not feel well, he or she will visit a physician, and if the physician is unable to resolve the issue, the doctor will pass the patient along to a specialist, and a cascade will occur until a doctor is able to alleviate the situation. In cases like this, it is essential that each doctor that is visited has access to all medical records for the patient. A doctor writing a patient’s symptoms in his or her paper file is rather insignificant when the patient visits a different doctor briefly after and the file has not been transferred. This is why it is essential that there is a large digital network of doctors and hospitals that have a strong connection. Although many health care providers have started to go digital, there is still an abundance of components in this network that are composed of a singular doctor’s office.
Many health care providers have started to create large corporate chains of hospitals. For example, Northwell Health is a large network of hospitals, and there is an expanding network of urgent care clinics that offer quick visits for issues that are not serious enough for the hospital. As these health care networks expand, seldom do people wonder if they are connected. Large components, such as hospital groups, in this network are connected, but these large components are rarely connected to small private practices. If there was a complete graph for this network, where every individual doctor’s office was connected, it would produce the safest and best treatment. There would be no concerns about allergies, medical history, or conditions. Each doctor would have access to his or her patients’ files, and there would be less doubt while examining the patient.
It seems like a difficult task to ensure that every health care provider is connected, but if it was to happen, it would be great for the industry and the patients. Doctors would be able to collaborate easily if they have any concerns about patients or the proper practice in a procedure. Connectivity is becoming extremely common in every aspect of life, and society seems to be benefitting from it.