Hospitals & health networks / AHA
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Reality check: Nearly 80 percent of all health care dollars are now spent to treat chronic conditions. More than 100 million Americans suffer from one or more of these illnesses, a number that will swell in coming years. But health care--from the way it's paid for to the way it's delivere--remains heavily geared to acute care. Something's got to give.
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Innovations that could turn health care upside down are already here, in use or in development. These technological or clinical "wild cards" so resemble science fiction that they are easily dismissed--for example, brain implants to help the disabled control remote appliances or human arteries grown from scratch. Ignore them at your own risk.
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Relying on shaky assumptions about the causes of overcrowding in your ED can lead to expensive and ineffective solutions, say proponents of simulation modeling. Sophisticated simulation gives users a realistic view of what's happening in the ED and other departments to pinpoint problems and indicate where real improvements can be made.