In another 5 years, the problem will solve itself. Home (or business) to healthcare facility tele-medicine. If you were in Japan, you could solve it today. A $300 broadband capable laptop with a range of ER and home medical equipment

In January, international standards for interfacing home-based medical devices to computers were adopted. You can get stethoscopes, blood pressure monitors, EKG’s, home dialysis systems, defibrillators, scales, test strip readers to monitor dietary compliance, blood chemistry or drug therapy optimization, fetal  monitors, activity monitors, thermometers, pulmonary function monitors, pill dispensers, high resolution video imagers for direct interaction and more to interface with a laptop, PDA, or advanced phone in the home or on the go. You can even get a defibrillator if you are at high risk.

This equipment turns every house into a medical office - or an ER if necessary – saving significant intervention time - and allowing individual patients to be routed directloy to hospitals authorized to deliver the needed care.

There is a single simple reason why this technology has not caught on. The doctor doesn’t get paid by an insurance company unless he/she sees you in the office. A video conference doesn’t count. A computer consultation doesn’t count.  

The potential for healthcare delivery savings are enormous. An evaluation from a decade ago showed that the government could afford to pay for the installation of a broadband fiber connection to every home, pay a monthly service costs and give the household a computer and re-cover the costs in healthcare savings during the first year.