Facilities have to tussle with these issues, too, Dr. Rothstein said.
Administrations wonder, “‘Will I get paid for this? Will it displace something else that’s equally effective that could be making more money? What resources do I need to implement it? Will it impact malpractice insurance rates for clinicians who work at my facility?’”
Patient choice also plays into the matter. Third-party payers may or may not have cutting-edge tech on their payment ledger. The specter of a self-pay procedure, no matter how potentially effective, is an enormous deterrent for patients, especially when figuring in the possibility of footing the bill for any associated complications. And of course, new technology and procedures lack the deep pool of efficacy and safety data that established ones lean upon – another potential sticking point for both clinicians and patients, Dr. Rothstein said.
“There are a lot of great ideas out there, and a lot of innovative devices, but without addressing the barriers to adoption, the technology will never get to the targeted goal of delivering better care to our patients,” he said.
