The economic principle I will be focusing on is "because of scarcity, people choose. All choices have an opportunity cost. The article I am circling my blog post around is by Beth Howard in the U.S. News Report, entitled "Are Virtual Care Clinics the Wave of the Future?" Analyzing this article will help me with my research question because Howard examines how the medicine through the Internet will be a new option for Americans and they have to choose from hospitals, private clinics, and the Internet for healthcare options.
This article demonstrates how virtual clinics have a strong possibility of taking over the field of medicine. With the increasing amount of technological advancements in present day society, it is highly possible that virtual clinics will become popular, as they have many advantages for certain types of patients. As shown by this article, James Hoevelmann, a 74-year-old retired hospital construction worker, prefers "attending" his online clinic which is 50 miles away from home to treat his severe chronic pulmonary obstructive disease. It was indicated that "equipped with an iPad and devices such as a blood pressure monitor and scale that stream his vital signs and other data from his home to the Mercy Virtual 'command center,' he and his providers have been able to detect subtle health shifts in time to avert the cascade of deterioration that put him in the ICU previously" (Howard). And this makes sense. Why would he have to take all the time and effort to go transfer himself to a hospital when he can manage his condition right from his bed? It seems as if civilians have new options with this virtual health option. Hence, the next question I will be addressing is, "what kind of medicine can be administered virtually?"
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