Terms
Encompasses devices, software, and systems designed to diagnose, treat, and improve human health, ranging from surgical tools and wearables to AI and telemedicine. It enhances patient outcomes and increases efficiency through innovation in prevention, diagnostics, and care. Key advancements include AI diagnostics, mRNA vaccines, 3D-printed organs, and VR/AR in surgery.
Medical Technology
In 1816, a French physician revolutionized physical exams by rolling up paper to listen to a patient’s chest—creating the first version of this now-iconic diagnostic tool.
Stethoscope
a comprehensive, digital, and longitudinal record of a patient's medical history maintained over time. Unlike paper charts, EHRs are designed to share information securely across different healthcare organizations, including demographics, notes, medications, and lab results, providing instant access to authorized professionals.
EHR Electronic Health Record
Is an ethical and legal duty requiring healthcare providers to keep patient information secure, private, and undisclosed to third parties without consent. It protects sensitive data—including records, conversations, and identifiers—to build trust and ensure safe, appropriate care
Confidentiality
combine engineering principles with biological sciences to design, develop, and maintain medical devices, equipment, and software to improve patient care. They work in research, hospitals, and manufacturing, with a 7% projected growth rate and a median annual salary of over $115,000.
Biomedical Engineer
This neurotechnology company aims to implant brain–computer interfaces that may allow patients with paralysis to control devices using only their thoughts.
Neuralink
Is the digital transmission of medication orders directly from a prescriber to a pharmacy, replacing paper prescriptions to improve safety, efficiency, and accuracy. It enables clinicians to check medication history, drug interactions, and insurance coverage in real-time
E- prescription
Enacted in 1996, this U.S. law sets national standards for protecting sensitive patient health information and regulates how providers, insurers, and others handle medical data.
What is HIPAA
The comprehensive management of health information through electronic systems, including hardware, software, and networks. It enables the secure storage, sharing, and analysis of patient data, electronic health records (EHRs), and clinical data.
Health Information Technology
This emerging technology allows for the creation of patient-specific prosthetics, surgical models, and even experimental bioprinted tissues using layered materials.
3D Printing
Is a critical safety system used in over 98% of hospitals to reduce errors by verifying the "five rights" (patient, medication, dose, route, time) at the bedside. It enhances efficiency in tracking medication, specimens, and equipment, while 2D barcodes are increasingly used for denser data storage
Medical bar coding
The 3 factors Influencing Development of New Medical Technology.
Healthcare practitioners, consumers, insurance systems/companies
A secure, online website or app providing 24/7 access to personal health information, such as lab results, visit summaries, and medications. It connects patients directly to their healthcare providers for tasks like scheduling appointments, requesting prescription refills, and updating insurance.
Patient portal
Used in procedures like minimally invasive surgery, this technology allows surgeons to perform highly precise operations with enhanced visualization and control, often from a console rather than directly at the patient’s side.
Surgical robots
Is technology that converts spoken words into digital text or commands using machine learning. It analyzes audio inputs (pitch, tone, phonemes) to enable hands-free control, dictation, and security verification (biometrics).
Voice recognition software
This innovation uses video calls, digital monitoring, and secure communication platforms to allow providers to evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients without an in-person visit—dramatically expanding access for rural and homebound populations.
What is telemedicine?
A type of software designed to perform specific tasks, primarily on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, though they also run on desktops.
Apps
These technologies—often worn on the wrist or body—continuously monitor metrics like heart rate, oxygen saturation, and activity levels, helping detect early signs of conditions such as Atrial Fibrillation outside of a clinical setting.
Wearable devices
Is the delivery of on-demand computing services—including storage, databases, and software—over the internet to manage, analyze, and share health data securely. It allows healthcare organizations to reduce infrastructure costs, improve data accessibility, enhance collaboration, and use AI for diagnostics.
Cloud based technology
Electronic Health Records have grown dramatically in the last decade and particularly since the inception of the HITECH Act in 2009. What was the driving factor to get organizations to comply?
Physicians and hospitals are eligible to receive incentive payments if they prove their use of EHR systems meets certain criteria.