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How Will the Internet Change Our Health System
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| bet | 13/15 | | Sana | 19.03.2017 | | Hajmi | 62.5 Kb. | | #217 |
Pharmaceuticals. The recent emergence of e pharmacy has raised questions about the ability of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and state licensure agencies to effectively control the sale and distribution of prescription drugs. The Internet spawned an almost instant black market for the drug Viagra: Physicians who never met patients face to face “wrote” prescriptions, which were delivered through the mail to waiting users. The combination of heavy encryption and untraceable digital cash could lead to a noticeable increase in the flow of controlled substances to illicit users, as well as a lot of potentially dangerous "self medication." How to maintain supervision and control of prescription drugs while opening a new and valuable channel for cost reduction is a complex policy issue. 20
Quality of Information. There is much concern about the variability of quality of advice and information on the Internet. However, it is difficult to see regulation of Internet content as a policy goal worth pursuing, particularly given that filtering information and setting information quality standards is likely to be a key differentiation strategy for competing health portals and suppliers of health information. Tort liability for poor advice rendered in specific patient cases seems likely to apply to virtual medical care encounters, so the courts will provide some measure of accountability for patient specific advice. The courts will almost certainly become involved as more invasive measures of quality and patient risk are published on the Internet, and raise questions or concerns about specific institutions.
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