The “Modern Physician” needs to embrace technology
February 12, 2021
Veronica Diaz, MD
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic forced health systems
and private practices to implement technology solutions such as
telehealth, the evolution toward a more tech-savvy healthcare
experience was firmly underway. The days of carting paper charts
and hard film x-rays has been broadly supplanted with cloudbased electronic health records and digital Picture Archiving
Communications Systems (PACS). The pandemic has made those
previously reticent to adopt technology wake up to its necessity.
Practicing medicine today requires a higher degree of
technical literacy than ever before, and the challenges of the
pandemic have only reinforced and accelerated that trend. We
have reached an inflection point in the industry where clinical
expertise is not the only prerequisite for a successful career.
Physicians who familiarize, vet, and incorporate new technology
into their practices will likely be in the best position to deliver
optimal care.