New Technology and Laboratory Medicine: Four Paradigms for the Future

Laboratory medicine has always been profoundly influenced by technology, an area in which development has been stimulated by reimbursement policies for many years. Changes in the mechanics of health care delivery and reimbursement are now changing the directions of technology development. With the imposition of strong downward cost pressures and the realization that health care is fundamentally an information industry, four new paradigms can be expected to influence the future development of technology: (1) information is the most critical institutional resource, (2) faster is better, (3) people are the most expensive resource, and (4) everyone wants more control. This article examines the background of each paradigm and its influence on laboratory practice and technology in the next decade and beyond.