Barriers and enablers for technology diffusion in ophthalmology at not-for-profit advanced eye care institute

Abstract

Managed care and insurance have penetrated ophthalmic services for patient care and continue to affect outof-pocket spending related to eye care. In such a scenario, understanding technology diffusion is crucial from the perspective of both technology developers as well care providers. Should healthcare organizations choose cheaper technologies or the ones that can be quickly diffused? In this paper, we try to answer this question by reviewing technologies used in the past 10 years across different services in ophthalmology. We generate a framework that bifurcates technologies and provides nomenclature to them based on cost and speed of diffusion. Our work, within its limitations, can provide insights into contemporary technology producers and healthcare organizations.