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This seems unrelated to the fact that a robot is performing the procedure. Is there anything that prevents human dentists from using OCT instead too?
Also, I guess X-Ray usually isn't part of the process in a procedure like this - but IANAD.
It’s going to become increasingly apparent in the US over time the degree to which doctors & the regulatory state are blocking us from getting cheap new care. Already ML algos are more accurate at diagnosing melanomas from an image than dermatologists - but we will never get that tech because doctors are fiercely protective of their salaries and have captured the arm of the state to help them do so.
Being a doc, I can confidently tell you you are totally incorrect as to why things happen the way they do in healthcare. That won't surprise you, I guess. I long tried to make outsiders, and especially tech people, understand what our job is, but discussions always lead to the same stereotypes.
If you have enough time, read this 5-page article. Can this be explained by anything else but naked greed?
https://digitalsmiledesign.com/files/Old-Website-Assets/PDF/...
It’s going to become increasingly apparent in the US over time the degree to which doctors & the regulatory state are blocking us from getting cheap new care. Already ML algos are more accurate at diagnosing melanomas from an image than dermatologists - but we will never get that tech because doctors are fiercely protective of their salaries and have captured the arm of the state to help them do so.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
If only you guys had universal healthcare and therefore the state would prioritize cheap new care to minimize those costs.
Don't doctors have unions in those systems also.
I am more impressed by the guy who signed up to the be the test subject. get him on redbull youtube channel.
I'm 100% positive that if you came up with something "first in the world", but the risk of death was 50% during the procedure, you would find people willing to do it.
Not just dangerous, but arduous, long and in extreme cold.
It’s going to become increasingly apparent in the US over time the degree to which doctors & the regulatory state are blocking us from getting cheap new care. Already ML algos are more accurate at diagnosing melanomas from an image than dermatologists - but we will never get that tech because doctors are fiercely protective of their salaries and have captured the arm of the state to help them do so.
Healthcare, similar to government, shouldn't be a move fast break things situation. If your service breaks, you just roll back. False or incorrect cancer diagnoses...that's a huge deal.
Imagine your tumor getting missed because of a bug in software, one which a human might have caught. Peoples' lives are on the line here. It's not a game.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Would you say that doctors are overworked?
Most docs are overworked for many, mostly bad reasons. Clinical overload is one thing, but healthcare is more like drowning in admin work, these days. So mostly yes, but the true answer is more complex than I can write about in a comment.
Do you accept the criticism that the US simply artificially limits the supply of doctors, which leads to overwork for physicians, and worse health outcomes for patients?
Do you think most doctors would take less hours for a somewhat lower salary if you it was possible?
I’m simply too old and seen too many BSOD to ever allow this to be done on me. Also I just watched the Fallout episode with the Mr. Handy in it. The picture in the article of the robot hand moving a drill into his mouth fills me with intense dread. Maybe the younger generation would feel differently. I didn’t let my Tesla drive either.
At least this is actual CNC software using math and geometry that somebody can find the bugs in. What terrifies me is “software” that is really just black boxes filled with floating point numbers and no one knows how it works, or when it won’t.
Just a day or so ago, here on HN, full of IT guys, there was a discussion about some Tesla autopilot crash. People were absolutely livid and demanded the impossible. Now - generic Musk hate might have something to do with it, but I suspect that it is not just Musk. We really react very unfavorably to machines wreaking havoc, while our tolerance for humans fessing up is somewhat higher.
It’s going to become increasingly apparent in the US over time the degree to which doctors & the regulatory state are blocking us from getting cheap new care. Already ML algos are more accurate at diagnosing melanomas from an image than dermatologists - but we will never get that tech because doctors are fiercely protective of their salaries and have captured the arm of the state to help them do so.
The medical establishment also artificially limits the number of doctors in order to keep salaries high. I live in Boston, arguably the top city for medical care in the US, and it is not uncommon to have a six month waiting list to see a specialist. People talk about prescription drugs being the cause of high medical costs in the US, but it’s really the hospitals and doctors that are driving the majority of the costs…
For example, see [1] where a general surgeon made an average of $118,689 in 1984 and a family practitioner $84,256. This would be $358k and $254k in 2024 dollars. Today in 2024 they make on average $423k and $272k respectively [2].
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4192917/ [2] https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/how-much-do-doctors-make/