Disruptive Innovation - Minimally Invasive Surgery in the 1980s

The first laparascopic cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal) procedures are a great example of disruptive innovation that has ultimately revolutionized surgical care. Surgeons developed the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy procedures utilizing video controlled technology for minimally invasive procedures in the late 1980s. Physicians recognized common tools at an optimal point on the existant technology curve - the camera and clip applier with utilization of existing laparoscopic instrumentation. Cedars-Sinai performed about 287 laparascopic cholecystectomy procedures in 1987 that grew rapidly to 1973 in 1990. By 1995, 630,000 of these procedures were performed in the US due to the dramatic reduction in patient recovery times and hospital stays in half, reducing huge costs, while also improving patient outcomes. Innovation in the healthcare industry is strongly needed both in practice and in insurance coverage, and disruptive solutions can be simply arrived by medical practioners.

Secondly, I would be interested in seeing if the Minute Clinics have any impact on public health on the whole. More benefit would likely stem from companies providing more funding for the many assisted clinics (i.e. many free and community clinics in the Los Angeles area that provide physician care from UCLA and surrounding hospitals) to the underserved population.