Challenges in Promoting Health Equity and Reducing Disparities in Access Across New and Established Technologies

Medical innovations and novel technologies stand to improve the return on high levels of health spending in developed countries, particularly in cardiovascular care. However, cardiac innovations also disrupt the landscape of accessing care, potentially creating disparities in who accesses both novel and extant technologies. These disparities may disproportionately harm vulnerable groups, including those whose non-medical conditions—including social determinants of health—inhibit timely access to diagnoses, referrals, and interventions. We first document the barriers to accessing novel and existing technologies in isolation, then proceed to document their interaction. Novel cardiac technologies may affect existing available services, changing the landscape of care for vulnerable patient groups seeking access to cardiology services. There is a clear need to identify and heed lessons learned from the dissemination of past innovations in the development, funding, and dissemination of future medical technologies to promote equitable access to cardiovascular care. We conclude by highlighting and synthesizing several policy implications from recent literature. Medical innovations and novel technologies stand to improve the return on high levels of health spending in developed countries, particularly in cardiovascular care. However, cardiac innovations also disrupt the landscape of accessing care, potentially creating disparities in who accesses both novel and extant technologies. These disparities may disproportionately harm vulnerable groups, including those whose non-medical conditions—including social determinants of health—inhibit timely access to diagnoses, referrals, and interventions. We first document the barriers to accessing novel and existing technologies in isolation, then proceed to document their interaction. Novel cardiac technologies may affect existing available services, changing the landscape of care for vulnerable patient groups seeking access to cardiology services. There is a clear need to identify and heed lessons learned from the dissemination of past innovations in the development, funding, and dissemination of future medical technologies to promote equitable access to cardiovascular care. We conclude by highlighting and synthesizing several policy implications from recent literature.