title: A 20th century forecast of 21st century healthcare trends.
abstract: John Naisbitt, preeminent social forecaster and author of Megatrends, the New York Times 1982 number-one bestseller, has been accurately describing the future for the past three decades. This June, Naisbitt will share some his world view with individuals attending HFMA's Annual National Institute in Orlando, Florida, where he will give the opening keynote address. On December 31, 1999, while most of the world waited for the Y2K horizon to spread across the globe, Naisbitt spoke with Healthcare Financial Management about the future, particularly with respect to some of the subjects he tackles in his most recent book, HIGH TECH.high touch. Specifically, does technology free us from the constraints of the physical world, or does it tie us down to machines? Does it save time in our day-to-day lives or merely create a void we feel compelled to fill with even more tasks and responsibilities? How does it affect the delivery of health care? And with recent developments in genetic engineering now raising the possibility of a future that will someday be free of birth defects, disabilities, and disease, what then will be natural, what will be artificial, and what will it truly mean to be human?
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Naisbitt
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000639:trends*; D005544:Forecasting; D013677:Medical Laboratory Science; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors