What's Happening in Surrey, BC…

Surrey Memorial Hospital, along with a few medical centres in the U.S., is testing software that provides a 3D or virtual reality environmental for

doctors and specialists. The software was created by a tech company based in British Columbia.

According to the project director, this innovative technology could result in significant savings. Traditional prosthetics can run costs as high as $10,000, but this technology can create a prosthetic through a virtual reality setting for about $320.

Before inventions like this are released publicly, they go through many layers of testing and reporting. Often, companies spend significant amounts of time and resources putting together presentations as well as printing and binding reports for various types of reviews and grant requests.

The 3D technology was revealed at a tech conference in Vancouver on January 19 and was positioned as being at the forefront of medical technology advancements.

As the government continues to look for ways to cut healthcare costs, cost-saving innovations like this software become key. When the private sector focuses on finding cost-efficient solutions to real healthcare problems, it helps the government by reducing its burden. It also has the resources to come up with more cutting-edge solutions than the government can.

Technology that plays a role in maintaining and improving human health care and reduces the cost of government spending is a win-win.