Final answer:
As the U.S. industrialized, healthcare transitioned to a mass production and efficiency model, with hospital mergers, growth of providers like urgent care, and advancements such as telemedicine and artificial intelligence catering to an aging, urban population.
Step-by-step explanation:
As industrialization spread across the United States, healthcare underwent significant transformations. The shift from rural areas to urban centers increased the demand for healthcare services. Workers in industrial factories faced dangerous and unsanitary conditions, leading to an increased need for medical care. To address these issues, the healthcare system moved toward a model of mass production and efficiency.
In the 1990s, this resulted in a wave of consolidations known as the hospital "merger mania", where local hospitals and small doctors' offices were absorbed into larger systems. With the growth of healthcare providers like urgent care offices and the implementation of new methods such as telemedicine, the landscape of healthcare services expanded.
Additionally, new types of healthcare professionals emerged, insurance mandates were put into place, and advancements in technology, including artificial intelligence, began to influence healthcare delivery. The overall focus shifted towards efficiency and standardization to cope with the burgeoning healthcare demands of America's aging and increasingly urban population.