Keeping good health is essential to our survival. Throughout the centuries, our ability to research and advance in medical knowledge and practices has set us apart from all other living beings on this planet – allowing us to overcome epidemics and significantly increase our life expectancy.
In recent decades, technology has skyrocketed in terms of advancement and new treatments, instruments and discoveries are brought forward almost every day. But this is still the very beginning – who knows what lies ahead and what this will mean for our medical future?
We’ve gathered 18 healthcare and medical experts from around the world who have shared their input as to how technology will further evolve and advance the healthcare industry in the future:
It’s Only the Beginning
Manuel Heuer @HeuerM
“The healthcare industry is only at the beginning of its digitalization process. Given it is a very regulated space with multiple stakeholders, this won’t be a fast transformation. The digital health & mobile health opportunity is already a high growth market segment, which is expected to grow between 30-40% every year in the next 5-10 years.”
About: Manuel is the COO at the digital health company, Dacadoo. He combines 20 years of international business experience in the cardiovascular medical device industry and the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry in Brazil, Belgium, France and Switzerland.
The Health Transformers
Unity Stoakes @unitystoakes
“We are living in the most exciting time in history for health innovation. Every aspect of health, wellness and healthcare is being reimagined by Health Transformers – the passionate entrepreneurs and innovators who are leveraging technology, design, data, and connectivity to leap the future forward.
Soon, we will be able to not just improve the wellbeing of millions who can afford care, but a completely new set of solutions will help improve the lives of billions of people around the world. While there has been exciting progress over the last few years, what’s most exciting is that this cycle of innovation is just getting started.”
About: Unity is the Co-Founder and President of Startup Health and is a contributing writer for Forbes and TechCrunch on issues relating to healthcare innovation. For more insights by Unity, make sure to check out his blog.
The Rise of a New Generation of Consumers with Different Expectations for Healthcare
Frank Kumli @frankkumli
“Healthcare systems across the globe are entering a phase of transformational shifts. Technological advances in many areas are converging with profound demographic changes (such as the manifold effects of aging populations), and the rise of a new generation of consumers with different expectations for healthcare.
Many inefficiencies of today’s healthcare system result from the fragmentation of the provision of healthcare. “Patient centricity” has become the hot-topic over the last years, both on organizing the delivery of care around the patient but also by allowing him to participate in the decisions related to his health.
The transformation of Healthcare will be enabled by the convergence of three technologies:
Internet of Things (IoTs): Connectivity
The rapid development of the IoTs , as the network of devices, sensors, and network connectivity will enable to connect many objects in our environment and collect and exchange data between these objects. IoTs will allow to drive many efficiencies in our healthcare system – for example in the field of hospital logistics – but most importantly will allow to better diagnose, monitor, treat and manage patients based on the data captured around the patient and the feedback loops provided to the patients.
Artificial Intelligence (A.I.): Feedback loop
The evolution of A.I.e allow machines to mimic some cognitive functions such as learning and problem solving. A.I. will enable most of these feedback loops to the patient (and physicians) based on the combination of existing medical information, historic patient data and data derived from the patient in real time. (IoTs) This will enable computer-aided diagnosis at the physicians level, more precise treatment in the hospital setting or effective self-management of patient with chronic diseases.
Genomics: Specificity
Advances in genomics will enable predictive medicines, allowing to use of the information derived from personal genomics to decide which medical treatment is most appropriate for a particular individual, for example to define which drug would work best for a specific patient or how this patient will respond to the drug to avoid adverse effects. Genomics will also allow predicting health risks and inform the most appropriate health behavior / Life Style for each patient.
Healthcare in the future
These three fields are rapidly evolving and will radically transform Healthcare. Healthcare in the future will be focused on delivering health outcomes around the patient. It will be highly Connected, will provide Feedback Loops and be highly specific, providing the right health intervention to the patient at the right time.”
About: Frank is the Executive Director of Commercial Excellence and Digital Transformation at Ernst & Young specializing Life Sciences & Healthcare.
Reshaping Healthcare as We Know it
Dr. Pat Salber, MD, MBA @docweighsin
“Technology is reshaping healthcare in almost every imaginable way:
Telemedicine via apps is transferring care from the doctor’s office to the home making it more convenient and in some cases safer (no sitting in the waiting in a room full of people coughing and sneezing!).
Technological advances in imaging have made it possible to see things we could never see before – but there are both pros and cons to this as we sometimes end up seeing (and working up) findings that have no clinical significance.
Synthetic biology technologies have resulted in engineering and assembly of many parts of the human body, including, potentially, new organs.
Extraordinary advances in genomics, including epigenetics, have changed the way we think about the old ideas of “nature vs. nurture”.
Technology has radically changed the way medical data is captured and big data analytics has made it possible to mine that data for new insights into health and disease “
About: Dr. Salber is the Founder and Editor-in Chief of “The Doctor Weighs In”. She is a board certified internist and emergency physician who loves to write about fat, fitness, diabetes and weight loss among other healthcare topics. Read more from Dr. Salber on her site.
Improving Healthcare Connectivity
Dr. Rafael J. Grossmann, MD, FACS @ZGJR
“I’m convinced that Innovation in Healthcare Technology, along with the current developments in mobile & wearable platforms, AI and Deep Learning, VR & AR, will exponentially improve healthcare connectivity, communication and data management. Resulting in a safer, more efficient, intuitive, less expensive and ultimately better and more empathic patient care and optimal Medical Education and Global Access to Healthcare.
Given the current technological awe, and the exponential rise ahead, if used smartly, these tools have the potential to cause a complete disruption of paradigms and allow for a really in-sync system with the times. “
About: Dr. Grossmann is a Healthcare Futurist & Innovator, as well as a full-time General,Trauma, Acute Care, Advanced Laparoscopic & Robotic Surgeon. He focuses on the convergence of Innovation-Technology, Futurism & Healthcare Social Media (HCSM) to disrupt & improve Healthcare delivery & medical education and has performed the 1st ever documented surgery with GoogleGlass in 2013. To learn more, follow Dr. Grossmann’s blog.
The Ubiquity of the Smartphone
Skip Fleshman @SkipFleshman
“The biggest driver of technology in healthcare is the ubiquity of the smartphone.
They allow the ability for digital interventions, serve as a gateway for a multitude of connected devices, allow for 24/7 engagement with the healthcare system and the have ability to generate clinically relevant, health information and data.”
About: Skip is a Partner at Asset Management Ventures and specializes in companies that focus on digital health, mobile and data analytics. He also serves as an advisor to Stanford’s StartX, Rock Health and Boston Children’s Hospital.
“People Perform Better When They Are Informed Better”
Dave deBronkart @DrDave01
“In my brief book Let Patients Help, one of my aphorisms is ‘People perform better when they’re informed better.’ The old model a lifetime ago was that all value arises from contact with the doctor and obeying the doctor. Those are still valid (generally), but that model’s now known to be profoundly incomplete: home health data, from thermometers to bathroom scales to home pregnancy tests and test strips for diabetes, are letting people know their status and make informed decisions.
It can be astounding: I thought I’d had a medical miracle when I beat Stage IV kidney cancer in 2007, but I had another last year: diagnosed as pre-diabetic, I used apps and a behavior class to eat better and become physically active … I’ve lost 43 pounds and I’ve even become a runner, with no intervention from my doctor. I still love him and use him, but I’m empowered by information – and it works!
About: Dave is a Cancer survivor who has turned his experience as a patient into becoming a keynote speaker on healthcare. Learn more about and from Dave on his site.
Making Decisions through Technology
Rick Ramos @ricktramos
“I think you can’t talk about the future of the healthcare industry without taking about the huge shift of people into high deductible health plans (HDHP).
Companies are putting a greater burden of healthcare costs on employees. These employees need help in making health decisions, we at HealthJoy.com are using technologies like artificial intelligence, chatbots, neural networks, cloud computing, machine learning and more to support people in make these personalized decisions.”
About: Rick is the CMO at the healthcare startup, HealthJoy which specializes in telemedicine services. Learn more about Rick on his site.
Collaboration through Technology
Thomas Dahlborg @tdahlborg
“There is a very important place for technology in the future of healthcare… when incorporated mindfully.
When technology becomes the ‘solution’ doctors and nurses and patients and families get lost and great harm is likely. When technology is incorporated as part of a co-created care path and with the intention to enhance and improve the relationship between patients, families and clinicians, each stakeholder will be honored and whole and the technological tool will be best aligned to support the healing journey.”
About: Thomas is the President of the Dahlborg Healthcare Leadership Group with over 30 years of extensive leadership experience in building relationship centered, patient-and-family focused, empathetic, compassionate care models. Learn more about Thomas on his site.
A Global Shift to Facilitate Open and Secure Health Data Exchange
Dr. Patty Mechael @PattyMechael
“Advancements in health and technology are already revolutionizing the way we approach health and well-being, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Once we can solve what we’re calling the ‘app and research gaps’ and better align product development with health needs and generate evidence to guide the development of new tools, programs and collaborations, personal health technologies will truly transform healthcare and wellness.
For example, data generated by wearables, mobile apps and even genomics will help us to personalize health promotion and disease prevention, which we know is a key to sustained behavior change. Remote monitoring technologies will become a standard of care for areas of chronic disease management and mental health, informing and empowering individuals to better self-manage their health while improving quality of life and clinical outcomes. And, we will also see personal health technologies impact our aging population, creating programs to support ‘healthy longevity’ to keep citizens healthy and living independently longer.
A key driver will be the widespread adoption of interoperability to facilitate open, secure health data exchange.
A number of health ministries, including Denmark and Norway, have committed to using PCHA’s Continua Design Guidelines for national telehealth programs while Austria, Finland, Sweden and Catalonia are considering the same, further demonstrating the value of open, interoperable personal connected health at scale.
This is a future that is very much within reach. The Personal Connected Health Alliance is working to bring together diverse stakeholders and facilitate partnerships to increase consensus on priorities, best practices, further research and innovation, remove barriers to adoption and help mainstream personal connected health across the health and technology fields. Working collaboratively, we can achieve personal connected health for all.”
About: Dr. Mechael is the Executive Vice President at Personal Connected Health Alliance and Principal & Policy Lead at HealthEnabled. She is a celebrated mHealth researcher and strategic advisor, with nearly 20 years of global health experience.
Artificial Intelligence and Microbiome
Dr. Mike Rucker, PhD @performbetter
“The two areas that excite me the most in this regard are AI and the microbiome. IBM’s Watson is now beginning to help organizations and individuals make more sophisticated clinical decisions. Misdiagnosis is a huge issue and AI can already help solve this problem with predictive algorithms.
What is also exciting is we can now use this same technology to get ahead of health concerns. With more robust data sets — through the growing ubiquity of noninvasive wearables — we will be able to detect health problems before they manifest as symptoms. This will allow us to get in front of medical issues so that: 1) people suffer less; and 2) health care costs are significantly reduced.
On the biotech side, many are unaware that the microbes in our body outnumber our own cells. It is now apparent that these microbes play an impressive role in our well-being. In addition to what was previously known about the microbiome, we are now learning that microbiota can have an effect on our behavior and mood. Various internal pathophysiological responses to microbiomic changes are now being studied and manipulated.
Although this field is relatively new and there is much to learn, when I speak with researchers and investors in the field (and watch their eyes light up talking about the implications) it’s clear that advances here are happening rapidly and will soon have an extensive positive impact in some treatment areas. We have already seen the positive impact with conditions like Colitis, but you will see this science balloon into other treatment areas soon as well.”
About: Dr. Rucker is VP of Technology at Active Wellness and is focused on establishing thought leadership in the field of health and wellness, specifically regarding tactics to attract and motivate people towards healthier behaviors. Learn more about and from Dr. Rucker on his site.
Collaboration is Key
Mike Biselli @mikebiselli
“As a health-tech entrepreneur, I’ve witnessed firsthand the power of innovation to make healthcare more accessible, more effective, and more affordable. But I’ve also seen how difficult it can be to drive adoption of new technologies within the healthcare system.
I’m convinced that collaboration between health-tech stakeholders of all kinds is the only way to get innovation to deliver on its promise to radically improve healthcare. To encourage that collaboration, I’m developing Catalyst HTI, a first-of-its-kind, 190,000 square foot industry integrator in Denver, Colorado.
As the world’s first health-tech industry integrator, Catalyst HTI will convene clinicians, technologists, entrepreneurs, academics, executives, policy-makers, investors and more on a daily basis, encouraging the development of new ideas, new processes, and new technologies that have the potential to improve healthcare for people around the world.”
About: Mike has extensive experience in the health industry and has served on the board of numerous healthcare companies which has led him to his current role as the President of Catalyst HTI. Learn more from Mike on his site.
Reducing Information Asymmetry
Maxine MckIntosh @Maxi_Macki
“Health technology has brought with it many mantras, some more esoteric than others. These include 4P medicine (preventive, predictive, personalized and participatory medicine), people-powered health and movement from a reactive sick care system, to a proactive healthcare system.
All these may well be true, but the real key is the effect of information asymmetry reduction. Historically, healthcare was very paternalistic as your doctor was the only one who held medical knowledge. Now, we have Google as a stepping stone (and a crude means of self-diagnosis). 70% of GP appointments are solely to gather information.
With medical information more easily accessible, technology provides the means by which patient empowerment can happen. With a more engaged, informed and empowered patient thanks to technologies providing anything from information to diagnoses to management, patients are able to take more ownership of their own health, and re-balance power within the health care relationship.
Technology however does not mean age-old problems still have not been hacked, from behavior change to uptake to effective self-management. Technology exists outside and within a health system – but those systems usually lag far behind the technology’s capability. Despite the human-centered nature of healthcare, human factors will be the real bottlenecks preventing effective implementation of digital heath.”
About: Maxine is the Managing Director of HealthTech Women in the UK, reporting and consulting on medical innovation in the UK, central Europe and the Silicon Valley.
The Age of Information and Connectivity
Naveen Rao @naveen101
“At the highest level, technology will continue to help bring people closer to information they need. That includes care providers who can harness the power of big data through increasingly sophisticated decision support systems. That also includes patients, who can access resources for treatment and self-care more quickly and reliably than ever before.
With all of the devices we’re seeing emerge, I think the quantified self will eventually become a normal thing. Just like we can take a look at our financial health or our social activity, we’ll soon be able to reliably understand more of what’s happening inside of our bodies, and that will power more nuanced, precise ‘nudges’ to help bring about necessary behavior changes.
Beyond information, I think that we’re going to start to see technology really bring people together in a way that the industry has been waiting for. Technology-enabled connectivity, whether through telemedicine (doc to doc, and patient to doc), health coaching platforms, patient support groups, or self-serve consumer apps, will shake up the legacy approach of asynchronous connectivity and introduce more real-time platforms for interaction.
It’s important to understand that none of these things are going to happen overnight, and realistically they’re not going to come from one vendor or company. We’re in an era of experimentation, trying and failing, tweaking and improving. We’re also just learning how to interact with technology – Smartphones are barely even a decade old. I bet in another ten years the way we use phones and devices and information will be drastically different than today.”
About: Naveen is the editor of Tincture, a thought leadership hub for healthcare and medicine. His professional interests revolve around how to improve healthcare for the patient using technologies, approaches, and ideas from all sectors. Learn more from Naveen on his blog.
Better Use of Data and Strategy
Dr. Cynthia Howard, RN, CNC, PhD @masterwellbeing
“Healthcare advances through the ability of its providers to better use data and think strategically. There needs to be a deliberate approach to make strategic thinking a competency among leadership and discriminate between reactive, two-dimensional decisions that happen due to increased pressure.”
About: Dr. Howard is the Founder and Chief Energy Officer at Vibrant Radiant Health. She is a Focus & Performance Expert and inspires healthcare executives to work smart and live well for a fulfilled life by providing coaching and training options to develop strategic thinking for better problem solving and decisions.
Making the Patient the Data Collector and Controller
Dr. Andrew Mitchell @mitcharj
“Patient-centered record systems will provide one of the greatest ways that health care will evolve. By making the user the data controller (and also the data collector) the patient can ensure that their health records are always available when needed.
New digital health technologies and investigations can feed into the systems allowing the patient to share their data with anyone they choose and pick their healthcare provider, potentially anywhere in the world.
The current model of primary care with patients being told when they can see a doctor will no longer exist. Smart remote analytical software will enhance the health data provided by smartphones improving diagnostic accuracy and potentially feeding directly into selected healthcare providers / pharmacists. Patients will end up asking for help from their data rather than their doctor.”
About: Dr. Mitchell is a Consultant Cardiologist at Jersey General Hospital and is an Honorary Consultant at Oxford University Hospitals in England. Learn more about Dr. Mitchell on his site.
Efficiency, Accessibility and Affordability
Christine Jacob @JacobChristine
“Technology is transforming healthcare in so many ways. Even though it can be hard to predict the future, current developments imply that digital health is evolving to make healthcare more efficient, accessible and affordable.
Innovative health apps and wearable devices are enabling patient engagement like never before. At the same time, the data generated from these devices is increasingly helping healthcare professionals to improve the ways they understand and manage disease.
Furthermore, the immense amounts of healthcare data available online such as online searches and social media discussions are helping researchers accurately predict medical trends. Even simple innovations like electronic health records and telemedicine resulted in considerable cost savings and efficiency in hospitals.
Diagnostics are becoming easier and more accurate; minimally invasive procedures are the new normal. There isn’t any side of the healthcare system that isn’t impacted by technological advancements; yet the industry still needs to develop new capabilities to help unleash the maximum potential of digital health.”
About: Christine is the Founder of Digi-Bridges and has over 14 years of experience in Fortune 100 organizations where she held leading global, regional and local roles in both Marketing and Communications. In 2016, she was recognized as one of the top 50 influencers in digital health by Onalytica.
On-Site Care
Dr. Deane Waldman, MD, MBA @systemMD
“The major advance (not simply change but change for the better) will be the use of technology to provide care where the patient is, “on site” so to speak.
Smartphones that can check vitals and do an ECG where the patient is (home, office, etc.) and transmit to MD
Micro-laboratories that patient carry which check labs such as A-1-C or serum K+ wherever the patient is and transmits to an MD
Technology built in to clothing, even (possibly) an AED
All the telemedicine capabilities extending specialty care into small rural communities
Medical and dental vans (like mobile homes) that go to hard-to-reach, no MD locales.”
About: Dr. Waldman is the Director of Center for Health Care Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and is the author of “The Cancer in the American Healthcare System”. He had previously held the role of Chief of Pediatric Cardiology in three major hospitals for over 28 years. Learn more about Dr. Waldman on his site.
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