Having a Ringside Seat for 14 Years of Healthcare Technology Change

I have been fortunate enough to work in Pharma and MedTech for the majority of my career and have had the opportunity to have a ringside seat to watch how the growth of technology has had an impact on healthcare delivery.?

I wrote a series of articles for Mobihealthnews.com way back in 2009 when it was an independent news site and social media was just becoming a topic for healthcare. Now Mobihealthnews.com is a part of HIMSS Media, and the empowered patient is a reality. While I talk about healthcare being a marathon, I never realized how much of an ultra marathon it truly would be to drive large scale technology driven change.?

Mobile: The Wild Frontier of Unclaimed Healthcare Space

The Health Uprising: A Revolution is Coming

Since 2009, healthcare has undergone significant changes, particularly in the realm of technology. At the time, health care and technology were touted as the 10-year trend, and it seems that prediction has come true. With the Obama health care reform plan, technology played a vital role in modernizing the system, lowering costs, improving quality, and working to manage and prevent chronic diseases that account for 80% of total costs.

However, despite the lofty goals and best intentions, change in the healthcare industry does not happen quickly. The pace of change is slow, as it requires coordination between government, corporations, policymakers, and special interest groups. It is hard to imagine that something as large and unwieldy as the healthcare industry could bring about immediate and lasting change.

Despite the challenges, significant changes have been made since 2009. One major shift that I saw coming is the focus on the patient. With the advent of the internet and social media, patients have become more empowered and vocal. They demand two-way dialogue, and they are connecting with others to create a new healthcare delivery model that is patient-centered. Patients are banding together across conditions and disease states to share, learn, and support each other in their health. The internet has allowed this connection to happen in a real, powerful, and informative way.

This movement is referred to as Health 2.0. In this paradigm, patients have the information they need to make rational healthcare decisions based on value, which is measured by outcomes over price. The entire healthcare process is focused on increasing value for the patient.

The semantic web and crowdsourcing are concepts that have yet to fully take off in healthcare, but they are beginning to emerge. Patients have joined together through enabling technologies to find, share, and combine information. The collective is bonded together by enabling technologies, themes, causes, or conditions, and they find, share, and combine information to support each other without the need or aid of an institution. This has helped countless people around the world solve problems, find community and know that there are people who support their healthcare or disease journey.?

The healthcare industry has undergone significant changes since 2009. The patient is now at the center of the healthcare delivery model, and technology is playing a critical role in supporting this shift. While change in the healthcare industry is slow,? it continues its deliberate march forward with so many innovative companies, products and new technologies being started and developed by the day. Patients are empowered and engaged, and they are using technology to support their health and well-being. As we look to the future, we can expect this patient-led movement to continue to drive change in the healthcare industry. My hope is that it does not take another 10 or 14 years for that matter to see the level of systemic change that is needed. My worst fear is that there is so much promising technology that may never find a patient due to lack of funding, lack of clinical evidence, inability to scale or implement through the last mile. Collectively, we need to think more systematically and move faster, there are patients waiting. ?

*Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and do not represent the views of my employer.