Healthcare's "Bicycle of the Mind"

The mobile device is a key ingredient for patient engagement and other health improvements delivered by HealthTech, just like convenience and efficiency we experience with FinTech apps

We know it takes more than owning a smartphone, but what a foundation the device / tool provides us!

What's in your scrolling? Any health information apps?

1990 - Steve Jobs' Bicycle Vision

A fascinating interview with Jobs in 1990 lays some ground work for today's HealthTech.

Jobs shared the personal impact from a 1973 study that measured the efficiency of locomotion across all species.

Not a commonly used word, locomotion - the movement or the ability to move from one place to another - yet a core element to existence and progress.

In the study, locomotion of the human species (i.e. us) did not rank well.

The condor was at the top for least energy to move a kilometer; humans were a third of the way down down the list.

But, the study also included a follow up test performed by Scientific America that measured the efficiency of a human on bicycle which "blew the condor away", as well as jet transportation, horses and more.

Jobs' concluding statement which, in both spirit and intention, found its way 17 years later into the release of the smartphone ...

... "And that’s what a computer is to me ... it’s the most remarkable tool that we’ve ever come up with, and it’s the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds.”

Here is a video of the 1990 interview. The famous line, spoken by the legend, occurs at the 1m 15sec mark.

Today's Announcement - ONC's Elevated Status

Past newsletters describe the daily impact on "We The Patients" by the ONC (Office of the National Coordinator for Information Technology) - ensuring the secure and non-blocked flow patient of health data, among other major pursuits.

Today the 20-year-old ONC announced the new ASTP/ONC, an "expand[ed] role by adding a fourth office, the Office of the Chief Technology Officer, which will include the Office of the Chief AI Officer, Office of the Chief Data Officer, and a new Office of Digital Services.

Micky Tripathi, now an HHS Assistant Secretary, posted an his personal update on the mission expansion: "In addition to our ongoing work in health IT, we will now lead HHS technology and data policy and strategy to help ensure that our complex and multi-faceted department continues to be more than the sum of its parts."

This is really good news for patients, caregivers and the health industry.

Remember: the ONC is part of HHS (Department of Health and Human Services) which is the largest provider of health coverage in the US (i.e. Medicare and Medicaid).

Impacting Everyone - Another ONC Announcement

A few days ago the (now) ASTP/ONC provided this headline:

The ONC's headline contains quite a few words and a new acronym for the proposed rule but thank goodness the HealthTech market responded quickly with a description of the impact on all stakeholders - including We The Patients.

Click on Brendan Keeler's healdline (above) for a modern day example of the bicycle of the mind traveling the HealthTech path to improving patient care and engagement.

Value --> We The Patients

One could say there is a chicken/egg situation in HealthTech between the technology and the ASTP/ONC (again: part of HSS, the largest US payer of health care).

But where the chicken and egg also cross paths is in the emerging delivery of value-based care rolling towards impacting all Medicare and Medicaid patients in 2030 - 6 short years from now.

Hint: if you're a provider or managed care organization still struggling with reducing re-admits (transitional care), it's time to tighten up the processes.

A big push in the 2030 goal is education - providers and patients. The fact that patient education has started really catches my attention.

The CMS/CMMI Basics of Value-based Care website is a good review for patients, care givers and the health industry. If you click, look for the tab on Patient & Provider Voices.

The Value-based care for Providers website came online earlier this year, as did the patient resource.

Your Role in the Evolving Healthcare Landscape

Whether you're personally invested (at some point we are all a patient), a caregiver, or professionally engaged (health care is 17.3% of the GDP), staying informed about emerging patient technologies and practices is crucial, and interesting.

Subscribe to stay updated on the latest in patient-related healthcare technology and engagement.

After all, it's all about We The Patients, right?