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The future of digitized health [The Digital MedTech Conference Recap Part 6]

Posted by Carly Dell on March 9, 2017

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In our final panel session of the day, Health Connections: Digitizing Consumers and Patients, we explored how technology innovation and convergence - wearables, in vivo diagnostics, mobile, and more - are driving a data revolution and delivering virtual care.

This panel featured:

  • Robert Jarrin, Esq., Senior Director, Government Affairs, Qualcomm Incorporated (Moderator)
  • Ben Hwang, Ph.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Profusa
  • David C. Rhew, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Head of health care and Fitness, Samsung Electronics America
  • Kevin Sayer, President & Chief Executive Officer, Dexcom
  • Vladimir Vacić, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Computational Biology, 23andMe, Inc.

Did you know humans interact with their smartphones 2,617 times per day? Surprising, right? Fortunately, not to the panelists of this session. These wearable and sensor technology experts spent the remainder of the day exploring how popular consumer technologies can be applied in clinical settings to lead to better patient outcomes.


When it comes to creating a new digital technology, the panel agreed that companies should do as much as they can to understand what it would take for the masses to adopt the product. Ensuring that it’s part of consumers’ natural workflows for managing their health is the best strategy for increasing the likelihood of consumer adoption.


Panelists also explored the future of value based care, and how it will change the health care industry. The experts agreed that the industry should strive for technologies that are fully vetted and allow the patient to go home, but still receive monitoring. The benefits of technologies like this are endless, including fewer expenses, faster recovery, and more.


The session also touched on the importance of data, specifically as it relates to how organizations share data to build a better product. The panelists agree that organizations should always strive to be data-driven, but they should also strive to be transparent with their data, not only with the consumer but also with partner organizations, too. This interoperability and sharing of data with partners will lead to better, more effective products.


As the session ended, the moderator, Jarrin, asked each panelist a perfect question to wrap up The Digital MedTech Conference: What’s the future for digitized health?


Here are their answers:

  • Ben Hwang, Ph.D. - Clinical laboratories in our bodies
  • David C. Rhew, M.D. - Greater virtualization of care
  • Kevin Sayer - Convergence of consumers and medical devices
  • Vladimir Vacić, Ph.D. - Aggregation of measurements of data that are driven by standards in place

 

The Digital MedTech Conference Recap:

Previous: A look at cognitive health and its potential impact

Topics: News, Digital

Written by Carly Dell

Carly Dell manages marketing for The MedTech Conference.