Angie Bass, Executive Vice President at Velatura, alongside James Agnew, CTO of Smile Digital Health, and Farhoud Salimi, CTO of Telstra Health, dive into the world of healthcare technology. They discuss the crucial role of health equity and interoperability in empowering all providers. The trio explores the intersection of policy and AI, advocating for the democratization of health data. With an eye on the future, they envision a connected care ecosystem that promotes patient empowerment and seamless information flow across healthcare settings.
The modernization of healthcare necessitates interoperability solutions that ensure equal access to health data for all providers.
Building consensus on data governance is essential, with Health Information Exchanges facilitating the collaborative integration of technology and policy.
Deep dives
Understanding Connected Care Ecosystem
The concept of the connected care ecosystem revolves around the seamless flow of patient information across various healthcare settings. It emphasizes that clinicians should have real-time access to patient data in a secure manner, facilitating better decision-making at the point of care. However, building this ecosystem faces challenges, including historical data silos within systems and organizations that obstruct data sharing. Additionally, a lack of real interoperability standards complicates this process, as collecting, storing, and sharing data uniformly remains an ongoing issue.
Challenges in Healthcare Integration
Achieving effective integration across healthcare systems involves navigating technical, regulatory, and human factors. Technically, many existing systems are outdated and function in silos, making it difficult to connect them without adequate funds and planning for integration. Regulatory compliance further complicates matters, as varying privacy laws across jurisdictions can create barriers to optimal data sharing. Also, engaging healthcare professionals and patients in adapting to digital workflows and understanding their roles in using health records is necessary to bridge the gap between traditional and digital systems.
The Role of Health Information Exchanges
Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) play a pivotal role in transforming how healthcare data is shared and utilized. They aim to move beyond merely replacing older processes like faxes and phone calls, aspiring instead to create a dynamic network of structured data that can provide valuable insights at the point of care. Innovations such as Clinical Quality Language (CQL) and International Patient Summaries (IPS) enhance healthcare delivery by ensuring professionals have access to the most current and relevant data. Additionally, developments like QR codes for sharing patient summaries represent significant steps toward enhancing data portability and interoperability.
Future Prospects in Healthcare Technology
The future of healthcare technology is poised for substantial advancements through the integration of AI, consumer-driven initiatives, and robust health data infrastructure. As consumer expectations rise, the shift towards personalized medicine promises to place power back into the hands of patients, enabling them to participate actively in their healthcare journeys. However, establishing trust through effective data security measures and consent management is essential for this transition. Overall, the focus on interoperability and collaboration among stakeholders is critical to realizing the potential of connected care systems.
In this episode of Talking HealthTech, host Peter Birch speaks with Angie Bass, Executive Vice President at Velatura Public Benefit Corporation, James Agnew, CTO of Smile Digital Health, and Farhoud Salimi, CTO of Telstra Health.
The discussion covers health equity, interoperability, and how technology and policy are shaping the future of connected care.
They explore data governance, AI, consumer-driven healthcare, and all the associated challenges and opportunities.
Key Takeaways
Health Equity and Interoperability: The importance of providing health data interoperability solutions to all healthcare providers, regardless of their size or location.
Consensus Building: The necessity of building consensus for data governance and technology roadmaps, with neutral entities like Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) facilitating collaboration.
Policy and AI: Addressing the disparity between current policies and technological capabilities, with AI helping to bridge this gap.
Entrepreneurial Opportunities: The democratisation of APIs and data is creating new opportunities in the healthtech space.
Vision for the Future: More accessible and secure patient data, aligning with consumer expectations and leveraging technological advances.
Connected Care Ecosystem: Seamless patient information flow across different care settings, highlighting the technical and regulatory challenges.
Patient Empowerment: The potential for patients to actively participate in their healthcare through improved access to personal health information and contributions to their data.
Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.
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