Health Technology, AI
Article | July 18, 2023
Unleash the power of attending EHR events, empowering healthcare providers with accessible patient information for enhanced care. Stay updated with the latest trends at these top EHR summits.
Electronic health records (EHRs) have sparked a transformative revolution in the healthcare industry, empowering providers with readily accessible patient information. With technology progressing and digital healthcare solutions becoming increasingly vital, staying up-to-date with the latest EHR trends and developments has become crucial for healthcare professionals and C-suite executives.
This article highlights a curated list of EHR events that gather visionaries, experts, and pioneers from diverse domains to foster knowledge exchange, collaborations, and exploration of cutting-edge EHR advancements propelling the industry to new frontiers.
1. The MedTech Conference
October 9-11, 2023 | California
This EHR conference offers attendees an opportunity to stay abreast of the latest updates and insights through an extensive program featuring over 100 sessions that showcase diverse perspectives. From examining physicians' viewpoints on value-based care to exploring the approaches of policymakers in cybersecurity and trade considerations, as well as delving into the innovative applications of AI by scientists, the conference provides a platform for knowledge exchange. With world-class speakers, comprehensive educational programming, valuable networking opportunities, and the potential for business development, this EHR summit serves as a homecoming for the global medtech community, fostering collaboration and forming partnerships that drive innovative solutions for a healthier world.
2. IEEE International Conference on Digital Health
July 2-8, 2023 | Chicago
The IEEE International Conference on Digital Health (ICDH) stands as a powerful global platform where esteemed researchers and industry practitioners converge to exchange cutting-edge advancements in digital health technologies. With a focus on both the current state-of-the-art and practical applications, ICDH facilitates discourse on emerging research themes and the future trajectory of digital health. Its overarching objective is to unite prominent researchers, community leaders, visionaries from academia and industry, end-users, and healthcare professionals in the digital health domain. It fosters the exchange of research findings, practical expertise, and forward-looking perspectives on sustainable health and social care transformations.
3. EAI MobiHealth 2023
November 28-30, 2023 | Portugal
The 12th EAI International Conference on Wireless Mobile Communication and Healthcare (MobiHealth 2023) serves as a testament to the significant growth of the healthcare industry, propelled by factors such as an aging population, the prevalence of chronic diseases, and technological advancements. The healthcare sector has been greatly influenced by wireless communication & mobile computing and is constantly evolving with new technologies like 5G, IoT, robotics, and smart buildings. The integration of these innovations, along with e-health, m-health, edge computing, software-defined networks, and network function virtualization, has further revolutionized the industry. This hybrid conference aims to unite individuals and organizations worldwide in wireless communication, mobile computing, and healthcare applications.
4. 3rd IEEE International Conference on ICT Solutions for eHealth
July 9-12, 2023 | Tunisia
e-Health has emerged as a significant research area, attracting cross-disciplinary research groups interested in deploying new ICT technologies for healthcare, particularly cloud computing, IoT, and computational intelligence. After five successful workshop editions, ICTS4eHealth, which has transitioned into an International IEEE Conference, now announced its third edition. The conference brings together researchers from academia, industry, government, and medical centers to present the latest advancements in cloud systems for connected health infrastructure and applications and the utilization of IoT and computational intelligence techniques in eHealth. By fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange, this EHR conference aims to advance the field of e-Health and contribute to developing innovative ICT solutions for improved healthcare outcomes.
5. DigiHT 2023
October 19-20, 2023 | Virtual
The International Conference on Digital Health and Telemedicine 2023 (DigiHT 2023) will serve as a global platform for diverse participants, including academics, practitioners, technologists, application developers, students, and industry professionals. The conference will feature parallel sessions, enabling attendees to engage in knowledge-sharing and networking opportunities. It will also offer avenues for publishing research findings and host high-level forums featuring speeches from esteemed hospitals and health systems, both national and international, who will provide valuable perspectives, insights, and expertise. The central focus of the conference revolves around the theme 'Enhancing Health Equity and Improving Patient Outcomes: Empowerment Strategies for Patients to Take Control of Their Care and Well-being through Digital Healthcare.' EHR events like this one aim to increase access to health technology research and innovations while fostering collaboration and innovation among global digital health and telemedicine professionals.
6. MEDITECH LIVE 2023
September 20-22, 2023 | Massachusetts
This EHR conference aims to convene a diverse group of experienced healthcare innovators who are deeply committed to fostering collaboration amidst the ongoing transformation of health information technology. Through engaging in high-level panel discussions and specialized breakout sessions, participants will collectively explore the disruptive forces that impact the industry and brainstorm tangible solutions. EHR events like this serve as a platform for redefining the intersection of healthcare leadership and technology, focusing on making a meaningful impact on communities. Distinguished speakers at the event include Paul Keckley (Healthcare Policy Analyst and Managing Partner of Keckley Group) and Amer Kaissi, a nationally-recognized speaker, author & executive coach who will bring valuable insights to the discourse.
7. Electronic Medical Records Boot Camp
August 21-22, 2023 | Virtual
'Electronic Medical Records Boot Camp: Biostatistical Methods for Analyzing EMR Data' is a comprehensive two-day virtual event that offers seminars and interactive analytical sessions, providing participants with an in-depth understanding of electronic health data opportunities, statistical challenges, and the latest techniques. The widespread implementation of EHRs and EMRs in US hospitals has resulted in vast amounts of patient information, enabling cohort-wide investigations and personalized medicine. However, analyzing such extensive and diverse observational data poses technical difficulties. This intensive workshop addresses the potential of EMR/EHR data for health studies, statistical challenges, and advanced techniques through hands-on computer lab sessions and case studies. Participants will learn about data integration, addressing biases and missing data, comparative effectiveness studies, and predictive analysis. By the end of the boot camp, attendees will be well-versed in harnessing the power of EMR/EHR data for transformative healthcare research.
8. eClinicalWorks National Conference
October 20-22, 2023 | Tennessee
Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville will host electronic health records events like eClinical Works National Conference. This EHR summit will be an engaging and informative event for healthcare professionals. Attendees can delve into the latest enhancements and developments related to the V12 and Healow products for three days. The event will showcase these products' cutting-edge features and functionalities, demonstrating their potential to revolutionize the healthcare industry.
9. 2023 GSA Conference Workshop
November 8-12, 2023 | Florida
At the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting in November, multiple principal investigator Vincent Mor, Ph.D., and colleagues will conduct a workshop titled 'The Long-Term Care Data Cooperative: Leveraging Nursing Home Electronic Health Records for Research.' Funded by National Institute of Aging, this initiative aims to enhance care quality in skilled nursing facilities by compiling comprehensive electronic health records data from over 2,100 nursing homes nationwide. The workshop will allow attendees to explore sample data, understand the core data model, and learn how to request access for research purposes. Additionally, interested participants can apply for 'real-world data scholars' training grants to leverage this valuable resource further.
10. International Conference on Global Healthcare
November 16-18, 2023 | France
The 10th edition of the upcoming scientific conference (Global Healthcare 2023) will be held in Paris. With a central theme of 'Fostering the Endeavors to Enhance Global Healthcare, ' this EHR summit aims to be the largest and most comprehensive event in the worldwide healthcare industry. The conference will focus on various aspects such as clinical best practices, research advancements, innovation, discoveries, and emerging trends in healthcare. Attendees can expect an enriching scientific program featuring symposiums, seminars, keynote addresses, oral presentations, and poster presentations showcasing the latest global best practices, research findings, industry regulations, and technological breakthroughs. EHR events like this one are held to empower attendees by providing comprehensive insights and fostering knowledge exchange in electronic health records and beyond.
Final Analysis
These electronic health records events offer medical professionals a comprehensive conference track that is tailored to their specific needs and interests. Attendees can engage in face-to-face conversations, access high-quality programming focused on current hot topics, and benefit from unparalleled networking with industry leaders, making these EHR events a must-attend! Furthermore, the conference track provides medical professionals with specialized sessions, workshops, and presentations that delve deep into the practical aspects of implementing, optimizing, and utilizing electronic health record systems. By actively participating in these sessions, medical professionals can gain practical skills, learn best practices, and acquire valuable insights that can directly impact their daily routine and patient care.
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Health Technology, Digital Healthcare
Article | September 8, 2023
Tempted to throw in the towel on your New Year’s resolutions? It’s a natural reaction during this unprecedented year. I’m here to tell you it’s okay—and you probably don’t need them anyway.
You’re in good company if you’ve given up on the big shifts. According to widely-cited research study, only 19% of people keep their New Year’s resolutions. In addition, this may not have been the best time to make changes, given all that’s going on with the pandemic.
Also, worthwhile to consider the following insights on the unease with making big changes these days. According to research published in Molecular Psychiatry, when you go through prolonged challenging times (and the pandemic certainly qualifies), chronic stress can change the architecture of your brain and make you feel worn out, anxious, fearful, or depressed. These aren’t the best conditions for making major changes.
You may also face “change saturation,” or in other words, you’ve had to make so many transitions, you just can’t make any more. To prevent yourself from becoming overwhelmed, focus on attainable aspirations. Here are a few recommendations.
DREAM ON A SMALLER SCALE
Success for the next 12 months may be closely tied to a less-is-more approach. Instead of seeking a whole new career, maybe you can set your sights on getting assigned to a new project at your current company. In other words, consider how you can tweak your behaviors rather than overhauling them.
Cultivate gratitude. Appreciate the little things. When you’re more tuned into what you have, you’re less focused on what you still want. This “enough mentality” can be helpful to your mental health. You don’t have to make big changes to achieve satisfaction or happiness. Contentment starts with gratitude.
Avoid perfectionism. Often, the fuel for big changes is a feeling you or your situation are not perfect. Remind yourself that perfection is a myth and focus on what’s working. This will help you find fulfillment with your present reality (even if it’s not all you aspire to).
Make a list, then edit down. Another great way to keep your ambitions reasonable is to make a list of all you want to accomplish and then eliminate everything but the top three items. A surefire route to frustration is to expect too much and put unrealistic pressures on yourself. Instead, focus on just a few vital things you want to accomplish, rather than a long list that does not empower you. After you’ve accomplished the first three goals on your list, you can always come back to the others, but give yourself a fighting chance to achieve the most integral top three, first.
MONITOR YOURSELF
Keep yourself accountable through specific techniques—and pay attention to events that may cause you to slide backwards. Research in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin explains that 40% of your behaviors occur in similar situations, which is to say familiar circumstances encourage the repetition of choices. Therefore, if you’re able to adjust one potentially repeated behavior, it can make a difference.
Create routines and conveniences. When you want to nurture a behavior, make it a default so you’re not thinking consciously about it. Research published in the European Journal of Social Psychology found when you repeat behaviors in a consistent context, it helps with habit formation and these take hold much more effectively. You can use this to your advantage. Instead of making a conscious choice each morning whether you want the donut or the smoothie, have the sliced fruit ready to go and the blender on the counter so when you arrive bleary-eyed to the kitchen in the morning, you’re just doing what’s already laid out. Start each day with the routine of responding to quick-hit emails. Rather than deciding what to work on first, just create a routine where you’re repeating behavior that works without as much conscious thought.
Plan ahead. When you can plan for things, you can usually control them more effectively. If you’re going to be in a situation that might create challenges for your new behaviors, make a plan. Perhaps you’re going to the grocery store and you can make a plan to avoid the cookie aisle. Or if you’re back in the office, avoid the calorie-tempting socially distanced happy hour with colleagues by leaving right on time and get a head start on the big project you’re working on. Anticipating what might present challenges will help you overcome them.
FIND SUPPORT
Support can be the difference between making small changes and not succeeding at all. Find a source that works for you.
Find friends. Create a virtual group of people also trying to make changes. Perhaps there’s an online group where you can exchange healthy recipes or provide mutual encouragement for regular trips to the gym. Also tap into your existing network and ask your friend to check in with you to see if you’ve had your workout for the day. Seek out colleagues who can nurture the writing skills you want to develop. Find people who encourage you, provide feedback, and remind you about your ability to succeed.
Use technology thoughtfully. There are a wide variety of virtual solutions to help you shift your behavior. Download the app that allows you to track your water intake or the app that will send you notifications if you haven’t moved enough in the last hour. Look for apps that can help you learn the new language you’ve been wanting to add to your skill set or that can connect you with colleagues who have like-minded ambitions. Behavior shifts are most likely to occur with planning, reminders, and feedback. So, find apps that provide these three kinds of support.
Give yourself permission to do less for now and know you can always do more later. In the meantime, stay strong and be satisfied with a little progress for now.
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Digital Healthcare
Article | November 29, 2023
The fall is a time of renewals and choices. It is also a time of so called “open enrolment” for health plans. It is the one time of year we can study and learn about the options offered through employers or government sponsored plans. Individuals and small business owners alike are also are faced with a myriad of choices with confusing and often contradictory language promising lower premiums with higher out of pocket costs for covered services subject to deductibles. What does it even mean anymore when your monthly premiums exceed your pay check and you still have to pay for your colonoscopy or your insulin? Where is it all going?
Let’s imagine you twist your ankle playing basketball. You might go to an urgent care, receive an X-ray, probably be examined by a non-physician, and then referred to your primary care, who can’t see you for a few weeks but eventually sends you to an orthopaedic who takes another X-ray and treats your injury. Weeks have passed, multiple visits, time out of work, and co-pays, not to mention the out-of-pocket fees associated with imaging and perhaps a $100 ace bandage. What stops you from going straight to the ankle specialist in the first place? First, we have become conditioned to follow the directions dictated by the insurance companies, even when restrictions are not in place, patients have been convinced that stepping out of line will make all insurance promises null and void resulting in catastrophic bills and financial ruin. Second, the doctors and their office staffs have been conditioned to deny entry to any patient who does not have the proper referral, authorization, or identification. There are dire consequences for both if the insurance rules are not followed and fear keeps both sides aligned.
The past two decades have seen an explosion of healthcare costs. Health insurance has become the single biggest line item second only to payroll for most businesses. It is no coincidence that as the government increased its role as payor with state subsidies, the prices have gone up. Much like college tuitions, when loans are easy to obtain and guaranteed by federal support, there is little to deter those in charge from increasing the price. After all, everyone is doing it, it must be OK, and even if students end up in debt, it will be repaid because they have received the value of a great education. Right? But unlike higher education, healthcare is a necessity. We cannot avoid it, and there needs to be a reliable mechanism in place to guarantee access.
Ironically, as charges and prices have continued to escalate, payments to doctors have diminished. Why medicine is the only service industry where there is no transparency is truly astounding, especially since the there has been no increase in so called “reimbursements” for decades. As physicians, we have been complicit, being fully aware of the discrepancies between what is charged and what a patient’s insurance will pay. Even as patients began to have higher deductibles, and therefore higher out of pocket expenses, we continued to follow the rules, asking insurance permission to collect payment from the patient. It is not surprising that bad debt accounts for over 50% of most account receivables and why over 70% of doctors are now employed by hospital networks or private equity, who not only go after patients, but benefit from the repricing that occurs when insurers pay a negotiated amount as opposed to the charge. In other words, we pay more not just for less, but for nothing.
But what if we twisted our ankle and went directly to that specialist and paid out of pocket a transparent price? What would it take for that to happen? Not much, the cost of care is predictable, and because payments have always been decreasing, most physicians have learned to be economical. Plus, out of pocket costs are capped by federal law, so no patient is really responsible for catastrophic bills. Charges inflate to cover overhead, but if payments were guaranteed and immediate, then the cost of doing business goes down. Add technologies like telemedicine to a practice and you have increased patient access to a doctor without adding more personnel. Direct pay doctors are emerging all over the country and have consistently offered better access and more affordable care. The bar is also being set by independent surgery centers and imaging centers who offer better outcomes at lower costs. Perhaps motivated by prohibitive pricing, better options have emerged that have moved patients away from expensive operating rooms to safe, office-based procedures. Even cutting-edge cancer therapies can be delivered at home, preserving more of the healthcare dollar for medical care rather than the complex system built to manage it.
Competition and choice inevitably drive prices, but in a monolithic system the price is not negotiated, but instead it is set by only a few, in this case the big insurers. Small businesses cannot compete when bigger companies come to town. Eventually, the local hardware store gives way to a national brand, and the consumer is left with fewer choices and eventually higher prices. Amazon disrupted this equation by creating a marketplace for individual buyers and sellers. The convenience of finding a trusted brand, no longer available locally, is irresistible and the reason why we became loyal consumers. Healthcare is no different. Trust exists implicitly between a physician and patient, because it is an authentic, empathetic, and logical relationship. Trust does not exist between a patient and their insurer, on the contrary it is an unsympathetic business relationship without transparency or consistency. Few doubt the insurance company’s top priority is the premium, not the patient. Creating a direct relationship between the doctor and patient is a common-sense approach that serves both stakeholders well, and requires merely a fair and affordable price. But do doctors have the capability or the will to do it and if so, can the rest of the system follow?
Never in the history of modern medicine have physicians been more dissatisfied. US healthcare used to lead the world in innovation and outcomes, now we struggle to break the top thirty. We may have the most brilliant doctors and scientists with access to the best resources, but the need to maximize profits while catering to special interests, be they commercial or political, has led us to favour certain therapies over others despite marginal proven benefits. Doctors have little autonomy and less authority; prescribed treatments are routinely denied by insurance companies without a second thought or appropriate peer review. In fact, insurers even renamed us “providers”, a term used to by Nazis when referring to Jewish doctors to devalue them professionally. Over 56% of physicians are burned out, nearly all report moral injury and as hospitals have systematically replaced doctors with non-physicians with limited training, we have watched the standard of care deteriorate. It is no wonder we have witnessed the single biggest loss in life expectancy since WWII. The prognosis is grim, but there are solutions.
We need to reinvent healthcare by removing the middleman. We don’t have to set the price, but we can make it transparent so patients can decide for themselves if it is worth the inconvenience, the delay, and the co-pay to use insurance or just pay directly. Health savings accounts are tax deferred and can cover an out-of-pocket maximum in just a couple of years. Paying for care means there are no surprise bills or out of network costs, because there are essentially no networks and therefore no need to follow restrictions. You’d be hard pressed to find a doctor or hospital unwilling to accept an immediate cash payment, especially when it costs nothing more than the service provided. There are no billing cycles, or claims to prepare, no up coding, or authorizations. Doctors free to care for patients, patients treated individually and not subject to protocols designed to maximize charges. There are literally thousands of direct pay primary care and specialists now available all over the country and they are building alliances with likeminded people providing imaging, ancillary services, surgery centers, and prescriptions all at fair market prices. More and more employers are moving toward medical cost sharing plans that not only lower the cost of care but the cost of administration. Even the biggest payor, namely the government, sees the benefit of price transparency and is piloting models of direct contracting.
We will always need coverage for those unexpected events, emergencies, or hospital-based services, but all the rest - doctor visits, screening tests, and outpatient procedures - are easily affordable. After all, do we use our car insurance to pay for an oil change? If we did, the cost would be prohibitive and few of us would drive. But health insurers have lost our trust, they no longer cover necessary services and no longer honour contracts with physicians or patients. It is time to offer another option and let the patients and doctors get back to the real business of medicine.
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Health Technology
Article | May 18, 2022
Do you know you can now wear technology?
With the help of wearable technology, it's now easier to keep track of useful information in one go! This go-to technology has made people’s lives easier and smoother health-wise.
In the last five years, more people have started using wearable technology to monitor health data and live healthier lifestyles.
According to the Deloitte Global Survey, today, more than 80% of people are interested in using wearable technology. Statista also studied that the ear-worn wearable technology market will be worth more than 44.16 billion US dollars by 2023. These data show that customers are gravitating toward wearable technology due to its simplicity and convenience.
The Tech is Getting Smarter
Wearable technology has enabled the concept of self-checking, evaluation and monitoring of certain health conditions.
The Internet of Things (IoT) technology is transforming and improving the entire lifestyles of millions of people. So it's no surprise that the technology is spreading. Thanks to IoT and AI, which have pushed these technologies into individuals’ hands in the form of smartwatches, fitness bands, and other devices. In this case, app development has also been a critical success factor.
Consumers of all age groups actively use wearable technology for multiple physical benefits, such as monitoring daily activities (running, walking), water intake, heartbeat, sleep cycles, blood pressure, oxygen level, and mobility levels. In fact, the tech helps them to stay motivated by maintaining and extending their good habits.
Wearables can measure these characteristics through an effective data model that is instantly responsive. The readings can be saved, displayed, or forwarded to a doctor for medical study. This interface of wearable technology saves money and time traveling to clinics, hospitals, GPs, and other medical facilities.
The next feature that only wearable technology provides is reminders and inspiring information! Due to the addition of automatic functionalities, users have invested considerably in wearables and sparked the usage at the current time.
Furthermore, wearable technology is also seen in other medical devices such as ECG monitors, which is again a cutting-edge consumer electronic device that users can use to measure electrocardiograms at home. A Deloitte study found that due to the rising demand and supply together, nearly 200 million wearable gadgets will be marketed globally by 2023.
Transforming Healthcare Towards Intelligence
The pandemic accentuated the importance of wearable technology the most, particularly for health monitoring. As a result, the technology was available in every second home.
Wearable innovation is exceptional with the advancements in sensors, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and algorithms. Sensor data provides insights regarding an individual's activity levels, cardiac pattern discrepancies, and other aspects. For example, many companies and manufacturers employ PPG, Raman spectroscopy and infrared spectrophotometers to enable blood pressure monitoring features in smartwatches and portable medical devices.
The combination of technology with intelligence is creating a whole new world of healthcare where individuals can track, record, and improve their health issues in a lesser timeframe.
A Committed Future of Healthcare
So, will technology for health improvement thrive?
The answer is yes. Wearable technology delivers real-time health data and allows consumers to improve their health without incurring high costs. Consumers' willingness to share their data with healthcare professionals indicates a surge in future demand for wearable technology gadgets.
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