It may be an understatement to say social media, smartphones and
mobile devices along with advanced analytics have impacted our daily lives. But
through the eyes of healthcare professionals, those technologies have
completely transformed the field and will continue to reshape the delivery of
healthcare for many years to come.
So says Eric J. Topol, the well-known cardiologist, geneticist and
researcher from the Scripps Research Institute who delivered
the keynote address at the HIMMS 2013 annual conference.
“We practice medicine today at the population level. We do everything
the same way for every patient and fail to recognize that each person is an individual.
With technology, we can define them, and that’s where we can make a difference
today—we have the tools that we didn’t have before,” Topol said excitedly.
Healthcare technology has already moved to more digital platforms with
electronic medical records, health information exchange etc., but by
democratizing medicine and allowing patients to take part in their own care,
what does this mean for healthcare providers? Well, for starters, it will drive
down costs and reduce the need for many doctors’ office visits because
technology will allow many evaluations to be done remotely in the comfort of
one’s home.
Topol displayed examples of various mobile application technologies
for smartphones that the Scripps Research Institute is working on including: digital
vital sign monitor, glucose checker, digital voice test (to detect such
diseases as Parkinson’s), digital breath test (to detect lung cancer etc.),
thyroid and liver test, skin lesion scanner, eyes refraction test etc.
“80 percent of doctors will become unnecessary. We will soon hear:
‘the robot will see you now,’” said Topol. “The idea of going to the
doctor’s office will be as foreign as going to the video store,” he joked.
Healthcare CIOs are on the forefront of these massive
changes and must help providers take this leap to a more advanced form of care.
Doctors should be teaching patients and allowing them to have access to their
own data, and healthcare IT executives must make that data available. “It’s their data!” Topol emphasized.
Currently, 68 percent of American physicians refuse to email
contact with patients. According to Topol, this must change in 2013 because
those physicians, who don’t get on board, will fall off the wagon. And, if
doctors take this leap to connected care, this means more work for the IT
executives who must monitor that data and ensure its safety—but, it’s all for
the good of innovation and improved care.
At this point, none of this can be done without open
sourcing, and Topol mentions the need for what he called “MOOM (Massive Open
Online Medicine),” which will be hard with the HIPPA compliance rules in
effect. However, CIOs have the opportunity to break those barriers and truly
make a difference in patient interaction.
“Nothing about me without me. That’s where we want to be
with real engagement,” said Topol.
