In health care, there are digital tools that work well, but there are also ones that don’t, which is why it is important for physicians to have their voices heard in the sphere of health care digital technology. At the 11th Annual Health 2.0 Fall Conference, physicians are set to claim their place in the innovation space and help shape digital health care.
Taking place Oct. 1–4 in Santa Clara, California, the conference brings physicians and technology innovators together to discuss, witness and share cutting-edge innovations that are transforming today’s global health care system. The event aims to bring together thought leaders, physicians, investors and start-up companies to shape the future of digital health.
The AMA is a sponsor at Health 2.0 and will be leading the discussion through several panels, a fireside chat and a lunch-and-learn event. During the provider symposium on Sunday, Oct. 1, AMA speakers will hold a prominent place.
Jack Resneck Jr., MD, a dermatologist and health policy expert from the San Francisco Bay Area, will join other panelists for the policy town hall panel titled, “Access, Quality, and Patient Experience—Moving Beyond Payment Reform to Transformational System-Wide Impact.” Dr. Resneck is also chair-elect of the AMA Board of Trustees.
Michael Hodgkins, MD, the AMA’s chief medical information officer, will help lead a fireside chat titled, “From Patient Centered Care to Collaborative Care: A Revolution that Reflects the Technological and Economic Changes in Today's Healthcare Delivery System.”
Marie Brown, MD, an associate professor in the department of internal medicine at Rush Medical College and senior physician advisor for the AMA, will lead a separate fireside chat covering the subject of physician burnout.
On Wednesday, Oct. 3, Dr. Resneck will lead an AMA-sponsored lunchtime session titled, “How physicians read the innovation barometer.” The town hall-style forum will directly address what the AMA has identified as physicians’ core concerns about the requirements for new technologies. He will also invite attendees to register for the AMA’s Physician Innovation Network—a matching platform to connect physicians and health tech companies—and join an open forum to discuss how stakeholders can work together for improved results.
Physicians seek influence in health IT
In a blog post on the Health 2.0 website, Dr. Hodgkins poses several questions physicians might have when considering how technology can transform health care, “Does it work? Will it work in my practice? Will I get paid? Will I get sued?”
“The questions may seem overly skeptical at first blush, but they are, sadly, informed by bitter experience with digital health products that often promise to help physicians efficiently deliver better care but instead offer up headaches and heartaches,” Dr. Hodgkins’ post stated.
When looking at electronic health record systems (EHRs), he expressed how they are supposed to “liberate physicians from cumbersome paper charts.” However, EHRs end up causing physicians to be glued to their computers rather than spending more time with their patients, leading to late nights and early mornings navigating these cumbersome systems.
“Physicians deserve to have a voice and contribute to innovations in health care, and the AMA is striving to connect them with the people building new technology so that they can work together to make revolutionary products that revolve around what matters: helping physicians take better care of their patients,” Dr. Hodgkins wrote.
“We are also working to help physicians streamline administrative operations, help patients achieve dramatically better health outcomes, and help stakeholders gain greater results with lower overhead,” Dr. Hodgkins added. “We aim to help make health care data more informative, more interoperable, more adaptive and easier to capture.”
Health 2.0 begins Sunday, but full-time practicing physicians and other clinicians can still apply for complimentary registration for the event.
To ensure new digital health solutions facilitate effective care and relationships between patients and physicians, the AMA brings the physician voice to innovators and entrepreneurs. By recognizing the key challenges physicians face when implementing health IT and the increase of direct-to-consumer digital health apps, the AMA aims to help physicians navigate and maximize technology for improved patient care and professional satisfaction.
The AMA is focused on influencing health IT with the goal of enhancing patient-centered care, improving health outcomes and accelerating progress in health care.
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