Cisco and Healthcare Technology – Hospitalist Avatar And Other Technologies On Display

If you are a hospitalists, don’t run for the hills or choke on this one. This is actually a very good proto type technology healthcare solution, but are we there yet, well perhaps the technology is, but are the clinicians ready yet? I could even theoretically put myself in the doctor’s shoes here and say OMG and I can do that as a patient too for that matter.

On the Cisco website there’s a video that plays out an entire scenario at the hospital. It does a good job of showing what we have available today, of course at a price for set up and training. Information wise, it is a good watch, even though to me, it smacks you in the face with a little “big brother” type of information available, as to knowing the exact time of visits from the family etc. and somewhat reminds me of a soap opera, like General Hospital of the future, but remember this is as tech company doing the educational videos and not an entertainment production company.

You may have read some blog comments on the web this week from those who attended the Healthcamp Convention this week in San Francisco and this is some of the technology, some in place today and some in the proof of concept areas they were able to view. Kaiser in addition to all their hard work with medical records is also in the process of further pursuit with a virtual lab, to create the simulations and see how they would function and work with real time healthcare and to explore successful implementations, which is key.

Virtual Labs whether it is healthcare or other industries play an important role today. Microsoft also uses them across the country in their Technology Centers. You can read up at the link below. I have experienced the Microsoft Center in Irvine, California on how a proof of concept is created and presented, and even had some time to fold proteins on a Surface computer not too long ago. (Hint: you know it’s me, look at the nail polish:)

Microsoft technology centers – software solutions with assistance ...

Cisco also has a video you can watch on their mobility solutions. Recently the company has been making the rounds across the US with their NOW (Network on Wheels) demonstration bus. Cisco has 4 vans set up to travel the country and is making them available for use, you can read more on the website.

UnitedHealth To Spend Tens of Million of Dollars with Cisco to Build Nationwide Telehealth Network

Cisco has one of these units for healthcare too. Some of your premiums money spent is going toward technology at United as they are making more money from the technology sector than they do with insurance policies, and sometimes you might wonder, am I insured by an insurance or technology company? Here’s a video from Fox News that shows the connected technology.

UnitedHealthcare is setting up both stationary facilities along with mobile units that will travel the country and set up shop in areas to help rural populations. The goal is for 25 to 30 stationary sites in six regions by next year, along with three to five mobile facilities that will be strategically placed in areas to help rural populations. Even as tech companies grow, with technology replacing humans, layoffs are also visible in that sector as well. We are on a rocket paced path today with bringing new technologies to healthcare and the implementation has to be very carefully designed and structured, otherwise if not done properly, participation will fade with overwhelming both the clinicians and the patients.

Dr. Crounse from Microsoft had a very down to earth analysis this week: Needed: One Hell of a Training Program

As well as viewing and seeing the new technology that is rapidly coming of age, we still need to stay in touch with the “real world” and where we need to begin as all of this is nice and wonderful with bringing all the data and information together, but if there’s inadequate education on both the patient and clinical side, it goes nowhere, and then we tend to enter into another side of the arena to where technology and it’s use becomes “force fed”, which ends up with everyone zoning out with low levels of participation and resistance. I see some of that today even with simple technologies. We can’t ignore this side of the coin, and it is not being addressed.

We have a Congress that makes laws to govern healthcare technology use and they have no more knowledge for the most part than you do, reading this post, as we still suffer from old methodologies of creating laws and regulations that are not algorithmic centric, so the interpretation is lost, confused, and basically lacks impact and direction. Here’s some related information at the link below on wireless devices and the challenges faced with their proposed and up and coming technology. Read up.

Wireless Healthcare Medical Devices and the FDA – The Reasons They Are Slow to Come to Terms

Here’s another video that explains a bit more about the United HealthCare Mobile trailer that is travelling through the US, the mobile clinic. If you haven’t watch this, do it and create your own awareness so you are not left behind in the knowledge department with healthcare, again “One Hell of a Training Program” echoes once more.

Algorithms create this technology and our legal processes don’t know what to do with the systems at times, and you can read more here about the insurance company algorithms being challenged in court and again I suggest we have a Department of Algorithms to ensure pricing and technology is used fairly and not taking advantage of the ignorant. Again, the wonders of what technology can do today is darn exciting and I like a lot of it too, but we need balance and education, otherwise resistance and outrage will be the call if force fed without proper and full human centric methodologies. BD

We’ve come to expect a certain level of technological sophistication from our financial institutions. So why should we tolerate anything less from our healthcare institutions? If, for example, you had an EKG taken in the morning, shouldn’t the results be easily available to the emergency room doctor?

These and other thought-provoking questions were at the heart of Healthcamp SFBay 2009, a one-day event held Oct. 5 at Kaiser Permanente’s Sidney Garfield Innovation Center in San Leandro, Calif. Leaders in technology and healthcare exchanged ideas in hopes of advancing healthcare innovation and ultimately improve patient care, increase access and services and reduce costs. Cisco was a leading Healthcamp sponsor.

Technology Ushering in Healthcare’s ‘Golden Age’ - The Platform

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