McKinsey Global Institute Ranks Most Disruptive Technologies to 2025

Wireless Medicine

I'm a member of The World Futures Society which is always a source of excellent information and when this great insight into what disruptive technologies to watch for leading up to 2025 crossed my desk I thought it was worth re sharing. It warns business leaders not to wait until the time that these new technologies are exerting their influence as by that stage it will be too late to respond. 

Healthcare as we know is traditionally a laggard sector in terms of uptake of technology so there are some critical warnings to those who want to wait and adopt the we will see approach. The Internet of Things offers some vital clues: and the role of the patient as a partner in their care will change the sector forever. Healthcare consumers want to be more involved, want more education and access to this information will be the key.

Here's the McKinsey Report in a snapshot:

 What technologies will most radically transform human life in the next twelve years? The McKinsey Global Institute looked at more than a hundred possible candidates across a variety of technology fields and narrowed the most potentially disruptive down to a dozen. They are, in order of size of potential impact:

• Mobile Internet defined as "increasingly inexpensive and capable mobile computing devices and Internet connectively."
• Automation of knowledge work or "intelligent software systems that perform knowledge work tasks involving unstructrured commands and subtle judgments." An example might be IBM’s Watson system.
• Internet of Things or "networks of low-cost sensors and actuators for data collection, monitoring, decision making and process optimization."
• Cloud Technology or "use of computer hardware and software resources delivered over a network or the Internet, often as a service."
• Advanced Robotics or "increasingly capable robots with enhanced senses, dexterity, and intelligence used to automate tasks or augment humans." This category is perhaps most famously personified by the Baxter robot (profiled in the May-June issue of THE FUTURIST magazine).
• Autonomous and Near-Autonomous Vehicles.
• Next Generation Genomics or "fast, low-cost gene sequencing, advanced big-data analytics, and synthetic biology."
• Energy Storage.
• 3D Printing
• Advanced Materials defined as "materials designed to have superior characteristics." Much of what we today call nanotechnology would fall within this category.
• Advanced Oil and Natural Gas Recovery
• Renewable Energy

Of the above, the Mobile Internet, which could change the lives of more than 5 billion people around the globe, the automation of knowledge work, and the Internet of Things would have by far the largest economic impacts, according to McKinsey. All together, the above technologies could generate $14 to $33 trillion. But the authors caution that much of that growth will be at the expense of older technologies and even entire industries falling into obsolescence.

"When necessary, leaders must be prepared to disrupt their own businesses and make the investments to effect change," the report’s authors write. "By the time the technologies that we describe are exerting their influence on the economy in 2025, it will be too late for businesses, policy makers, and citizens to plan their responses. Nobody, especially businesses leaders, can afford to be the last person using video cassettes in a DVD world."

Source: Mckinsey Global Institute

Content Is King In Healthcare

Good storytelling in healthcare puts the heal back in health and builds the emotional connection with the patient and provider.

In recent years marketing has largely re-invented itself becoming a whole of organisation issue rather than a compartmentalised department. In essence with consumers becoming more connected and savvy there has been a need to move away from 'push' selling and return to the basics of human connection - through what we all do best, storytelling.

One organisation who is doing it well and understands the power of valuable content creation is the Cleveland Clinic, a 90-year-old nonprofit that runs nine community hospitals and 15 family health centres in the United States of America. Listed among the best hospital groups in the US, the clinic has posted over 30,000 pages of content and 1,500 videos on its websites. It maintains not only its main Web presences and social media sites, but more than 100 search engine marketing campaigns with distinct landing pages. There readers find information on diseases or conditions written by Cleveland Clinic physicians. Some include video and a downloadable guide; all allow consumers to make an appointment. The website also includes a “find a doctor” tool that enables patients to take virtual tours and access medical records. All corporate communications and most production are done in house, but the clinic does use outside partners to create applications or specific micro sites. The clinic’s health care content draws 2.2 million visitors a month, making it one of the most trafficked hospital websites in the country. It is mentioned thousands of times a year in the media, and the hospital system has created a Cleveland Clinic News Service channel run by four former broadcast journalists, who create stories on everything from seasonal allergies to complex heart surgery.

Will HealthSpot Change Doctors Visits Forever?

Much hype is occurring in the Australian market place about the arrival of online healthcare appointment booking services as players try to convince the medical professional to adopt this new productivity technology for practice management.

Given the hesitancy of healthcare professionals to embrace these services thus far as the 'norm' rather than an 'option' online appointment booking services have switched in some cases to trying to have take-up driven by the consumers with a range of crowd voting campaigns now beginning to hit the streets.

Problem is with the campaigns I have seen thus far, all fail to tell the consumer that their doctor MUST pay for this service and in some cases there is even a tiered payment structure in place.

In other words, some healthcare segments, for example dentists are asked to pay more than others such as GP's or Allied Health thereby effectively subsidising their colleagues' medical practices?

Consumers supporting 'voting' campaigns would be well advised to check how their doc is being asked 'to join' the service and, what payment methods are being encouraged. They should be transparently displayed on the appointment booking service's site for everyone to see.

But have we moved passed such services before they have had time to be adopted anyway?

Will the current online health appointment booking services be enough in this market to sustain a stand alone business model?

Will the current online health appointment booking services available in Australia soon be outdated with new disruptive technologies in healthcare enabling access to doctors in a completely revolutionary way?

A new service trialled in the U.S known as Healthspot aims to do just this.

The HealthSpot Care4 Station is a fully enclosed kiosk that delivers primary and specialty care in private settings such as pharmacies, supermarkets and workplaces. The Care4 Station increases convenient care options like extended hours and physician availability while also bringing healthcare access to remote and underserved populations. The private medical kiosk connects patients to doctors over real-time, high-definition videoconferences with wireless technology. Digital medical devices integrated into the unit allow doctors to collect vital health information. Patient information, video, prescriptions, appointment scheduling and visit records can be transmitted securely over the Sprint 4G network.

e-Patient Dave Launches New Book - Let Patients Help!

e-Patient Dave is coming to Australia in late June for a speaking tour. I was thrilled to receive a copy from Dave of his new book. I plan on writing a couple of posts relevant to Dave's book over the coming days. Here's a peak however as to what is included:

Let Patients Help!

A patient engagement handbook -
how doctors, nurses, patients and caregivers
can partner for better care.

It’s concise – less than 100 pages – because as Dave says: He wants people to READ IT!  

You can buy it here, on CreateSpace, Amazon’s self-publishing site:

Let Patients Help on CreateSpace

(CreateSpace requires creating a free account. It’ll be on Amazon in a while.)

It’s a book of lists:

• Part 1: Ten Fundamental Truths
• Part 2: Ten Ways to Let Patients Help
• Part 3: Tip Sheets

As the subtitle suggests, this book is about partnership between patients and professionals. It tells why it’s valid and important for medicine to listen to patients, with specific how-to’s on making it a reality. A patient engagement handbook.

In keeping with that spirit, has some great medicos contributing:

“With Dr. Danny Sands”

Dave's famous primary physician, Dr. Danny Sands, is not only on the cover, he’s in the pages: he wrote some of them. In part 3 (the tip sheets) he wrote:

• Ten Things Clinicians Say That Encourage Patient Engagement
• Ten Things Clinicians Say (or do) That Discourage Patient Engagement
• For Patients: Collaborating Effectively with Your Clinicians
• Dr. Danny Sands’ Rules for Smart Web Use

Regular readers will know that Dr. Sands has been a pioneer of patient engagement since the 1990s. Way back then he…

• co-created the first medical record system and patient portal at our hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess
• co-authored the first published guidelines on how to do doctor-patient email successfully
• became a friend and colleague of “Doc Tom” Ferguson, founder of the e-patient movement.

Introduction by Eric J. Topol, M.D.

 AND the amazing Eric Topol wrote the introduction. Read full text of the introduction here. If you don’t know Dr. Topol’s name, here are a few glimpses:

• His TED talk The Wireless Future of Health. He nailed it – and that was in 2009! 
• His excellent January appearance on NBC Rock Center with Brian Williams: The key to better health care may already be in your pocket… and it’s not your wallet
• His important book Creative Destruction of Medicine

NOTE: Dave will be speaking at events in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra during his visit. If you would like Dave to speak to your organisation please contact me for further details and sponsorship opportunities.

Should HealthCare Be More Like The Airline Industry?

This great article  discusses how there will be pain associated with transforming healthcare as we move towards a more participatory style of medicine and it is going to require dramatic and gut wrenching changes. 


It compares the dramatic cost cutting of the airline industry to healthcare. At first I thought not, but the proposition is an interesting comparison. 

"It's the fact that U.S. commercial airlines carried 52% more people in 2010 than they did in 1995, and yet they employed 2% fewer people. It's that airlines did away with unprofitable luxuries such as meals in coach and filled excess flight capacity. It's that airlines shed lots of jobs at front counters and reservation call centers and replaced them with kiosks and online bookings."

Think other sectors such as banks' use of ATMs to let customers do self service, and to retailers such as Amazon.com and Wal-Mart using analytics to acquire a better understanding of their customers and their own operations.

Think what has happened to retailers who avoided online strategies....

The big number is this: Healthcare must be cheaper. That's not going to happen without pain and radical change. And that is the core message. Technology is an enabler, it helps increase efficiencies in costs and productivity.

In Australia, where healthcare professionals are still largely resistant and slow to adopt such simple technologies as online health appointment booking services despite clear evidence that consumers want greater convenience in accessing health appointments.

It's going to take changes in how health care practitioners do business.

In health, consumers should be a participating partner.

In fact much of e-Patient Dave's message when he visits Australia in late June this year will be exactly about these very developments and the need for health care practitioners and consumers to work in partnership together. He advocates loudly 'Let Patients Help! and Give Me My Damn Data!

A number of startups in this area are working hard to enrol and engage with health professionals in what is evident to all will eventually be the way of the future. 

So let's take it to the next step. Imagine if there was a health kiosk available in consumer friendly locations where you could check in during flu season or more.

Well it now exists - welcome to the brave new world converging on medicine - data, technology and human genomics.

Welcome to HealthSpot!

mHealth - Great Summary, How mHealth will improve access to health care

Infographic by Healthcare Mobility Solutions Team at [x]cube LABS

ZocDoc has a clear set of company values. What are they?

Zappos Tony Hsieh

Earlier this year I had the privilege of hearing Tony Hsieh, The CEO of Zappos speak when he was in Sydney. 

His best practice employee focused culture and values based approach to all business decisions has been modelled successfully by leading US online health care appointment booking service ZocDoc. 

Cyrus Massoumi

Cyrus Massoumi’s ruptured eardrum inspired the creation of ZocDoc, a site that allows patients to locate and book doctor appointments online. It’s as simple as entering your zip (post code) and insurance (if applicable), and in seconds, ZocDoc shows you doctors near you with availability by the hour. You can check out their educational background, specialties and read reviews from other patients.

In Australia, many start ups in the online appointment booking space are trying to emulate the success of ZocDoc. They would be therefore wise to follow this clearly defined company values structure (and of course develop their own) that has resulted in ZocDoc being awarded one of the best places to work. Great employees are the result of great workplace cultures. 

It’s no accident that ZocDoc hires less than 1% of its job applicants. The firm, which helps patients book medical appointments online, limits its employee roster to team players—and then rewards them with innovative projects and lots of perks to convey its appreciation for their work and professionalism. Team playing is critical to it's success with the organisation insisting that managers are responsible for their own departments without interference.

Employees are so motivated that the company doesn’t dictate the specific number of hours they need to work, and they can take an unlimited number of vacation days—without jeopardizing their salaries. And when they’re in the office, Friday evening happy hour and an on-site game room are among the many ways they can unwind.

Building great teams, takes time, effort and commitment. I did a great fun morning WIP with a team I was managing back in July 2012.  We rode the go-carts at Luna Park and then energised went off to plot our deliverables during a very tough week. It was fun.

Luna Park WIP July, 2012

Here's some tips from ZocDoc:

Patients first – The company views itself as a social enterprise in the sense that we’re fixing a patient problem, and hopefully patients will reward us with their loyalty and referrals; yes, doctors pay us, but patients are our customers.

Great people – Hire employees who are better than yourself. 

Own it – Everyone should act like an owner. Take days off only when you need to, and expense what you need to as if it were your own money. 

Us before me – Everybody pitches in everywhere. There isn’t a single job at this company that is beneath any one of us. 

Work hard – Our people apply 200% to everything they do. 

Make work fun – If it’s not fun, why are you here? 

Speak up – If an employee disagrees with something we’re doing, I want that employee to tell me. We have smart, high-energy employees, and I want to make sure we get the best ideas out.

HealthEngine Maximises Patient Access To Available Health Care Appointments With Their iPhone App

Over the last few weeks we have been reviewing a number of online health care appointment booking services. If you recall I wrote this handy guide as to what to look for before signing up for any service if you are a health care practitioner.

One online appointment booking service that I have been watching is HealthEngine. Originally a directory listing and online since 2006 HealthEngine has evolved into a comprehensive health appointment marketplace.

With a really solid list of validated credentials such as over 375, 000 visitors every month and ranked by Nielsen as Australia's #1 Health Directory, HealthEngine expanded nationally their online appointment booking service in 2012. The site ranks well with google. They charge practices an affordable fee only for bookings received with no contracts, no set up or hidden fees. Health care practitioners can allow their patients to book with them via the HealthEngine platform as a stand alone service or it can be integrated with any practice management software. Their app for iPhone is discussed below.

What I liked about this service was HealthEngine's strategic approach to growth. Originally a WA service for GP doctor appointment bookings only, this highly targeted localised approach has allowed solid beta testing of the HealthEngine platform before a national roll-out. That's good news for the practitioner, it has been trialed and tested before expansion. Now a national service covering all health care modalities including dentistry and allied health plus of course a really solid GP appointment booking service you will not be wasting your money if you decide to try this service mostly because the site has worked hard to build community or, if you like a thriving marketplace before entering the appointment booking market.

HealthEngine claims they are already unearthing 10,000 appointments a week that might otherwise go unfulfilled — at a time when patients are desperate to get primary care, with recent news reports confirming desperate Doctor shortages in some locations. To date, the site has added the equivalent capacity of 81 full-time doctors across the country since February by posting available appointments, without any additional cost to the health system. 

HealthEngine Medical Director Marcus Tan says state health departments should do more to encourage GPs to list their appointments online and to promote services to patients.

My only constructive criticism is perhaps HealthEngine's social media engagement and story could be harnessed to tell this story given the leadership the site shows. 

Even though it is early days still, my view is HealthEngine is probably leading the pack at this point in the race to be the preferred online health care booking  service.  It will be interesting days ahead as practitioners begin to grasp the power of how online appointment booking services can assist their practice management and most importantly help their patients gain easier access to an appointment with them when it suits.

HealthEngine is free to use for the consumer.

HealthEngine for iPhone
By Dr. Marcus Tan

HealthEngine (http://healthengine.com.au/) is Australia’s most popular online health directory and health appointment marketplace, with 60,000 practitioners and practices listed, and over 225,000 published health appointments to date.

Released just this year, HealthEngine’s free iPhone app leverages the same search technology used on the HealthEngine website, enabling Australians to search for health practitioners and practices by specialties, medical interests, medical procedures, and names. It also allows you to search in your area by tapping into the powerful geolocation functionality on the iPhone and iPod touch.

The app displays everything from names and phone numbers to opening hours and maps for health practitioners and practices listed on HealthEngine’s directory. It’s also a cinch to place a call from the app.

And taking it one step further, with Open Appointments support in the app, you can see which GP practices in your area have available appointments, and book straight in, whenever and wherever in Australia you just happen to be. It’s simple, convenient, and free to use.

With hundreds of bookings being made each day, users are enjoying the convenience that the HealthEngine website and iPhone app have to offer. Macworld has said, “it’s an extremely easy to use app, with a neat user interface that displays all necessary information with clarity.” Apple has also recognised HealthEngine’s iPhone app as one of the top ten free medical apps and “What’s Hot” medical apps on the App Store.

HealthEngine’s iPhone app is free on the App Store. Click here to download the app today.

Disclosure: I have no commercial arrangements with HealthEngine.

GP's Are The Key To Online Appointments Succeeding In Australia

Over the next few days we will review a number of the new online health appointment booking services currently entering the Australian market. As Health Activists we believe this review is necessary to ensure that the best appointment systems enter our healthcare market considering both the practitioner and patient alike.

Today, we share an excellent post written by Dr Calin Pava for Docappointments who gives a valuable insight into the role all online health appointment booking services need to fulfil. It goes far beyond making an appointment and being compared to the convenience of online travel or banking services. Sure, convenience and practice productivity is a win/win for both patient and doctor but as Dr. Calin illustrates so too is continuity of care with your GP. Critical clinical information must be considered or else we are in danger of a new online tool that rather than helping the healthcare system may just hinder it.

Online appointments from a patient’s perspective
By Dr. Calin Pava

Case 1:

A 26-year-old mother with an unwell child at 4am, mother considering her options.

1. Give the child panadol, fluids, and take the child to the Emergency Department.

2. Ring the ambulance, have the paramedics assess the child and may/may not decide to transport the patient to the Emergency Department.

3. Wait until 8.30am and try to ring doctors surgery to get an urgent appointment for the child.

4. Go to the the surgery’s website and make an early appointment with the family doctor. Mother is reassured that she can see the family doctor quickly and doesn’t need to visit the hospital or ring the after hours service.

Case 2:

58-year-old diabetic patient has regular appointments with the family doctor, for review of blood sugar and diabetes management. The patient has an appointment at a given time and date which was made at the time of his previous visit to the surgery. Due to an unforseen circumstance the patient cannot attend the appointment.

1. The patient tries to ring the surgery and discuss with the receptionist to try to get another appointment. Significant time wasted for the patient and receptionist tries to find an alternative appointment time.

2. The patient does not ring, he does not attend the appointment, the doctor loses productive time and the patient misses an opportunity to discuss his condition.

3. The patient goes to the surgery’s web site or accesses online appointments from his iPhone, reviews a number of available appointments, chooses one that is available and convenient, and automatically his appointment is changed to the new time.

Do you have patients who might fit one of these scenarios?

Do your patients have all these options?

In many of these cases, or situations similar to those illustrated above, online appointments have the capacity of providing the patient with reassurance, and easy access to their doctor.

One of the main dangers of patient’s accessing online appointments is fragmentation of care. There is a significant danger that patients will put convenience before quality care, and online appointments could be seen as encouraging doctor shopping. However a properly designed online appointment system will achieve exactly the opposite. The fact that a patient can make an appointment with a specific doctor, can access those appointments easily, will promote doctor and Practice loyalty improving the quality of care that the patient receives.

There is no argument that one of the most important aspects of primary care is the relationship between a patient and their doctor.

As we are on the brink of electronic health records being introduced, the advantages of a patient’s entire health records being provided by one doctor are more evident. Patients who opt for electronic medical records, will be the ones who are interested in taking some responsibility in their health care. In these cases, their relationship with one doctor who will be nominated as the caretaker of their medical records will become even more important.

We firmly believe that the relationship between a patient and their GP should be encouraged and supported by all means possible. A well-designed online appointments system can strengthen this relationship and provide patients with an unprecedented level of convenience. There will be a benefit to the Practice through increased patient loyalty without any risk to the quality of care provided.

Dr Calin Pava

Director

End Post written by guest blogger Dr Pava

What's a Health Activist?

Health Activists are passionate about raising awareness for health causes, dedicated to finding the best information about health conditions, and relentless in their commitment to help others. They are also adept at using every tool possible to reach their communities, especially through social media.

Each Health Activist has a unique story but most start his or her journey with self-education, empowerment, and understanding about a specific health condition. Through personal experience and by eagerly pursuing knowledge of certain conditions and new technologies available, Health Activists share that knowledge with their communities.

Health Activists answer questions, offer resources, and help bring the sense of empowerment they have found in their own lives outward to others. Health Activists work in different spaces, both online and offline. Some Health Activists are content creators, bloggers, or lead forums, while others hold Twitter chats, or record video tutorials. Some Health Activists have started non-profits, are social entrepreneurs, support groups, or awareness campaigns. Some Health Activists have enacted legislation and are a voice for positive change, while others have created something buzzworthy through social media. All Health Activists are: a voice for their condition, devoted to their health communities, and quality leaders.

Listening to health activist buzz is a valuable tool for brands. Listening and acting upon public sentiment concerns will enable your brand to build engagement, trust and loyalty with health activists.

Disclosure: We have no commercial relationships with Docappointments