I am honored to be invited to discuss the EndoGoddess app use for diabetes in the Hispanic community at the National Hispanic Medical Association 16th Annual Conference in DC with a White House briefing appearance as well! Please let me know what YOU think would make the EndoGoddess app most impactful for the Hispanic community. Of course changing the content to Spanish, but what else? As of today, the content is not the primary feature of the EndoGoddess app that users find the most helpful.
He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help. -Abraham Lincoln
I just returned from our nation's beautiful capitol city where I had the honor of attending The Center For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) first ever Care Innovations Summit. The event, in collaboration with The West Wireless Health Institute and Health Affairs, was designed to facilitate dialogue and drive action towards better care and better health at lower cost through continuous improvement. In otherwords, bringing people together to move beyond complaining about the broken healthcare system to fixing it, and fixing it with compassion and the innovative American spirit.
Top CMS administrator Marilyn Tavenner started the day by sharing a little bit of her first hand experience with our broken healthcare system as a mother to her daughter with type 1 diabetes. Talented endocrine surgeon, writer, public health researcher, and health policy rockstar Atul Gawande MD, MPH then took the stage and discussed how 'high healthcare costs are destroying American prosperity and the American dream'. He then discussed how upon facing similar large national challenges in the past, our nation solved problems with uniquely American solutions and innovations. Todd Park, Chief Technology Officer, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, used his inspiring 'mojo' to underscore this point by concluding: “There is no problem that Americans can’t invent themselves out of…transformation driven by a tide of grassroots innovation mojo has already begun.”
The remainder of the event showcased mainly health IT technology and program-based innovations on the ''frontlines of healthcare' (primary care payment reform models, health IT care coordination innovations, public-private weight loss programs, and patient-centered cancer care innovations). Although very few mobile innovations were discussed, the lessons learned were still applicable. Additionally, several public-private funding mechanisms (or challenges) were announced so as to be the way that new ideas are made into reality. I am personally excited about the Sanofi Data Design Diabetes Challenge Innovation Challenge and plan on entering the contest. By clicking on the link, all patients, caregivers, and diabetes healthcare professionals (ie anyone affected by diabetes), can submit their opinions on what they would most like to see in diabetes-related care innovations. After this 'crowdsourcing', the innovations that win the challenge will be those that address these democratic concerns...completely American, and in the best way possible if you ask me!
While riding home on the DC Metro (which I love), I pondered all of the inspiration I heard and felt that day. As a mobile health entrepreneur, a physician, a patient, and an American, I am very proud of the leadership and enthusiasm that our federal govenrment is providing to facilitate changes that will make healthcare better. This leadership is crucial to the funding, implementation, and adoption success for all mobile health efforts and requires our public support. So, I say, way to go CMS!!! :)
Diabetes has been in the news quite a bit this week with Paula Deen's recent type 2 diabetes declaration and last night's MTV True Life: I Have Diabetes.
I have been tracking and participating in the discussions with the diabetes online community (DOC) via social media on my mobile phone. The primary message that the diabetes online community has been one of noting that the suffering that goes with a chronic disease like diabetes is inevitable but 'You are not alone'. They have also noted that helping each other helps themselves as mentioned here on twitter upon noting the daily struggles of having diabetes in the MTV True Life piece:
When the conversation is healing, as the diabetes online community clearly shouts that it is, mobile health platforms that allow continuation of the conversation become medicine. I am hopeful that by increased recognition, mobile health and 'social medicine' for chronic diseases, like diabetes, will be as common as cough drops and Vicks vapor rub for the common cold...but MUCH more healing!
I am soooooo excited to be asked to speak in Paris in May 2012 at Doctors 2.0 on how social media, web 2.0, and mobile applications are impacting healthcare. New communities, new services, new tools, mobile apps are extending the reach of professionals and patients, raising both opportunities and challenges which will be discussed....from the doctor and patient point of view.
These 10 questions and more will be covered at Doctors 2.0 in 2012:
What do we know about e-patient experiences and Doctors 2.0?
Which healthcare social media campaigns by pharma, government, and hospitals work?
Where are we with regulatory and legal?
What do new patient communities look like? What is new with PatientsLikeMe? How are their European counterparts developing?
What is the Quantified Self movement and how does it impact chronic disease?
What is new in online consultation?
Which mobile applications are popular with professionals and also patients?
How do online communities engage physicians in Emerging Markets, North America, Europe?
How is Med Ed changing as a result of Mobile Apps, Social Media and online communities?
Should you be considering 3D video or Serious Games?
