On the basis of a comment made on the blog I followed up on this 1 hour YouTube presentation during the week. It really was more than worthwhile to do so!
Professor John Mattick: Digital Economy of Precision Medicine - Wednesday 15 February 2017
Uploaded on Feb 14, 2017
It was a pleasure to welcome Professor John Mattick to our Agency today to deliver our first Grand Rounds: Lunch and Learn seminar. Professor Mattick is one of Australia’s leading lights in Health and Medical Research and internationally renowned for his pioneering work in the field of genomics. He takes us on a fascinating journey of genomics, and the possibilities that are being unlocked in our new era of precision medicine. His talk challenges us to look ahead and consider how we can build our digital health services and technologies to transform the practice of medicine and our health economy.
Here is the link:
As I listened, feeling grateful to my university teachers that I had the background to understand most of what was discussed, it struck me just how new much of what was being discussed actually was. While the domain experts may have been all over most of what was being discussed five years ago a decade ago most was just a twinkle of scientific hope.
This inevitably made me reflect on other technology changes we have seen in the last decade – remember the iPhone is still to turn 10 – and wonder just what the next 10 to 20 years will bring.
In parallel with this I have been keeping an eye on the HIMSS conference which was happening last week in the USA. Now I know the IBM CEO is talking her own book but it is pretty clear there is something real happening here.
IBM CEO Ginni Rometty: Cognitive era is 'a profoundly hopeful moment in time'
Big Blue also announced value-based care solutions, Watson Health consulting services and a partnership with Atrius Health.
By Tom Sullivan
February 20, 2017 11:27 AM
ORLANDO — IBM chief executive Ginni Rometty on Monday said that cognitive computing technologies could usher in a golden era for personalized and precision medicine.
“We’re in a moment when we can actually transform pieces of healthcare. It’s within our power,” Rometty said here during the HIMSS17 keynote. “This era that will play out in front of us can change the world for the better.”
Big Blue also announced value-based care solutions, new Watson Health consulting services, and an agreement with Atrius Health to integrate cognitive capabilities into EHRs to deliver insights clinicians can use when treating patients at the point of care.
Rometty pointed to work already underway at Memorial Sloan Kettering and Cleveland Clinic to advance cognitive computing, though she did not name former partner MD Anderson, after a report surfaced yesterday in Forbes that the cancer center put its Watson oncology work on hold and, instead, will go out to the marketplace for competitive bids.
Lots more here:
This useful review of the AI area also appeared a few days ago.
Laura’s Digital disruptors: healthcare gets smart on AI
Digital Health News reporter Laura Stevens explores how the brave new world of artificial intelligence is now being applied to healthcare, the huge potential opportunities and the new ethical and privacy challenges it raises.
20 February 2017
The unsettling yet fascinating power of artificial intelligence is a favourite dystopian trope for film-makers. From robots taking over the world to falling in love with an operating system, the future seems to be disconcertingly jam packed full with this particular technology.
However, stepping back from Hollywood into the world of the NHS, how much do these fantastic scenarios relate to healthcare reality?
Firstly, while it may not be a mature technology, AI is definitely not a tool from the future; it’s in use right now by allowing researchers to compute vast amounts of data and replicating clinicians’ professional opinions.
The computational power of AI has been demonstrated in dermatology, cardiology and cancer research, where its analysis has provided an unbiased support to clinical opinion.
Secondly, there are huge challenges facing the introduction of this cutting edge technology into the health service, from creaky IT infrastructure, unverified data and patient data confidentiality.
Lots more here:
Now I am not smart enough to know what is next, but it seems pretty clear that Genomics, AI and so on are going to have a major impact – and likely sooner ( less than 5 years) rather than later I believe. Thus it would be very valuable if the ADHA released its ‘Impact Of New and Emerging Technology Scan’ for discussion well before the Digital Health Strategy is released as we need as much input as possible to make sure we cover as many bases as possible as the way forward is considered. I seriously doubt the ADHA boffins know it all in this domain!
One can only hope that a step like this might actually lift the present low confidence expressed by readers of this blog in the overall process as reflected by last week’s poll.
David.
To my eyes, the ADHA or in reality the Departments Strategy is a vague road map to the distant contours of some collective giant fraud, a blind man's guide to feeling the elephant. This however speaks volumes but is so distant from the Agency conversation or at least the conversation from some quarters.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting David, there is hope yet.
With respect David surely you realise they need to focus of getting some basics in place and working which have the capacity to develop traction with and and engage consumers and their health service providers. The future is wonderful, aspirational and loaded with hype. The future will arrive all in good time and ADHA can pick up on it then. At present it is just another distraction best avoided but monitored by all means.
ReplyDeleteI disagree. The quality of the ADHA's insights in this area will give us a good handle on the quality of their planning.
ReplyDeleteDavid.
Surely you know more than enough about the quality of their planning by now!! If you are lacking evidence a truckload of futuristic insights isn't the answer. Status quo of their current documentation is the answer - else I suggest you are just another dreamer with your "oh what a feeling" feet well off the ground.
ReplyDeleteI live in hope that there will be some serious quality work out of the planning process and the Technology Scan will tell me a great deal. Maybe it won't help you but I can't change that!
ReplyDeleteTake it from me - after 10 years of watching the nonsense from NEHTA etc. - I am pretty hard nosed these days - no dreamer here!
David.
The future state is a distraction? Let's just fix everything the PCEHR blocked progress on?
ReplyDeleteIf we are not ensuring policy, designs and standards are created during this current state, to ensure we can move to a new state then fixing stuff is actually counterproductive. It is clear we are heading in this direction, I am more interested in what intellectual and architectural capabilities ADHA is building to support the future otherwise close shop now and let the US and NZ sort us out.
There will only be two meaningful, but useless, initiatives in the ADHA strategy.
ReplyDelete1. Keep on going with the MyHR (Tim's mate is being brought out from the UK just to do this) even it it means pouring money into something that is basically flawed.
2. Make MyHR opt-out. (blind faith is a wonderful driver. GPs said they might use MyHR if more people had one - Health believed them, not realising that it was just a handy reason for GPs to ignore it)
5:44pm you forgot secure messaging, oh wait secure messaging cancels those two out.
ReplyDeleteThey'll do all three, but as another commenter said, SMD is just digital faxing. Not exactly revolutionary.
ReplyDelete