From an Island of Technology to a Community that Communicates
Friday, October 2nd, 2009
I have recently returned from the DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance’s annual trade association meeting in San Diego and have had time to reflect on what I saw and learned. By way of background for those not familiar with the Care Continuum Alliance’s Annual Forum, this meeting assembles arguably the best and most established companies and thought leaders in the field of chronic disease and wellness. No, not necessarily policy wonks, nor highly published academic researchers. But rather the folks who over the past decade have built a multi-billion dollar industry from scratch while improving the lives of countless individuals and the profitability of their customers.
As a newly appointed member of The Care Continuum Alliance’s board, I am humbled by the great minds working together to solve our healthcare crisis. In years past, I have witnessed many call-outs of the problem and seen many potential solutions arise. Notably, one major element has been missing from the solution — collaboration. This year is different. I walked away with the sense that our industry is finally in agreement that change is needed – that what has been is not sustainable in the future – and that collaboration is the key to that change. I also walked away with the keen sense that the DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance is a catalyst to help us move in that direction.
I am excited for the work ahead of me and The Care Continuum Alliance’s board as we help guide this movement.There were three other key themes that marked this year’s meeting, which I’d like to explore. These themes, to an outside observer, might seem unrelated in many ways. But my sense is that taken together, they represent an important milestone in the healthcare industry, perhaps even a pattern – one that appears to represent nothing short of a seismic shift. Read the rest of this entry →
