#SXSW, #HIMSS13 and Healthcare Innovation

First posted on Educate the Young

This has been, and still is, an exciting week for those focused on healthcare innovation as it relates to the evolving landscape of health information technology (#HIT), mobile health (#mhealth), content delivery/design and interactive media.

First posted on Educate the Young

by Eric Topol MD

First up? The Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS), just closed their annual conference, HIMSS13, which included high-profile keynote speakers such as former President Bill Clinton and Dr. Eric Topol. Clinton, who has spent $3B on human genome research according to HIMSS moderator Dr. Todd Husty, is now working in similar circles as long-time personalized and mobile health proponent, and Creative Destruction of Medicine author, Eric Topol.

Mobile technology also took center stage, as sales of mobile devices are now outpacing that of desk and laptop computers. The increasing capabilities of mobile devices to help patients self-monitor their health miles from a doctor’s office further empowers patients with ownership of their own data. Both tablets and cell phones continue to play a larger role in all areas of healthcare–from monitoring to diagnosing on through care delivery. Here is an update from the HIMSS13 conference center floor in New Orleans:

And SXSW kicks off this week! From its humble beginnings as a music festival in Austin, TX with 700 attendees in 1994, SXSW has now grown to almost 32,000 international attendees, and includes film and interactive media contingents as well. The conference with a festival atmosphere starts today.

This year, an ever-increasing presence of companies and individuals involved in health tech start-ups and serious games for health will share time and space with top venture capitalists along with healthcare and tech stakeholders. Rock Health, a start-up incubator for health tech companies lists their top 6 SXSW health related sessions to include:

Reimagining Health, Technology and Design – Saturday, 3/9, 12:30pm
Does Scale Matter In Healthcare? – Sunday, 3/10, 3:30pm
Damn the Man! Disrupting Regulated Industries – Monday, 3/11, 12:30pm
The Rise of the Impact Entrepreneur – Tuesday, 3/12, 9:30am
The Future of Personalized Medicine – Tuesday, 3/12, 11am
Out With the Old: Disrupting the Home Care Market – Tuesday, 3/12, 3:30pm

I am so very fortunate to be covering SXSW this year. The only challenge will be getting to all the great sessions, as meetings this rich truly make one wish for time travel to be a reality. Tops on my list for the next few days include: