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20/20 Healthcare Conference to discuss how patients can
be better informed
Press Release, 4 October, 2012
The use of mobile devices and the internet to help provide a greater
level of patient care is a subject that will be looked at in detail
at the national 20/20 Healthcare Conference, which will be taking
place from 18 to 20 October at The Ritz-Carlton. In addition, the
audience will also hear about ways in which healthcare providers can
provide the highest quality care for patients and innovations in the
way these quality levels can be measured.
Following this year’s conference theme ‘Patient-Centred Care: Achieving
Quality Outcomes’, award-winning broadcast journalist, Barbara Ficarra,
who is a leading voice in healthcare social media, will be analysing
the overall topic of the rise of digital technology for better patient
engagement. Dr Lawrence Friedman is Professor of Paediatrics and Medicine
at the University of California, San Diego and he will also be presenting
at the conference, looking specifically at defining quality outcomes
from the patient, provider and payer perspective, as well as looking
at some of the innovations that are driving quality improvements and
quality measurement of healthcare services.
Ms Ficarra, who is President of Barbara Ficarra Productions, says
that the concept of digital technology is a powerful tool in the provision
of a modern healthcare service. “Digital technology is patient-centric
and consumer driven,” she says. “The internet via social networking
platforms, mHealth and telemedicine are changing the health care landscape.”
Digital technology includes the concept of ‘mHealth’ or mobile health,
which means the practice of medicine and public health supported by
mobile devices - such as mobile phones, tablet computers and PDAs
- for health services and information. It also includes the use of
health apps, gaming and telemedicine.
Ms Ficarra, who is a freelance writer, medical blogger, speaker, health
educator and a featured writer for The Huffington Post, is on the
front lines of health care as a registered nurse. She is an administrative
supervisor for at a large university medical centre and covers multiple
medical and surgical units, critical care, oncology, cardiology, psychiatric
unit, women’s and children’s services, and emergency trauma department.
Dr Friedman says that healthcare and how it is provided is evolving
now more rapidly than any other time in history.
“Scientific knowledge is progressing at a pace that challenges providers
to keep up with all the latest discoveries. From the patient perspective
there has never been so much medical information so readily and easily
accessible. As knowledge changes and patients have more information
at their disposal, payers, including insurance companies and government
agencies, are also trying to understand the model of healthcare delivery
that provides the best care at the best “value” for themselves and
for the populations they cover,” he explains.
Dr Friedman, whose main responsibility includes medical directorship
of a large faculty practice and oversight of ambulatory quality and
safety, managed care and ambulatory clinical practices, says that
at the centre of all these themes is the goal of providing the best
quality of health care in a manner that is best suited for the individual
patients and their circumstances.
Jennifer Ahearn, Chief Officer in the Ministry of Health, Environment,
Youth, Sports & Culture, says that conference delegates will be
able to glean the very latest information on such crucial aspects
of healthcare provision.
“We see the future of healthcare in the Cayman Islands as one that
puts the patient at the centre of the equation. Dr Friedman and Ms
Ficarra, who are both leading experts in their field, will be speaking
on subjects that will help us reach our goals when it comes to defining
Cayman’s healthcare policy. We are extremely grateful to them for
their commitment to present at this year’s 20/20 Healthcare Conference,”
she says.
In conjunction with the Ministry of Health, other sponsors include
Premium Plus sponsor Tenet Health, Health Services Authority, Tower
Marketing, AIS, Admiral Administration, Health City Cayman Islands,
Chrissie Tomlinson Memorial Hospital, 21st Century Oncology, Johns
Hopkins Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cerner, BritCay, Jackson Memorial
International, University of California-San Diego Health System, Simplifi,
LIME, Sunshine Suites, Cayman Airways and the Caymanian Compass.
The conference is free and open to the public and everybody who is
interested in healthcare in the Cayman Islands is encouraged to attend
and enjoy the exciting topics and lively discussion that will be presented.
For more information or to register visit www.healthcareconference.ky.
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