Robert Jarrin, senior director of government affairs at Qualcomm, gave a general overview of a service called 2net, a medical data system installed in the homes of patients with chronic conditions to monitor their health. By communicating automatically with other devices, 2net remotely provides doctors, (and even relatives) with up-to-the-moment diagnostics. Like Gordon's Telemedicine team, 2net solves distance problems, but Jarrin cites two key reasons why it isn't catching on: "Doctors are not running to adopt these innovative digital technologies because they don't understand them, and because the reimbursement mechanisms that exist today are not very hospitable to these things."



Interoperability

One of the biggest concerns for health professionals is ensuring that new technologies used by one hospital will be compatible with the technology used by another. Much like an interstate with a uniform set of on-ramps and off-ramps, medical information needs to move freely across the entire country, if not the world, according to panelists.

"The challenge is recognizing that there's this future that will require flexible platforms that allow everyone in, irrespective of finance, race, or geography," says DeSalvo. "We must make it as equitable as possible, but also do it in a way that is private, secure, and sustainable."

Almost ten years after Hurricane Katrina, the rising number of EHRs continues to indicate that a better system is ultimately its own reward. "The average smartphone today," said Jarrin, "has more computing power than Apollo 11 did when it reached the moon." When it comes to integrating technology into more effective health care, it seems the sky is the limit.

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