HX360 conference covers new IT technology, need for partnerships

PHOTO BY OSCAR & ASSOCIATES The need for collaboration on new health care technology is discussed by (left) Steven Collens, CEO, MATTER, and J.B. Pritzker, co-founder and managing partner, Pritzker Group, both of Chicago.

A changing health care system has created opportunities for new health care technology and organizations that can foster tech innovations.

With this as a backdrop, the first-ever HX360 conference was held in concert with the annual Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference in Chicago in April to explore development of new technologies for health care.

HX360 keynote presentations and educational sessions covered a range of topics, including telemedicine, use of data analytics to improve clinical workflow and patient care, improving the technology innovation process, reducing physician administrative tasks and more.

It also focused on the importance of collaborations. For instance, J.B. Pritzker, co-founder and managing partner, Pritzker Group, Chicago, and Steven Collens, CEO of MATTER, a new health tech startup center and community of HIT entrepreneurs and innovators based in Chicago, discussed the importance of collaboration among large, established companies and startups to develop health care technology.

At a panel discussion on telemedicine, Richard Boxer, M.D., and chief medical officer at Pager, a mobile health care app developer, said telehealth provides about 100,000 consultations for patients each month in the United States. He predicts that could grow to 80 million a month.

“The sky is the limit for telehealth,” he said. “It will revolutionize health care.”

The conference also featured an Innovation Pavilion on the HIMSS15 show floor with more than 250 companies showcasing new health care technology.

The HX360 conference successfully created “a new platform to promote innovation and advance personal connected health technologies that are changing care delivery and engaging individuals in managing their health and wellness,” says Rich Scarfo, vice president, Personal Connected Health Alliance at HIMSS.

HX360 was co-developed by HIMSS and AVIA, Chicago, a provider-led health care technology accelerator.