Health tech studio brings physicians and entrepreneurs together

Photo credit: AMA/Grudzinski The studio is fitted with interactive monitors that can be used for demonstrations and videoconferencing.

The American Medical Association's (AMA) Interaction Studio at health technology incubator MATTER in Chicago started off a space where doctors and designers could come together and imagine the patient exam room of the future. Now that the 450-sq. ft. space has finally opened, it's clear that the concept has turned into something more.

Photo credit: AMA/Grudzinski A representative demonstrates a 3-D imaging device that provides immersive virtual holographic experiences for educational and research purposes.

Photo credit: AMA/Grudzinski Entrepreneur holds mock interview to demonstrate a new electronic health record technology.

The new studio launched Nov. 4 with areas that mimic a waiting room, an office space and an exam area. Members of the tech incubator can test and demonstrate new technologies to learn how their products operate in real time within these simulated spaces, allowing them to make informed design tweaks before launching into the health care market.

"It is incredibly valuable for health care entrepreneurs to have access to physicians as they build their products, technologies and business," says Steven Collens, MATTER chief executive officer. "The AMA Interaction Studio enables entrepreneurs and clinicians to collaborate with each other in a real-world, technology-enabled environment to accelerate the development of meaningful new solutions to improve health and health care."

Designed by architecture firm HDR and built by Turner Construction, the studio includes advanced video and audio technologies for virtual demonstrations and also features immersive 3-D projection and virtual holographic displays.

Herman Miller provided much of the furniture and Midmark supplied next-generation exam room equipment, including an exam chair with a built-in scale and blood pressure monitor that can send data to an electronic health record. MATTER and the AMA worked with Johnson Controls and Rex Electric & Technologies to design the studio's current technology infrastructure and anticipate its future needs.

"Physicians and entrepreneurs are both passionate about transforming health care and, by working in tandem, they can advance innovations that make the health system work better for everyone," says AMA CEO and Executive Vice President James L. Madara, M.D. "The capabilities of the AMA Interaction Studio allow entrepreneurs to connect, in person and virtually, with a broad range of physicians to get a deeper understanding of the key challenges in patient care that can be resolved with advances in technology."