VR in the OR?: HealthFront 2019 Merges Media, Health, Tech & Other Influencers Will your next doctor be a graduate of the Walmart School of Medicine? Will your appendectomy be performed by Dr. McDreamy or a robot designed by artificial intelligence (AI)? Okay, machines haven’t completely replaced physicians. But earlier this week, Publicis Health Media (PHM) organized the first market-shaping forum, HealthFront, to tackle the challenges facing the healthcare industry by inviting a remarkably impressive lineup of leaders from Verizon, VICE, Disney, Conde Nast and Boston University (just to name a few). The spotlight moment was a live startup competition judged by Dr. Oz, Martha Stewart and tech leaders from Samsung, Google and CNET (more on that later). And the forum took place at the Classic Car Club of Manhattan, no less! Amidst Alfa Romeos, Mustangs and McLarens, I was both intrigued by and honored to cover the 2-day event. Here's what I learned. Burt Kann, Chief Marketing Officer, HealthGrades, during a dynamic presentation about AI, doctors and diagnoses. While the traditional Upfronts and Newfronts are impactful, according to Andrea Palmer, President of PHM, they don’t take on the nuance that is healthcare. “The mission of HealthFront is to bring together thought leaders in technology, healthcare, media as well as other disruptive leaders in order to help the healthcare industry address its own challenges," said Palmer. She added, “"The healthcare media industry is ready for this. We need to think outside the box." Andrea Palmer, President of PHM, kicks off the inaugural HealthFront in New York City. How Tech Can Transform Healthcare The first session, moderated by Lauren Goode, senior writer at WIRED, raised the role of virtual reality (VR) in operating rooms. "Verizon 5G and Medivis are helping neurosurgeons identify and resect brain tumors with laser-like precision,” said Tim Stevens, Vertical Marketing at Verizon Business. Despite tech’s impact, Kelly Nye, Digital Strategy and Development at HCA, underscored the value of 1:1 patient-doctor interactions. “Even tech-savvy individuals want their *first* experience in health care to be with an actual person,” said Nye, based on research at HCA. Audience heads were nodding in agreement. But Brendan Gallagher, Chief Connected Health Officer, PHM, burst the happy bubble. "We will have a HUGE shortage of physicians. So, what consumers want is not what the market can bear.” I certainly agree with Mr. Gallagher’s assessment about the physician shortage. To be precise, however, the U.S. will lack primary carephysicians. While technology may fill some of that gap, I believe a drastic change in reimbursement, work-life balance and a massive investment in prevention will help drive medical students into primary care. Gallagher highlighted the growing impact of the private sector on health. Citing Business Pundit, Gallagher stated: “90% of Americans live within 15 miles of a Walmart. Can any hospital system or university health center say that? If [Walmart] wanted to, they could break the industry over their knee.” The idea of the 3rd-largest retail pharmacy creating its own medical school or hospital isn’t so farfetched. Laura Brown, InStyle, moderating a panel of Badass Women in Healthcare. Badass Women in Healthcare This was certainly an impactful group of female leaders. Moderated by Laura Brown, Editor-in-Chief of InStyle (and badass woman herself), the panel tackled topical issues. “Women excel at creating tribes which serve many roles – support, love, laughter, advice,” said Alison McConnell, PHM’s Chief Marketing Officer. McConnell added: “Systems of gender inequality and poverty prevent women from equal access to healthcare. We know that when women are thriving, communities are pulled out of poverty much faster.” Another impressive panelist and trailblazer was Nancy Davis, Founder of Race to Erase MS. The fierce mother-of-five did not let multiple sclerosis (MS) defeat her. In addition to her foundation’s “Center Without Walls” which links researchers and hospitals nationwide, she emphasized the “need to fight addiction.” This point resonated with me: as an addiction physician, I’ve cared for patients with MS who experience substance use disorders and depression. Treatment works, but we need far more resources. Healthcare on Demand Pete Shalek, Chief Product Officer of AbleTo, understands the need for mental health treatment. In this session, Shalek acknowledged the stigma associated with mental illness. “The best advocates to reduce stigma are people who have struggled with mental illness, got better, and are stronger for it.” AbleTo reaches “silent sufferers” by using teletherapy to reduce barriers, enabling people to get care from home. Disruption Garage: Real-Time Competition for Startups Lion's Den. From L-R: Dr. Mehmet Oz; Natalie Schneider, Samsung; Brian Cooley, CNET; Ryan Olohan, Google; and Martha Stewart. The signature event of the 2-day forum was the Disruption Garage where celebrities and big-tech leaders judged four entrepreneurs (selected from a nationwide search) in a real-time, live competition. The winning startup received $1.5 million in goods and services. Dr. Oz, moderator, judge, host of The Dr. Oz Show and Co-founder of Sharecare, was enthusiastic: “I’m looking forward to sharing the Lion’s Den with technology leaders from Samsung, Google and CNET as well as my friend, Martha Stewart!” In the end, the judges selected Medcorder, an app that securely records conversations during doctor visits for family members. BUT, the audience picked the ultimate winner: Validose, an intranasal drug delivery device designed to reduce medication misuse and accidental overdose. Congratulations, Validose! And the winner is... L-R: Natalie Schneider (Samsung), Marcel Botha (Validose), Martha Stewart, Dr. Oz, Ryan Olohan (obstructed view, Google) and Brian Cooley (CNET). I applaud Mr. Marcel Botha, founder of Validose, for seeking innovative approaches to address the drug overdose epidemic. According to the CDC, >70,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2017, mostly driven by opioids. Despite the massive scale of death, only 10% of Americans with addiction access treatment. We clearly need innovation in this area. While Validose's intranasal device may reduce some accidental overdoses, it does not address the underlying cravings of addiction – I challenge companies to tackle the neurobiology of drug use. Congratulations to the other startups, MOTIV, the world’s smallest fitness-tracking wearable; and Curogram, a secure messaging platform between patients and physicians. Selection to present your innovative ideas at the Disruption Garage is a tremendous accomplishment! Next Generation of Consumer-Driven Health: Community and Well-Being “I learned early in my career to not get too enamored with technology but instead use it as a tool to enhance connections with one another,” said Jeff Arnold, founder of WebMD and Co-Founder of Sharecare, who moderated this panel which focused on access to health resources and environmental influences. Arnold deeply values his relationship with academic medical centers: “Public-private partnerships – such as the one Sharecare has with Boston University – are critical to delivering on the promise of community-driven care.” Jeff Arnold, founder of WebMD, moderates a discussion with Drs. Jay Wohlgemuth and Sandro Galea. Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, Dean of the Boston University School of Public Health and author of Population Health Science – “the gold standard public health textbook”, per Jeff Arnold – discussed the disparity between health spending and outcomes. “The U.S. spends 40% more on healthcare than any other country but has poorer outcomes. What other sector spends that much with such inferior outcomes?" Dr. Galea continued, “A data-driven approach that incorporates social determinants of health will catalyze change.” The Doc with the Dragon Tattoo: From Paternalism to Partnership Power Women. L-R: Andrea Palmer, Jen Mormile, Dr. Esther Choo and Carolyn Kylstra. During the event’s most distinctively-titled panel, Dr. Esther Choo, emergency medicine physician, health policy researcher and a founding member of TIME’S UP Healthcare, said “We want to partner with organizations that include the safety and integrity of their female employees as their primary mission.” Fellow panelist, Carolyn Kylstra, Editor-in-Chief, SELF, discussed the power of celebrities: “They can help normalize medical conditions. Alanis Morrisette recently spoke to SELF about her postpartum depression; her openness reduces stigma.” Healthcare in TV Pop Culture This panel – with heavyweights from Disney, Viacom and NBC – discussed how television can drive meaningful conversations related to health. Health and TV. L-R: Patrick Thomas, Danielle Calnon, Chris Ficarra and Christina Glorioso. Anyone who thinks television is dying, think again. “That’s not the case. Look at This is Us. People ARE consuming a lot of content … just when and where they want,” said Christina Glorioso, SVP, Integrated Marketing, NBC News. “The message needs to be smarter. Relevance and authenticity are key.” According to Chris Ficarra, EVP, Integrated Marketing, Viacom Velocity, "When Tosh.0 shows a video of a young woman changing her colostomy bag, they're humanizing the situation using comedy." [I highly recommend watching the video … kudos ulcerative colitis survivor, Laura Cox!] Ficarra also acknowledged the impact of depression among comedians, and the unique initiative by Comedy Central which partnered with Mental Health First Aid to create Clusterfest, a 3-day comedy festival addressing mental illness in the comedy community. Storytelling was a recurring theme throughout the conference. “No matter the genre, it’s all about storytelling,” said Danielle Calnon, VP, Disney Advertising Sales. Liz Gough, SVP, Accounts, Conde Nast, also emphasized narratives: “We’re creating quality content and investing in longer-form stories and videos, celebrities and health.” Other themes included ways to confront fake news. Kate Lewis, Chief Content Officer, Hearst Magazines: “We have health hubs led by health journalists and overseen by physicians and advisory boards.” * * * I certainly learned a great deal about how other industries (tech, television, marketing, print) think. And while I truly embrace digital applications (EMR, medication apps, etc.), as a practicing physician, I still believe that at the heart of health care is the intimate, one-to-one patient-doctor relationship. While many of the speakers and participants were patients (at some point), very few were doctors. So I reached out to some physicians for their input on issues in healthcare. Dr. Kelly Sennholz, citing a recent Scientific American article, believes society needs to “address crippling medical school debt." The average med school debt, $194,000, is "devastating countless doctors' lives and causing untold expenses to our medical system." Another doctor asked: "Why is the physician shortage not being addressed? Do these companies really believe physicians will be replaced by AI?" It’s impossible to cover *every* challenge faced by the complex healthcare industry. But HealthFront tackled several. In this tech-filled era of apps and AI, we need forums like HealthFront to bring people together to exchange ideas, hash out problems and think differently...IRL. The power of in-person human interaction cannot be underestimated. I look forward to the next HealthFront - which Ms. Palmer assures will happen - and hopefully with representation from physicians, nurses and social workers; as well as housing, addiction, criminal justice and mental health. Health, after all, directly and indirectly impacts ALL facets of society. Doctors on a Mission: Esther Choo, MD, MPH and Lipi Roy, MD, MPH. Human connections are quintessential. Dr. Choo observed, "In my circles, physicians are dying to speak to media. But I also hear media folks are eager to meet doctors. We need to throw a party to get us all in the same room!" Invite me to that party, Esther. I'll bring a bunch of diverse, engaging and (tech-) savvy friends ... armed with our stethoscopes and stealth wearables!
