Porter Research RSS Feed http://porterresearch.com/ http://www.porterresearch.com/Resource_Center/Blog_News/Blog/2012/May/Start_Up_Blog.html May 9, 2012
Most in healthcare, particularly healthcare IT, have heard the term "disruptive innovation" or "disruptive innovator," referring to the creation and adoption of a new technology or process that is at first disruptive to workflows, but later can't be lived without. (Apple products and the intuitive interfaces they've created immediately come to mind, of course.) Mobile health technologies (often integrating said Apple devices) are just beginning to move from disruptive to begrudgingly adopted. Heck, some providers would probably lump electronic medical records into this category, with an emphasis on "begrudgingly."

These types of innovations typically come from small businesses - some technically start-ups, of which healthcare IT seems to have no shortage of right now. The healthcare industry seems to look to these folks to continue the uphill battle of advancing healthcare.

So then is it impossible for a large, established company to remain agile and innovative? Or does its very success preclude it from continuing to develop game-changing products? Or, as Philip Chuang, Director of Information Services at Sutter Health, so eloquently (and succinctly) put it during a recent #HITsm tweet chat, does a company have "to get to the edge of oblivion to change their thinking?" Does a company like Allscripts have to undergo a complete shakeup before it returns to the core values of offering customers products they aren't yet aware they can't live without?

A recent comment on the Allscripts fall out at HISTalk.com puts it plainly: "I hope Allscripts takes advantage of the stock plunge to go for it ... maybe an Allscripts shakeup was what was needed to invigorate them to take a bolder view of the future."

It's certainly not impossible for large and typically successful companies to remain innovative - the aforementioned Apple, plus IBM, P&G and Xerox Healthcare all come to mind - but most would definitely consider it a challenge. Porter Research has been fortunate to work with several, including Nuance, CareFusion, Elsevier, CareTech and Availity.

As start-ups and small businesses win innovation prizes and graduate from accelerator programs like Rock Health, Health Box and NY Digital Health, it will be interesting to see how they fare. Will they grow into larger, more mature businesses that continue to make innovation a top priority, such as those above? Will they choose to become acquired by another organization that shares their vision? Or will they lose their way and quietly (or very publicly) flame out?

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What small businesses do you see leading the way in innovation? What larger businesses have retained a competitive edge through their innovation efforts? Please share your comments via the discussion going on now at the Healthcare Intelligence Hub group on LinkedIn.



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]]> http://www.porterresearch.com/Resource_Center/Blog_News/Blog/2012/April/mHealth.html April 22, 2012
To be sure, it's an exciting time to be in healthcare IT. But nowhere is this truer than in the fast-growing area of mHealth technology.

While still in an embryonic state, the mHealth market holds great promise. By 2017, global mHealth revenue is expected to reach $23 billion across mobile operators, device vendors, healthcare providers and content/application players, according to a recent report by GSMA.

But which of the thousands of innovative new technologies that come on to the market every year will become tomorrow's mHealth stars? After scanning the exploding universe of mHealth, here are five mHealth solutions that are among the most innovative and promising technologies worth watching:

1. iTriage. Two emergency medicine physicians founded iTriage with a goal of helping people answer two common questions asked by patients who show up in emergency rooms across the country: "What could be wrong?" and "Where should I go for treatment?" Their resulting iTriage app is helping millions of consumers make informed healthcare choices by providing information on hospitals' specialties and expected ED wait times. Patients can use a customizable form to send basic information to the hospital about their emergency before they even arrive.

2. DigitalShare™. This T-System solution allows clinicians to document patient encounters on familiar paper templates with the flexibility and efficiency that only a paper and pen can provide. But behind the scenes, data is captured through advanced technology, resulting in clinical and process feedback and reports comparable to an electronic health record. DigitalShare's real-time alerts, dashboards and reporting tools enable clinicians and administrators to make smart decisions to improve operational efficiency and care quality. Lehigh Valley Health Network is using the mobile technology to treat drivers and fans on site at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Penn.

3. CONi. At the recent HIMSS conference, GlobalMed unveiled a new enterprise cloud solution that delivers visible and invisible light medical images to any Internet-connected computer, tablet or smartphone. This innovative solution gives physicians on-the-go access to medical images as soon as they are available.

4. AirStrip CARDIOLOGY. Imagine combining wireless mobile transmission of electrocardiograms (ECGs) with the ease of a touch screen and access to historical data into one solution. AirStrip CARDIOLOGY does all three things to help cardiologists make quicker, more informed care decisions. When it comes to heart patients, faster "door-to-balloon" time can greatly improve clinical outcomes and reduce lengths of stay.

5.  Voxiva. This global pioneer taps the power of mobile technology to help people kick the smoking habit, control their diabetes and make better daily decisions to improve their health. For example, to help combat the United States' high infant mortality rate, Voxiva started the Text4baby service to deliver health information in English and Spanish language SMS texts to pregnant women and new moms. The service has been such a big hit that the company is helping launch a similar program in Russia.

Whether helping improve patient outcomes or enabling providers to deliver faster, more effective care, mHealth technologies have the potential to revolutionize healthcare. With consumers hungry for health information and providers equally eager to improve outcomes and reduce healthcare costs, 2012 could wind up being the Year of mHealth.

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Stephen Hau is President & CEO of Shareable Ink, which helps healthcare organizations transition from paper documentation to to electronic data with no disruption to workflow.



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]]> http://www.porterresearch.com/Resource_Center/Blog_News/Blog/2012/April/Innovationx_a_Healthcare_CIOxs_Biggest_Headachex.html April 12, 2012
As innovation - whether that be a new electronic medical record (EMR), physicians bringing their own devices to work, or joining an accountable care organization (ACO) - slowly becomes adapted to, the aforementioned negatives become short-lived, ultimately turning into increased operational efficiencies and cost effectiveness, better clinical outcomes, and happier staff and patients.   

Healthcare CIOs are nothing if not cautious when it comes to getting from point A - implementing innovative healthcare IT - to point B - truly adopting it. In studies Porter Research fielded late last year on adopting ACOs and enterprise analytics, we found the majority of healthcare executives surveyed were firmly in the information gathering/due diligence phases of adoption. They all realize the important role implementation of these emerging business models and technologies will have on their clinical, financial and operational outcomes, but want to adopt them in a way that not only fits with the culture - and budget - of their facilities, but also provides the foundational elements to support healthcare reform as it evolves.

Tim Stack, President and CEO of Piedmont Healthcare, put it very succinctly at a recent Business to Business Magazine Healthcare CEO Roundtable in Atlanta: "The fee-for-service model is dead. The only problem is the obituary hasn't been written yet." Providers see the innovative writing on the wall, and are working, slowly but surely, on turning their run-ins with innovation into true cultural and clinical change.

Stack's colleague, President and CEO of Grady Memorial Hospital John Haupert, was a vocal advocate of the benefits Grady is realizing from its Epic EMR. The hospital's ability to share data with other caregivers has been transformational. Now, Haupert added, Grady just needs to get more caregivers in on the exchange.

Hospital executives like those in Atlanta realize that getting together at roundtables or events like the Healthcare IT Summit and discussing how they are implementing innovative HIT is a first step in adopting innovation. Stack also made the point that there has to be some personal responsibility on the part of executives to take control of these implementations from a leadership perspective, because "you want skin in the game."

It was also advised that healthcare executives embrace innovation by trying 10 new products or solutions each year. While the intent to embrace innovation is a noble one, leaders should be just as capable in quickly realizing and jettisoning those that are not a good fit for their organization.

No matter what happens on the Hill in the coming months regarding ACOs; or deadlines relating to ICD-10, HIPAA 5010 or Meaningful Use; providers have to be ready and more importantly, willing. Innovation in healthcare is here to stay.

Editor's Note: This blog originally appeared in the Healthcare IT Strategies e-newsletter, a UBM Channel publication.



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]]> http://www.porterresearch.com/Resource_Center/Blog_News/Blog/2012/April/A_Top_Vendor_List_by_Any_Other_Name_Just_Isnxt_as_Sweet_xor_Valuablex.html April 12, 2012
Though some may be a bit fluffy, and gloss over industry goings-on that insiders are all too aware of, many provide true value - insight into the direction healthcare is taking, and kudos to its biggest (and sometimes overlooked) players.

The key to readers gleaning this value is understanding the process by which the list is put together, and knowing whether a list has been compiled annually for 20-plus years (a sure sign of reliable, fact-checked information) or just once (possibly a sign that the sponsoring organization may need a little more information-gathering experience under its belt). Did a marketing or public relations company put the list together? Then chances are it may not survive the yearlong bookshelf residence more venerated lists do.

These considerations become more apparent as the Porter Research team works with Healthcare Informatics to put together its annual ranking of the 100 vendors with the highest revenues derived from healthcare products and services, the HCI 100. Healthcare Informatics has published its list for nearly 20 years, and has had the good fortune to partner over the last few years with the folks at ST Advisors in its preparation.

Combining Healthcare Informatics' reputation and integrity as a publication of editorial excellence, ST Advisors' current experience as advisors to the HIT industry and past experience in the equity analyst and investment banker worlds, and Porter's 20-plus years of experience in healthcare, means that this year's list will be one to hang onto well into 2012.

Having been in the industry for this long, having crunched the numbers for revenue rankings for a few years now, Porter is well aware of the value readers continue to place upon revenue. As mergers, acquisitions, IPOs, and even closures continue to make the news, revenue stands out as a reliable indicator of a company's true position.

Healthcare people are not risk-takers in the financial sense. They like to have a reference, to know a company will be around. Revenue gives them a sense of security that the referenced company will stay around. As any good businessman (or woman) knows, companies don't grow revenue unless the have good people, good products and good delivery - often in that order. Lists may be all about the numbers, but their value is really all about how they came to be.

Accuracy and true industry insight is in everything Porter does, including the popular "list."



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]]> http://www.porterresearch.com/Resource_Center/Blog_News/Blog/2012/March/Transforming_Long-Term_Care_via_Mobile_Health.html March 21, 2012
In a 2010 member survey, the AARP found nearly 75% of Baby Boomers polled would prefer to remain in their homes as long as possible.  Aging-in-place, as it is known, is extremely popular among the elderly.  However, the challenges of ensuring a safe environment with proper access to medical care in the home can be daunting.  To combat these challenges, a variety of recent technological innovations in the telemedicine and at-home care fields have put the dream of aging-in-place in reach for a much greater share of the elder population.

Technological innovations in care have made it increasingly possible for the elderly to balance their medical needs with their desire for freedom. The GrandCare monitoring tool provides a comprehensive care management system for in-home use, combining functions such as blood pressure monitoring, safety controls and even controls for social activities into a single user-friendly platform.  Microsoft HealthVault, known by many in healthcare for its personal health record functionality, is another online resource that provides the elderly with the tools they need to manage their care. It provides compatible medical devices, applications that assist with medication, and even remote monitoring capabilities so family and caregivers may check an elder's status at any time. 

Telemedicine advances have also created new opportunities for the elderly to remain at home.  Skype has already been employed by elderly patients who wish to reach healthcare professionals when distance is an obstacle.  For diagnosis and prevention, eTime's home endoscope and WebcamMD's USB camera can provide physicians with a close up view of any body part in real time for fast, accurate diagnoses.  And medical researchers have even used Bluetooth technology to recently improve access to emergency medical assistance for the elderly.  Recent research in Inderscience's "International Journal of Electronic Healthcare" describes a new device capable of measuring electrical signals from the heart, analyzing them to produce an electrocardiogram and then sending a text message alert to the local hospital if medical attention is required.  Patients who would have been required to remain in hospitals for observation following a heart attack can now return to their homes and continue their lives instead.

Telemedicine and care-based technology are already demonstrating a potential to revolutionize how the elderly are cared for, and even more innovations may soon be within reach.  The timing of these developments could not be more apropos, as the long-term care industry braces itself for the coming wave of retiring boomers.  With luck, these new technological leaps in care will not only aid caregivers with their coming demands but also allow an ever-greater contingent of the elderly to remain at home through their golden years.  



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]]> http://www.porterresearch.com/Resource_Center/Blog_News/Blog/2012/March/The_FDA_Gets_in_on_the_Healthcare_Analytics_Act.html March 7, 2012
In 2007, FDA's Science Board concluded that the agency's IT systems were obsolete, unstable and inadequate to fulfill its mandate to oversee food, drugs and medical devices. Since that time, the FDA has taken steps forward in an effort to modernize its IT. Among various initiatives, the FDA has earmarked funding for IT infrastructure to enable interoperability of regulatory data sharing across the agency's program areas.

The FDA relies on science that is more data-centric, complex and collaborative than ever before. Many stakeholders and multidisciplinary groups are engaged in this important work. To enable these diverse and geographically disparate groups to successfully leverage large quantities of data requires a commitment to technological innovation. To harness the potential of information sharing and data mining, the FDA has been rebuilding its IT and data analytics capabilities with the intention of creating science enclaves that will allow for the analysis of large, complex datasets while maintaining proprietary data protections and protecting patients' information.

This engagement - referred to as "scientific computing" - is essential to enable the agency to leverage internal and external knowledge bases, databases, data mining tools, and scientific expertise to inform regulatory decisions and pursue the qualitative improvement of healthcare delivery.

Enabling the FDA through provision of enterprise assets and models allows for cohesive usage of resources and allows the work, data and tools to be optimized among the eight centers with in FDA.

According to the FDA, it maintains the largest known repository of clinical data (all de-identified to protect patients' privacy): "unique, high-quality data on the safety, effectiveness and performance of drugs, biologics and devices, both before and after approval." The ability to analyze this data can advance scientific understanding of how various treatments affect different populations and, by extension, allow for the customization of the most effective treatment based on the individual and overall improved health outcomes.

The FDA currently houses the largest known repository of clinical data. The ability to integrate and analyze this trove of information could revolutionize the development of new patient treatments, provide a better understanding of diseases, measure the impact of various public health initiatives, and even provide a deeper appreciation of the effectiveness of various pharmaceuticals on differing populations.

Historically, the vast majority of FDA de-identified clinical trial data has gone un-mined because of the inability to combine data from disparate sources and the lack of computing power and tools to perform such complex analyses. However, advances in the field of scientific computing provide a way to positively impact the scenario.

Adding capabilities that are outside of the realm of FDA currently, i.e., Patient (phonemic) data, is a challenging situation due to the privacy impact, but one that would lead to many advantages in building upon drug interaction data amongst a group or class of patients.

Additionally, by integrating comparative effectiveness research (CER) with Scientific Computing processes, the FDA can also take steps towards realizing the goal of providing "personalized medicine." The quantity of information available from disparate sources, once compiled and synthesized, allows scientists to gain insight into the safety and efficiency of drugs and treatments in subpopulations of patients.

The development and use of sound, consistent, science-based approaches to the design, conduct and analysis of such data and the assessment will be a critical component in developing meaningful use applications of personalized medicine. The government and private industry need to work together to ensure that all informatics hardware and software are developed to capture all relevant data models, keep information protected and proprietary, and allow for comparative effectiveness research. The potential of marrying the best from the IT world with the wealth of scientific data available is an exciting prospect that everyone in the process should support with enthusiasm.



Moe Jafari shared more of his thoughts on scientific computing with Porter Research at the recent HIMSS show in Las Vegas.

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Moe Jafari is founder and CEO of HumanTouch LLC, which provides solutions and professional services to the Federal government and industry.



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]]> http://www.porterresearch.com/Resource_Center/Blog_News/Blog/2012/February/HIExs_Concentric_Circles.html February 21, 2012
These circles represent various geographic layers indicative of society's organizational frameworks.  The data must flow for multiple purposes at various levels, but the point is it starts from the center of the circle (patients and providers in geographic proximity) and moves to the local, state and national levels. 

At the local level, this information (generated by a hospital or provider) is perhaps exchanged within an IDN or hospital system, or among multiple independent hospitals or systems - all of which constitute private HIE. It's even possible that at this layer of HIE is performed within an accountable care organization. However, care is delivered locally and often not within the same IDN, hospital system or physician group. Therefore, community-based HIE may be necessary to facilitate robust coordination of care across unaffiliated community providers. The state, meanwhile, has a need for health information at an aggregate level for its Medicaid population, and to manage public health concerns. Finally, the federal government needs health information to manage care delivered to Medicare patients, for third-party care delivered to veterans and military beneficiaries, or for federal agency program needs like social security disability determination.

HIEs may be described as private and certainly the organizational structure can be private, but the data is no less unique than information that can be aggregated within a public HIE. And, certainly, where private HIEs are currently flourishing, there is even a greater chance that a public HIE can flourish as well - one that serves the needs of the local community and not just those of private HIE stakeholders. 

The important thing to recognize, however, is that there is a core set of data that needs to be compiled in order to be consumed at various stages in the concentric circles. While there are discrete purposes for the data today, there is also a breadth of unknown possibilities, as various organizations begin to compile and act upon this data to further care coordination, population health and public health; as well as reduce costs and increase quality patient outcomes. Just as circles know no end, so too are the possibilities of HIE without limit. It is the effective and interoperable "overlapping" of these shapes that will ultimately transform care delivery and patient health.

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Eric Klos is Director of Business Development at Cogon Systems LLC, which provides HIE solutions; delivers software and systems development and integration services to Federal, State, and local agencies involved in health IT; and provides consulting services.



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]]> http://www.porterresearch.com/Resource_Center/Blog_News/Blog/2012/January/Patient-Centered_Transplant_Care_Platform_x_a_Guiding_Light_for_Accountable_Care.html January 24, 2012
Computerized chronic disease solutions for transplant care eliminate the vast amount of paper charting necessary with transplant patients, who are tracked and monitored for life. The collaborative care of transplant patients includes multidisciplinary teams of specially trained physicians, coordinators, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, physical therapists, and psychologists who are experts in transplant care. 

Collaborative care solutions provide a patient-centered hub, connecting in-hospital and ambulatory electronic health records (EHRs) in conjunction with health information exchange (HIE) systems both locally and across the nation. The patient-centered care platform integrates inpatient care and outpatient clinic visits, supports physician order entry, physician documentation, nursing notes, etc., and connects with multiple other laboratory systems in conjunction with the solution specific to the organ transplant. The system should be designed to capture back-office documentation and workflow management, manage patients and populations, drive workflow follow-up on patients independent of scheduled clinic visits, and capture patient data. This data can then report on the multiple, strict regulatory requirements for transplant patients. 

Typical integration points include bidirectional interfaces from the hospital's EHR or regional HIE, including clinical data, medication reconciliation, problem lists, and clinical context object workgroup (CCOW) visual integration.  Population analytics and reporting are one of the crucial components of collaborative organ transplant care. This data is used daily, for example, to determine appropriate patients that are eligible to receive organ transplants based on clinical guidelines, as well as location of patients. Beyond research queries, population data informs and improves clinical outcomes. 

One example of a collaborative care platform for organ transplant is The Shands Transplant Center at the University of Florida. The Shands Transplant Center is ranked nationally for overall transplants performed. The center features multidisciplinary teams of specially trained physicians, coordinators, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, physical therapists and psychologists who are experts in transplant care. The program draws transplant patients from throughout the United States, and has been performing transplants since 1966.

Over the years, Shands has expanded its transplant program to a total of six specialties:  liver, kidney, pancreas, heart, lung, and heart-lung.  However, among the programs, there were six databases for tracking patient information - everything from height and weight to blood type and lab results. It was becoming very difficult to manage and maintain six disparate applications running on different operating systems and utilizing different software. Although the data was available, it was proving difficult to manage. 

With more than 300 transplants being performed every year, the need for a single collaborative care solution became increasingly apparent. The center's priority for a solution was data integrity, strong demographics, transplant phases, patient management and diagnostic testing. It implemented a collaborative care organ transplant platform with modules for its six. Shands now has converted 36 years worth of data in six transplant programs to a collaborative care organ transplant platform solution.

"After the data is entered by a transplant assistant, it is reviewed by a transplant coordinator, then reviewed by an information specialist, then reviewed by a senior information specialist, and ultimately reviewed by the physician," said Ian Jamieson, transplant manager at Shands. "We feel we have a strong system of checks and balances in place to satisfy the data needs of Dr. Richard Howard, medical director, Shands Transplant Center at UF, and our transplant staff."

The complexity of clinical, financial and administrative care needs of a transplant patient are staggering and therefore best served by a coordinated effort from all caregivers across the care continuum.

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Paul Markham is the COO of HKS Medical Information Systems, a developer of software products that improve the quality of patient care and workflow management, and provide operational efficiencies for the healthcare industry.



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]]> http://www.porterresearch.com/Resource_Center/Blog_News/Blog/2012/January/Herding_Catsx_Controlling_the_Privacy_Breach_Epidemic_in_Healthcare.html January 5, 2012
Historically, HIPAA has been based on "voluntary" compliance. This era is ending as HHS and OCR have stepped up their enforcement. The costs and other downsides of breaches are more onerous (see Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative President and CEO Micky Tripathi's compelling " First-Hand Experience with a Patient Data Security Breach at HISTalkPractice.com), and HIPAA security audits will soon begin. In other words, HIPAA now has teeth - a bite to back up its bark.    

It has gotten to the point that the costs of prevention are far less than the costs of a breach, especially a massive one. And healthcare executives are paying attention. More organizations now have security officers and a security budget. Allocating already-scarce financial resources and human capital to the breach problem shows a change in thinking in the industry.

Steps to Take Now   
However, like most things in healthcare, the change is fairly glacial and will take time to spread. Until privacy and security become second nature to healthcare executives and providers, a few important and practical steps should be taken.

The human error aspect of breaches is solvable only through education and then more education. The time of cursory HIPAA training, and policy and procedure manuals sitting on a shelf collecting dust is over. Continuing education, access to legal counsel, encryption and risk assessments are practical steps that every healthcare provider should be taking ... now!   

Training is a living process that requires updates and constant attention. It should involve a curriculum of courses building on each other, which provide continual reinforcement of the HIPAA principles and workflow requirements needed to minimize risk. Using or employing legal counsel and purchasing cyber liability insurance are becoming commonplace.    

Encryption is best practice and is likely to become mandated in the near future. If encrypted data is lost, it is not considered a breach and is not reportable to the government or media. But beware, breaches that are deliberate may be inside jobs resulting in breached decryption codes and accessible information. Technologies are emerging that can even help with this issue by wiping clean information on a laptop if it is seen to be at risk.   

Perhaps the most important practice a provider can undertake is regular risk assessments, as mandated by HIPAA. Not only must regular risk assessments be done, but recommendations stemming from the assessment must be followed up on. Risk assessments are best if they combine internal assessments with external assessments. External auditors bring a wider knowledge base and are likely to see things that providers may inadvertently overlook.   

Unfortunately, breaches are inevitable. There is simply too much patient information moving about to eliminate all the risk. Not only must providers have a strong commitment to prevention, but they must also establish a detailed program that determines who does what and when after the inevitable breach occurs.

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Rita Bowen, MA RHIA, CHPS, SSGB, is Senior Vice President and Privacy Officer at HealthPort, a provider of release of information services and technology, audit management technology and health information technology.



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]]> http://www.porterresearch.com/Resource_Center/Blog_News/Blog/2011/December/ACO_Administrationx_the_Devil_is_in_the_Details.html December 12, 2011
Let's not get into ethereal change management discussions, but rather stay with the concrete details - those that are separate from the clinical uses of data. There are key administrative tasks that arise from this expanded data flow and "accountability." For example, there are several basic reconciliations, such as assigned patients against paid claims. What happens with those patients whose activities trigger assignment only in the last few months of the year, but whose contracts are for a full year? How does an organization measure revenue, risk and the quality numerators and denominators?

Everyone is presumably familiar with IBNR (Incurred But Not Reported). What about the equivalent for patient assignment, or "Future Retroactively Assigned Patient Transactions?" One could certainly have fun playing with that acronym.

In the commercial world, where everything is negotiable, what level of risk/financial participation is appropriate for catastrophic events - in-area versus out-of-area, in-network versus out-of-network, or regarding such things as subcapitation, bulk payments, national contracts ... The list goes on. And all of these flex on size and sophistication of the organization.

Regarding Medicare ACOs, most commercial carriers brag about a 98-percent accuracy of their claims payment systems. CMS, in its 2011 performance budget, indicates that the error rate for CMS Fiscal Intermediaries is as high as 12.4 percent. Establishing a second, independent adjudication process at 98-percent accuracy could save roughly 10 percent. Even if CMS is fully successful, then an ACO could count on a savings approaching 6 percent just from the second adjudication. As these files are completely electronic by the time they get to an ACO, the cost of this adjudication should be minimal - perhaps 1 percent?

Lastly and extremely importantly, current reinsurance models simply do not fit the risk and financing structures of ACOs and savings/gain-sharing programs. Depending on the size and sophistication of the effort, this ranks right up there as a top five make or break decision.

Mike Barrett is CEO of Ascendent Care, a consulting firm that specializes in recognizing how existing, emerging and proven technololy, processes and knowledge can be adapted, adopted and deployed in various healthcare markets and settings.



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