From the May 2019 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
HCB News: Have any new devices been approved in the past 12 months that grabbed your interest?
RJ: I really don’t point to specific company products, but I will say that, in general, I’m very impressed by two things. The first is those technologies that are helping clinicians garner knowledge — and make decisions — from all the data that’s being collected in healthcare. We’re amassing more data than ever before, but we have a way to go before that data is valuable and actionable for many healthcare facilities. Second, I’m seeing more and more understanding around the use of secure operating systems (OSs) in medical devices. These OSs could immensely help reduce the risk of patient harm or cyberattacks on the clinical organizations that attempt to come through a device. I believe this would be a huge step forward for device security and user facilities.
HCB News: How is AAMI helping to drive outcome-based care?
RJ: Outcome-based healthcare is about reducing variation in how diseases and conditions are treated. Standards in healthcare technology are also about reducing variability and bringing more certainty to how medical devices are developed and come to market. In that sense, I think AAMI has long supported outcome-based care. Outcome-based care is also about being more proactive, so the more we can do to help the healthcare ecosystem turn that ever-growing mountain of Big Data into knowledge, the more we support outcome-based care.
HCB News: What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing healthcare today and what is AAMI’s part in addressing it?
RJ: Without a doubt, the biggest horizontal challenge, if I can call it that, is the pace of change itself, which impacts everything else. Healthcare technology is evolving faster and faster, and AAMI’s role is to be nimble enough so that we can provide our members, no matter where they work, with the guidance and resources they need to succeed and grow.
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