Mobile health debate caps 2010 mHealth Summit: Digital efficiency vs. disruptive transformation

The debate: “mHealth: Digital Efficiency and Extension or Disruptive Transformation?,” will close the 3-day 2010 mHealth Summit on Wednesday, November 10, at 1:15-2:45 pm at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., conference organizers announced today. This special session will deal with several key issues that are sparking contentious dialogue within the mobile health ecosystem.

Mobile technologies offer unprecedented promise for improving access to health information and providers. This debate will focus on whether mHealth solutions merely extend the geographic reach and efficiency of existing healthcare, or whether they are likely to cause major disruptions, in both developed and developing countries, to the business models and methods of hospitals, providers’ practices, reimbursement organizations, as well as medical and diagnostic equipment and devices, and more.

Moderated by Richard Gallagher, Editorial Director of Scientific American’s LIVES: New Answers for Global Health, the debate will feature the following industry heavyweights representing varying perspectives:

* Jonathan Linkous, Chief Executive Officer, American Telemedicine Association
* Rob McCray, Chairman and CEO, Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance
* Patrick Soon-Shiong, CEO, Abraxis Health and Executive Director UCLA Wireless Health Institute
* Arletty Pinel, Director, eHealth and Telemedicine at iCarnegie
* Scott Ratzan, VP Global Health, Johnson & Johnson