Reaching the Peak of Inflated Expectations

I attended the Microsoft Connected Health Conference in Bellevue, WA last week. There were devices and applications on display and in discussion that may someday help all of us take better care of our health.

For me the best part of the conference was the keynote address on Friday morning by Mark Smith, MD, MBA President and CEO of the California HealthCare Foundation (http://www.chcf.org/). It was a brilliant talk. Dr. Smith certainly knows his subject and even better knows how to get the message across to his audience. here is a doctor that is not afraid to speak out on how his contemporaries are afraid to change the system. He touched on everything from retail clinics to e-visits to the reimbursement system. You can get a feel of his topic at the web site. This pdf has some very thought provoking information (http://www.chcf.org/documents/policy/TelehealthAltersMedicalEcosystem.pdf).

Now you may be asking, "what does all this have to do with the Hype Cycle". Well....Dr. Smith feels (and I agree) that today the connected healthcare market stand at peak of inflated expectations. We are all excited about the power of connected health, but the reality is we have a long way to go. Patience mat be the operative word. In the meantime take a look at Dr. Smith's work. I think you will find it fascinating.