650 Labs Founder Shares Digital Healthcare Trends at HIT Knowledge Exchange
Mountain View, CA (PRWEB) July 29, 2013 -- Mark Zawacki, founder of 650 Labs, a strategy and business management group, spoke July 15th at the Healthcare Innovation Transfer Knowledge Exchange at Nyenrode Business Universiteit in The Netherlands.
The discussion was centered around topics that could provoke a positive and valued impact on healthcare. While the Internet era, computer automation and consumer-managed processes have all contributed to the development of health science and medical advancements, the technology in health care has increased the overall cost of care and stressed health budgets.
Thijs Boekhoff, Director of the Healthcare Innovation Transfer Foundation and the host for the meeting noted, “We are looking forward to harnessing Silicon Valley’s energy into transforming healthcare, both in the US where healthcare transformation is just starting and into the Netherlands where we now have seven years experience in increasing efficiency and effectiveness.” Algis Leveckis, CTO at Ingen-Housz, Inc., a healthcare startup in San Francisco added, “With an increasingly aging population, both nations need a step change in healthcare approaches to meet growing demands with better outcomes and lower costs – and that change may well be driven by consumers.”
The event was well attended by Dutch healthcare professionals and visionaries, including Maarten den Braber, entrepreneur and independent digital health strategist who noted, "The HIT event at Nyenrode was an interesting overview of how the Dutch and US healthcare systems are both different and complementary. Insight into new perspectives on technology, business models and people helped better understand where value can be added on both sides."
Zawacki discussed the positive healthcare avenues that could be explored considering the tectonic shift in Silicon Valley, asserting that the Valley has shifted from ‘high tech capital of the world’ to ‘industry disruption capital of the world,’ and that it is impacting multiple industries. Most notable among these industries is healthcare, particularly with dramatic changes and mandates that will change how information technology is used to advance the state of healthcare in the US.
“Our bodies are rapidly becoming digitized, and a combination of new consumer devices, nano-sensors, big data and the explosion of easy-to-use mobile healthcare apps will all contribute to a radical shift how healthcare is delivered worldwide,” said Zawacki. “The evolution of Silicon Valley over the course of 75 years has resulted in an unrivaled cluster of innovation and productivity, which will have a profound impact on healthcare globally.”
While globally emerging tech hubs and geographically scattered innovators continue to be cited as the decline in physical location importance, Zawacki maintains that these locations simply cannot be ‘the next Silicon Valley’ for a myriad of reasons; they all pale in comparison to the Valley in terms of jobs created, economic impact and scalability of startups founded. In particular, Silicon Valley has taken a leading role in investment in digital health in bringing out technological solutions for delivering more and better health services, at lower cost.
“Powerful industry clusters have formed in the Valley including financial services, mobile, automotive, retail, media, and healthcare amongst others. They are collaborating and cross-pollinating across industries on business model innovation. We are not seeing these vertical clusters form in any other tech hub globally, and they are vital to the uniqueness of the Valley ecosystem,” said Zawacki. “The core value of this environment truly lies in this collaboration where industry giants globally work alongside one another and explore possibilities. This emerging Silicon Valley represents an environment where entire industries are being re-imagined, re-engineered and re-configured – caveat emptor.”
Zawacki cited the Valley as an area with limitless potential for the Healthcare industry, explaining that tectonic shift proves to be an ideal think-tank for advancements in healthcare. He outlined specific medical advances emanating from Silicon Valley including nano-sensors, bioprinting, human genomics, surgical and nursing robotics, telemedicine, prescribing apps and others.
“A concentrated group of medical science research and development industries and projects will bolster progress for healthcare solutions and propel new ideas and technologies in a way that will optimize the triple aim of healthcare: improving the patient experience of care, improving the health of patients and reducing the per capita costs.”
About Mark Zawacki
Mark is the Founder of 650 Labs a strategy consultancy which helps non-technology multinationals understand and react to industry-wide disruptions emanating from Silicon Valley. He has advised more than 250 clients globally on a myriad of growth and revenue-related initiatives including business strategy, innovation & disruption, business and corporate development, alliances/partnering, go-to-market strategies and international expansion.
For press inquiries, please contact David Schutzman at david(at)650labs(dot)com. For all other inquiries, please contact Stephanie Graybeal at stephanie(at)650labs(dot)com.
David Schutzman, 650 Labs, 203 550-8551, [email protected]
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