As we enter the HIMSS frenzy, there is a lot of noise as well as a lot of great stories to tell. And like every year, a lot of buzz words capturing the minds and hearts of attendees and vendors all vying for the airtime. As a firm deeply rooted in the technology industry, we have the advantage of seeing some of these trends and storylines develop and then move from industry to industry, taking on a life of its own. As we look at some of the topics coming out of this year’s show, we anticipate that some big topics will be Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence.
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Blockchain –
At its core, blockchain is a way to structure data, but it’s the application that matters. We’ve been tracking this trend in the FinServ sector for some time, but found a recent study by Deloitte (Building up Blockchain) to be quite fascinating as it surveyed healthcare and life sciences companies on the term and topic and the results speak for itself.
According to Deloitte:
- 39% of senior executives at large U.S. companies had little or no knowledge of blockchain technology, but the other 61% reported their blockchain knowledge level as broad to expert.
- Execs who were well-informed about blockchain cited that it would be crucial for both their company and industry.
- 55% of the knowledgeable group said their company would be at a competitive disadvantage if they failed to adopt blockchain
- 42% believed it would disrupt their industry
With this trend bubbling to the surface, we’re looking forward to listening in and seeing the discussions that spur from the Rockstars of Blockchain track in Orlando.
Artificial Intelligence –
Another major trend we see continuing at this year’s event (and every industry event…) is Artificial Intelligence (AI). This is another example of a trend that has been making headlines across the tech community for years but its application in healthcare has shifted the decision makers and objectives and allowed for new, disruptive technologies to emerge. As one of these newcomers, our client Cogito recently partnered with a Fortune 100 health insurer to deploy its AI software to detect conversational cues, to coach call-center agents and supervisors, in real-time, when calls with customers are going awry. With this technology, customers are reporting a 15 percent decrease in average call time and a 10 percent decrease in the average number of callbacks. More highlights from this campaign included in the case study here.
While we are T-minus 4 days until the big event, the buzz surrounding the healthcare and life sciences industries continue all year round in our world and couldn’t be happier to see our clients dominate the headlines as their solutions stay ahead of these game-changing trends.
Stay tuned for more deep dives on 908 Devices, whose CEO was recently included in Inc. Magazine’s “20 Inspiring Entrepreneurs Improving Health For All” list and Quanterix, who was recently featured in an NFL commercial on technologies improving concussion detection. Read more about their relationship with the NFL in the following Wall Street Journal article: NFL’s A Game Changer for Diagnosing Concussions in the NFL.
