Connect, communicate, collaborate and innovate – formed the essence of the first Biztech2.0 Thought Leaders Forum on Connected Health organised in association with Cisco Systems. The event, which started with enlightening sessions on the vital role of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in enhancing healthcare delivery, ended with a thought provoking panel discussion, consisting of the bigwigs of the industry.

Healthcare delivery in hospitals across the globe is undergoing fundamental changes. There is a common view amongst healthcare providers internationally that the current paper-based hospital systems are unsustainable moving forwards, both from a patient care and a financial perspective.

Dr Jeffrey Tobias, director, Internet Business Solutions Group - Cisco Systems, gave an interesting presentation on how technology can become a fundamental enabler to provide better patient care and increase revenue. The numbers of hospitals are significantly less as compared to the number of people requiring access to healthcare services. Communication, connectivity, and knowledge skills are major issues, which, if addressed can result in more people getting better healthcare services.

Tobias also emphasised on the need to integrate ICT infrastructure right from the conception of the hospital building. Mobility solutions, RFID Asset and Patient Tracking are some of the emerging technologies that can revolutionise the way hospitals are currently working.

The number of patients with chronic diseases has significantly increased in the last few years. Prof. Michael P. Georgeff, director, e-Health Research Unit, Monash University mentioned that ICT presents a major global opportunity in addressing these issues. Some of the important suggestions put forth by Prof Georgeff included getting healthcare providers connected to one another, tracking health events across the continuum of care and creating a broadband network of health services.

John Grant, director, Connected Health APAC, Internet Business Solutions Group, Cisco Systems enumerated the importance of Web 2.0 in connecting patients, doctors, pharma companies and legal authorities. He also stressed that investment in connected health infrastructure at the hospital and regional levels would allow India to establish a global presence in contract clinical research.

The event ended with a panel discussion on 'Making Connected Health Possible'. The panel members comprised some of the leading healthcare personalities like Vishal Bali, CEO, Wockhardt Hospital Group; Jagmohan Bhatt, CIO, Reliance Health; Satish Kini, chief mentor and director, 21st Century Health Management Solutions; and Prof Georgeff.

Low IT budgets and rural-urban divide were identified as major barriers towards utilising ICT for hospitals. To bridge the rural-urban healthcare gap, Bali suggested, "We need to create a backbone of information infrastructure so that healthcare services can reach small villages."

The panel agreed that Government has a crucial role to play in developing the right infrastructure and creating interoperability standards. ICT can bridge the gap between the competencies of public and private hospitals and this kind of partnership can significantly benefit the rural community.

The panel also discussed vital issues related to security of patient information. Bhatt mentioned that encryption and access based controls can help secure patient confidentiality and critical information.