How many times over the past few years have you wished that someone would ask what YOU thought about the state of health care in the United States?
Your wish is about to come true. And I sincerely hope you take advantage of it.
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) is about to ask you to answer a simple, but hard-to-answer, question:
What’s next for U.S. health policy?
This critical question is at the core of a new NAM initiative called “Vital Directions for Health and Health Care.” The Vital Directions steering committee is hoping you and many others like you will offer your answers during a special daylong symposium that NAM is hosting on Monday, Sept. 26.
You can learn much more about Vital Directions in this issue of Tech Time. But once you’ve read our article, I hope you will take action by attending the symposium, either in person or virtually.
There are several good reasons to pay attention to this initiative — and few excuses for ignoring it. Consider these points:
- CAST Chair Mark McClellan is co-chairing the Vital Directions initiative, along with NAM President Victor Dzau. Mark will kick off the discussion on Sept. 26 with a presentation on “The Need for Vital Directions in U.S. Health and Health Care.”
- Technology is already playing a big role in the Vital Directions initiative. On Monday, Sept. 19, the Vital Directions steering committee will be releasing 19 policy papers that address priority focus areas for U.S. health policy. Several of those papers will address technology, including the important issue of interoperability.
- The symposium’s report will not sit on the shelf. The Vital Directions steering committee is serious about synthesizing symposium discussions into a streamlined report that identifies clear priorities for the incoming administration. This is our big chance to have our voices heard on health care reform issues that affect our field. When the National Academy of Medicine speaks, presidents and policy makers tend to listen.
- You don’t have to be in Washington to participate. There are a variety of ways to participate fully in the Vital Directions symposium. Sure, you can register to attend in person. But if that doesn’t work, you can also participate in the event’s live video webcast from the comfort of your own office. You can also submit comments via Twitter using #NAMVitalDx or via e-mail to NAMedicine@nas.edu with subject line “Vital Directions.” As I said before, there are no excuses to skip this important meeting.
16 Reasons to Attend This Year’s Annual Meeting
Speaking of important meetings, CAST will be front and center Oct. 30 through Nov. 2 when the LeadingAge Annual Meeting & EXPO brings 16 technology-related sessions to Indianapolis, IN.
CAST Partners, Supporters, Patrons, Associates, and staff members will share their expertise and experiences during Annual Meeting sessions focusing on a wide range of technology topics, from telehealth and data security to resident engagement and dementia care.
I hope you’ll take a look at the list of our 16 technology-related Annual Meeting sessions — and register today for the Annual Meeting.
In This Issue
This issue of Tech Time is filled with lots of great news about LeadingAge Partners engaged with CAST, CAST Patrons, and CAST Business Associates.
I want to call your attention to a new CAST case study exploring how the Francis E. Parker Memorial Home, a CAST Patron and LeadingAge Member in Piscataway, NJ, implemented an electronic Liberalized Medication Administration Program.
In addition, be sure to read about how:
- Philips, a LeadingAge Silver Partner and CAST Supporter, is working with Qualcomm Life, a subsidiary of Qualcomm, to promote interoperability among personal health care devices.
- PointClickCare, a LeadingAge Silver Partner with CAST Focus, has been named to the first-ever Forbes 2016 Cloud 100, a list of the top 100 private cloud companies in the world.
- Direct Supply, a LeadingAge Gold Partner with CAST Focus, has been certified by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) to earn up to $22.5 million in state income tax credits through WEDC’s Enterprise Zone Program.
- Strategic partnerships are helping CAST Business Associates PharmRight Corporation, Constant Care Technology, and NTT DATA expand the market for their technology solutions by integrating them with complementary products.
- CAST Business Associate Keystone Technologies is offering a new guidebook on cybersecurity in the field of aging services.
Feel Free to Contact Me
I hope you enjoy these and other articles in this issue of Tech Time. Please contact me with any questions for comments.