Market research firm hosts second-annual Connected Health Summit, September 9-10 in San Diego

Parks Associates digital health research reveals 25% of U.S. broadband households are interested in using a health portal to review doctors’ notes and nearly one-fifth would like to receive an electronic checklist after a doctor or hospital visit. The research firm will address strategies for personalized care solutions, including the role of health portals in driving consumer engagement, at the second-annual Connected Health Summit: Engaging Consumers, September 9-10, in San Diego.

“Over 50% of U.S. broadband households use two or more patient portals at least once a month, and interest in additional capabilities, particularly related to doctor communication, is relatively strong,” said Harry Wang, Director, Health & Mobile Product Research, Parks Associates. “At Connected Health Summit, we will examine the opportunities to use these and other technologies to strengthen the patient-provider relationship, including the best approaches to inspire consumers to adopt healthy behaviors.”

Connected Health Summit: Engaging Consumers features two sessions focusing on technologies and business models that are transforming how consumers think about, seek out, and receive care services. The session “Engaging Consumers for Coordinated Care,” on Wednesday, September 9, at 8:45 a.m., moderated by Wang, will feature the following speakers:

• Chris Chan, Innovation Imagineer, Mercer Health Innovation LABS
• Ron Ozminkowski, Chief Scientific Officer and SVP, OptumHealth Care Solutions, UnitedHealth Group
• Karissa Price, Chief Marketing Officer, Care Innovations
• Glen Tullman, Chief Executive Officer, Livongo Health
• Conrad Wang, MD, Senior Director, Corporate Development, Medtronic

“Health plans and providers need to invest in connected solutions that will be more attractive to their members and patients, focusing on the entire health value proposition for consumers instead of just on their medical expenditures,” said Ron Ozminkowski, Chief Scientific Officer and SVP, OptumHealth Care Solutions, UnitedHealth Group. “This will enhance real-time access to care and improve consumers’ understanding of their conditions so they can manage their care better.”

The session “Disrupting and Rebuilding: New Care Service Models for Consumers,” on Thursday, September 10, at 8:45 a.m., moderated by Jennifer Kent, Director, Research Quality & Product Development, Parks Associates, will feature the following speakers:

• Lena Cheng, MD, Vice President, Medical Affairs, Doctor On Demand
• Aneesh Kumar, Vice President, Enterprise Product Solutions, Cigna
• Patrick Leonard, CTO, iTriage
• Jeff Mahan, Executive Vice President of Sales, HealthSpot
• Leigh Ann Ruggles, EVP, Business Development and Client Success, MDLIVE

“Lowering healthcare costs will be the biggest driver for the connected health market,” said Lena Cheng, MD, Vice President, Medical Affairs, Doctor On Demand. “Maintaining or improving health will increasingly move away from being addressed in a single point in time. No longer will consumers need to be in the same room with healthcare providers or expensive equipment for screening, diagnosis, treatment, or prevention. Digital health solutions are enabling consumers to incorporate health management into their daily lives, whether they’re at work, home, or on the go.”

“Consumers are hungry for healthcare services that are convenient, affordable, and easy-to-understand. Connected health solutions meet that need,” said Aneesh Kumar, Vice President, Enterprise Product Solutions, Cigna. “U.S. healthcare consumers will finally get engaged in their health. They will also start to question the out-of-control costs of ‘traditional’ healthcare. Why does an ENT visit to clean your ear cost $250 when a retail clinic can do the same job for $60?”

“In healthcare, the fee-for-value model is starting to support innovations similar to what we’ve seen in many other industries,” said Patrick Leonard, CTO, iTriage and Aetna Digital Innovation & Products. “Consumer demand drove innovative business models for companies like Amazon and Tesla. Now, scores of start-ups are taking a run at new gaps in the healthcare market created by consumer demand, and Fortune 50 businesses like Aetna are innovating in this direction, too.”

“Consumers will have access to quick, convenient and more personalized care with connected health solutions,” said Jeff Mahan, Vice President, Account Management, HealthSpot. “Telehealth and other digital health tools will also drive more integrated care models as doctors, patients and health systems alike take advantage of the benefits connected care can provide. Ultimately, meaningful engagement with consumers should be a priority as they change the way they view and access health care.”

The 2015 Connected Health Summit will feature keynotes from AT&T, Cerner, CVS Health, Humana, and Kaiser Permanente. Sponsors of the event include CEA, Tata Consultancy Services, Validic, Care Innovations, Higi, Humana, MDLIVE, Alarm.com, Lowe's, ROC-Connect, Teladoc, Z-Wave, ZigBee Alliance, iTriage, MivaTek, and the National Sleep Foundation.

Media and organizations supporting the event include Validation Institute, BPI Network, Clinical Innovation + Technology, CoPE, Conference Guru, Disruptive Women in Health Care, EHR Intelligence, FierceHealthCare, FierceHealthIT, FierceMobileHealthcare, FiercePharma, GII, Healthcare Tech Talk, HealthIT Analytics, HealthIT Interoperability, iTelemedicine, Managed Care, mHealth Intelligence, Mind Commerce, PharmaVoice, SFBayEventsList.com, StartUp Health, Story of Digital Health, Telehealth & Telecare Aware, TeleMental Health Institute, The Journal of mHealth, and ZigBee Alliance.

Registration is open, and media are invited to secure a press pass. For more information about Connected Health Summit, visit www.connectedhealthsummit.com. Follow the conference on Twitter at @CONN_Health_Smt and #ConnectedHealth15. To schedule a meeting with an analyst or speaker, contact Holly Sprague at hsprague@gmail.com, 720.987.6614.

About Connected Health Summit: Consumer Engagement and Innovation

Connected Health Summit: Consumer Engagement and Innovation is a virtual executive conference focused on the impact of connected devices and IoT healthcare solutions on consumers at home.

Connected Health Summit provides insights on new business models, IoT technologies, consumer behaviors, and deployments relevant to consumer healthcare solutions. The conference addresses opportunities for new solutions, including smart home platforms, on-demand services, voice assistants, and wearables, to empower consumers, caregivers, and providers and to meet the growing demand for services in independent living, chronic care management, remote access to care, and wellness and fitness.