32 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • AUGUST 2018
HEALTH TECH 2.0 SUMMIT
BUSINESS LEADERS:DISSECTING NEXT-GEN MEDICINE
Dr. Purna Prasad, Chief Technology Officer and Vice President for Information Technology at Northwell Health, was the keynote speaker at the
Health Tech 2.0 Summit in Hauppauge on July 12, 2018. (Photo by Matthew Kropp)
Experts are testing small drones
that automatically fly medical supplies
to victims that first responders
can’t immediately reach, allowing
medics to offer first aid via two-way
camera before help arrives in person.
It was advanced, next-generation
technology such as this and many
other exciting emerging healthcare
technology developments that industry
leaders shared with nearly 200
attendees at the July 12th Health Tech
2.0 Summit at Simplay in Hauppauge.
“We recently very successfully
tested a drone delivery simulation,”
said Dr. Purna Prasad, Chief Technology
Officer and Vice President for
Information Technology at Northwell
Health, leader in healthcare and
health technology across New York
State. “The whole thing was a completely
unmanned, automatic drone
picking up a micro package and delivering
it from Point A to Point B … with
absolutely no human connection.”
Dr. Prasad delivered this exciting
and innovative news while serving
as the keynote speaker at the Summit,
which included a panel discussion
featuring more than a dozen senior
executives from prominent hospitals,
health networks, and technology corporations
on Long Island, as well as
leaders from the private and public
sectors. The discussion was moderated
by Joe Marchese, Managing Director
at SVAM International Inc., who
included and engaged the audience
in the conversations.
In addition to discussions about
first-aid drones, the Summit touched
on topics ranging from how to best
harness abundant digitized medical
data and the glut of consumer health
devices on the market, to using
technological advancements to help
reign in the ever-increasing cost of
healthcare. For example, the use of
medical providers who see patients
remotely, commonly known as telehealth,
has become an increasingly
popular way to reduce costs. Debate
topics also included virtual reality,
artificial intelligence, 3D printers and
new life-saving sensors.
“We’re working very quickly to
address the prevention of rehospitalization,”
said Kim Gavin, Senior Business
Partner at Boston Scientific, the
Massachusetts-based medical device
manufacturer. “It’s a huge issue for
hospitals, for patients and for industry.
We’re looking to design sensors
that can predict organ failure.”
Marchese, the moderator, posed
questions to the panel.
“How are technology providers
creating the infrastructure and the
management framework to deal with
all this?” he asked. “Security keeps
making the news and not just elevating
awareness but apprehension and
downright fear. What’s being done to
keep data safe and manage the risks
that will only keep growing?”
Sagi Brody, Chief Technical Officer
at Webair, the Garden City-based
internet solutions company, warned
that companies need to do a better job
of being prepared for a data breach by
outsourcing firms that can keep data
accessible and platforms operational
in the face of a disruption.
“Copying data is essentially simple,”
he said, adding that people have
“a lot of assumptions that platforms
are resilient, but accountability is on
the provider.”
Despite fears of patients’ electronic
medical records (EMRs) being compromised,
Dr. Joel Shu, Vice President
of Clinical Transformation and Population
Health for Catholic Health
Services, said “EMRs are a necessity”
because if providers reverted back
to paper records, they couldn’t track
patient data as well.
Among the panelists was Dr.
Prasad’s wife, Veena Vijayendra, a
Public Health Advocate and Healthcare
administrator, who noted that
providers will need patient buy-in for
preventative healthcare technology
to be effective.
“What is lacking in technology is
the personal touch,” she said.
Rounding out the panel of speakers
were Ken Ambos, Senior VP at
Arthur J. Gallagher, Allan Cohen,
Partner at Nixon Peabody, Brendan
Goodwin, Regional Cyber Director
at Arthur J. Gallagher, Chanté Jordan,
Vice President of Marketing at
Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology, Dr. Hak
Kim, Chairperson and Associate
Professor for the Department of
Information Systems and Business
Analytics at Hofstra University,
Dr. Walter Markowitz, Assistant
Professor of Health Professions at
Hofstra University, and Scott Mastellon,
IT Commissioner of Suffolk
County.
The event, hosted by the Long Island
Press, was sponsored by Northwell
Health, SVAM International,
Inc., Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology,
Nixon Peabody, Powerlink, Hofstra
University, Custom Computer Specialists,
Raich Ende & Malter Co. LLP,
Webair, Catholic Health Services,
Long Island Women in Tech, LISTnet,
HKM & Associates, Sandwire, and
HippocraticRx.
Industry leaders shared healthcare
technology developments.