Members of the Morgan Lewis healthcare team joined more than 1,200 professionals in attendance at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the American Health Lawyers Association recently held in Boston. This year’s conference was notable for a group of educational sessions on how the acceleration of digital technology is redefining the healthcare industry. Presenters stressed the importance for healthcare systems to have a digital strategy in place for maintaining relevance in this fast-changing environment, which one speaker likened “to building a plane while you fly it.”
Each session underscored the changing dynamics of the healthcare market and their impact on existing business models and operations from a variety of perspectives. The power of data emerged as a key takeaway with statistics showing nearly 90% of hospitals experimenting with data-driven technologies. Included in the sessions were countless examples of innovations already in use by providers and a preview of the stunning advances to come. The sessions addressed how innovation is outpacing the regulatory structure, presenting key barriers to the adaptation of next-generation technology and acceptance by government and commercial payors in the healthcare space. This, coupled with surging provider investment in technology startups and strategic partnerships, presents numerous legal and practical challenges that blur the lines between healthcare, technology, privacy, and bioscience.
Need to know more about your digital health strategy or want to make sure you understand how you can be impacted? We have established a digital health team to help keep you informed and assist you with questions. For more information, check out our digital health and healthcare pages, and reach out to any of the contacts.