'Surfing the Air Waves for Health'
Mar 08, 2012, 15:11 ET from SDEE
Joe Smith (WWHI), Jack Young (Qualcomm), Rob McCray (WLSA) and Other Experts Discuss 'What Makes San Diego a Mecca for Wireless Health?' at Upcoming San Diego Entrepreneurs Exchange Forum
SAN DIEGO, March 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- If you've been following the current healthcare debate, you know the U.S. outspends other countries by far, yet still ranks, as Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance CEO Rob McCray and others have repeatedly pointed out, "at or near the bottom of industrialized nations' health outcomes." And studies show higher spending doesn't always correlate with better outcomes.
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"The solution to these problems," says McCray, "lies not in continuing to deploy the current anti-competitive, labor-intensive, inconvenient, obscenely expensive and nontransparent model for healthcare services and delivery. For the benefit of rich and poor countries alike, we must migrate to a connected, affordable, personalized and accountable 21st century model of healthcare."
For McCray—and the five expert panelists joining him Mar. 21 to answer the question, "What Makes San Diego a Mecca for Wireless Health"—"that new model is wirelessly enabled health. "The event is sponsored by the San Diego Entrepreneurs Exchange, which holds a quarterly series of events to foster the success of local entrepreneurs. The Mar. 21 forum is our first to explore the world of wireless health technology, notes SDEE President Scott Thacher, Ph.D., an entrepreneur who founded Orphagen Pharmaceuticals.
Just as San Jose became synonymous with silicon chip advances, San Diego is fast becoming "the global center for healthcare innovation," says Joe Smith, MD, of the West Wireless Health Institute—and the epicenter of the seismic event that wireless healthcare technology represents, according to Malcolm Bohm, who will moderate the forum.
In addition to McCray and Smith, panelists include local entrepreneurs Joe Condurso of PatientSafe and Kian Saneii of Independa. The panel also includes two fund managers who specialize in this field, one of whom, Jack Young of Qualcomm Ventures, Qualcomm Incorporated's venture investment group, notes that "the increasing proliferation of wireless technology in healthcare product designs and services is improving care outcomes while enhancing quality of life."
Dirk Lammerts, MD, of Burrill in San Francisco, a second panelist who invests in wireless health technology, agrees: "Digital and mobile applications, wireless biosensors, and social media integration are providing a platform to fundamentally improve healthcare access and quality worldwide. Redesigning healthcare around people and establishing large networks of engaged patients and consumers will not only improve quality and cost of care, and integrate healthcare more closely with prevention and wellness, but also offer great prospects for building successful businesses."
"As with all our events, we expect discussion to be spirited," says Thacher. "Special thanks go to venue sponsor AMN Healthcare."
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WHAT |
Surfing the Air Waves for Health: What Makes San Diego a Mecca for Wireless Health |
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WHO |
Host/Moderator
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Panelists
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WHEN |
Wed., Mar. 21, 2012—Networking begins at 5 p.m. (light refreshments); forum at 6 |
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WHERE |
AMN Healthcare Auditorium, 12400 High Bluff Drive, San Diego, CA 92130 |
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FREE |
Free to registered guests; seating limited; register at sdentrepreneurs.org/events/. Free parking. |
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SPONSOR |
Founded by local entrepreneurs, and dedicated to bringing world-class innovation and business opportunities to the San Diego region, the San Diego Entrepreneurs Exchange gives early-stage technology start-ups a voice, supports new entrepreneurs, and sponsors events to help them develop the skills and networks necessary to attract funding, partners, positive press and customers. On the Web: sdentrepreneurs.org. |
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ABOUT |
Founded in 1994 and headquartered in San Francisco, Burrill & Company LLC is a diversified global financial services firm focused on the life sciences industry. With $1.5 billion in assets under management, the firm's businesses include venture capital/private equity, merchant banking, and media. On the Web: burrillandco.com. |
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San Diego-based Independa offers technology-enabled independent-living solutions. Best-of-breed cloud-based services enable organizations and individuals providing eldercare to cost-effectively allow the elderly to stay home longer, safer and more comfortably. Independa Integrated CloudCare services include medication and appointment reminders, support for activities of daily living, comprehensive social engagement benefits, and wireless health and safety monitoring. On the Web: www.independa.com. |
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Named one of The Wall Street Journal's Top 50 Venture-Backed Companies in 2011, PatientSafe Solutions™ delivers real-time mobile clinical solutions to hospitals to improve patient safety, quality and satisfaction while decreasing costs at the point of care. More than 7,700 nurses and caregivers utilize the San Diego-based health IT company's mobile PatientTouch technology to deliver high-quality patient care, reduce medical errors, and have more time to engage with patients and their families. On the Web: patientsafesolutions.com. |
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Qualcomm Ventures, the venture investment group of Qualcomm Incorporated, was launched in the U.S. in Nov. 2000 with an initial U.S. $500 million allocation. Qualcomm Ventures' aim is to support Qualcomm's mission of enabling and fostering 3G and wireless Internet markets through investments in privately owned startup ventures. These investments include companies focusing on wireless communication technologies and products serving consumer, enterprise and vertical markets worldwide. The U.S. $100 million Qualcomm Life Fund is part of the existing allocation for Qualcomm Ventures, specifically focused on wireless health business initiatives that will help accelerate 2net™ Platform adoption and the adoption of other wireless health initiatives. On the Web: www.qualcomm.com/ventures and www.qualcommlife.com/qualcomm-life-fund. |
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The West Wireless Health Institute (WWHI) is the world's first nonprofit medical research organization dedicated to lowering healthcare costs through innovative technology and solutions. It was established in 2009 by San Diego-based philanthropic pioneers Gary and Mary West, and is solely funded by the Gary and Mary West Foundation. On the Web: westwirelesshealth.org. |
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The San Diego-based Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance is a global trade organization that connects CEOs from the world's most innovative wireless health companies with business leaders and researchers in healthcare and technology to accelerate business opportunities and improve healthcare. The WLSA is the only trade organization focused exclusively on identifying collaboration opportunities within the wireless health sector. On the Web: wirelesslifesciences.org. |
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CONTACT |
SDEE/CBS Communications, Carol Somer, 858-204-7424, cbs@cbscomm.net |
SOURCE SDEE
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