Optimism. That’s what I’m feeling after the conference. Optimism. I’m optimistic for innovations in healthcare yet to come. Innovations we can’t fathom but are waiting for our focus. Innovations that one day will seem so obvious to future generations but are just beyond the horizon for us.  In our lifetime, we will see major breakthroughs, new and better standards of care, and cures to seemingly incurable diseases. This is in spite of the stifling forces, containment pressures and downward trends in the healthcare system as we know it now.

 

Why the confidence?  Two reasons. First, to stagnate and accept our current armamentarium of treatment options is, frankly, not an option. We are not where we need to be in caring for ourselves.  Not even close.  A few years ago while I was sitting in a classroom, I heard one of my business school classmates make a bold statement how, in his opinion, very few problems were left to be solved in medicine. The premise for his statement?  Intravascular access was the zenith of enabling technologies in solving all medical ailments. Au contraire, mon frere.  Relative to humanity, advanced medicine is in its infancy. Penicillin, after all, has only been around since 1928.  We have miles to go before we sleep.

 

Second, the intellectual energy, exemplary leadership and common passion for healthcare innovation displayed at the first-ever MedtechVISION conference makes me a believer. Harness this collective talent, apply it to real unmet needs and we can do anything.