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The University of Miami School of Business Administration is putting the finishing touches on its conference titled "The Business of Health Care: Disruptive Technology, Access and Efficiency." Called one of the university’s "signature events" by Dr. Steven G. Ullmann, the conference is scheduled for March 23 at the Bank United Center at the University of Miami in Coral Gables. Dr. Ullmann is the director of the Center for Health Sector Management and Policy at the University of Miami School of Business.

He said the subject of the conference was chosen because so much is going on in the world of technology. "This conference is not just looking at the technological innovations, but also at how they can be applied to bring about better accessibility and provision of care. It’s not health care technology for technology’s sake; it’s how we can actually use it."
 
Dr. Ullmann continued, "Because health care is such a major expense, businesses are looking at what kind of opportunities there are to use technology to bring down costs. That’s one of the areas of focus of the conference. Anything that can deal with high-cost and limited access is very significant."
 
One of the keynote speakers to help explain how that might be done is Dr. Jason Hwang, one of the authors of The Innovator’s Prescription: A Disruptive Solution for Healthcare. He said that disruptive innovation "is a term from the business world that is used to describe how products and services tend to become more affordable and more accessible over time, and the evolution tends to be driven by technologies that transform industries by providing access in ways that are new to the marketplace."
 
Dr. Hwang said the concept is easier to understand using analogies in our daily lives, and gave the example of smartphones. "Smartphones themselves were a disruptive innovation in the world of computers. Smartphones are nearly ubiquitous now, and people use them to do day-to-day computing tasks that we used to do on our laptops or our desktop PCs. Smartphones can’t do everything, but they are a ‘good enough’ replacement for what was previously available to consumers to do the simple things. Overall they have been cheaper than buying a laptop or PC, and they’re more convenient to carry around, so they’ve taken hold and have gotten better and better every year."
 
Dr. Hwang gave other examples, such as booking travel. "Who uses a travel agent these days? If you’re planning a really complex itinerary with lots of stops, you might pay for a travel agent. But for simple trips, most of us book them on our own." The same with filing income taxes and using tax accounting software to do it online. He said at first the software couldn’t handle complex transactions, so many people still had to go to an accountant. But as the software got more sophisticated, more and more individuals realized that it suited their requirements and decided they didn’t need an accountant.
 
"Less costly and more convenient ways of doing things are being introduced into the marketplace, and over time those tend to displace whatever came before it."
 
Because of presentations like this, the health care conference has escalated in scope and depth over the years. Dr. Ullmann said, "We have a venue that allows us to bring in 700 registrants, and every year we have had to close the registration before the beginning of the conference because we hit our maximum." Attendees come from across the country, and this year, Dr. Ullmann is expecting to draw from other areas as well. "At the request of a number of our sponsors, we made individuals in health care industries in Latin America and the Caribbean aware. So we have an indication that people are coming from Latin America for this conference." In addition, this year for the first time, the conference is going to offer exhibition space and more opportunities for networking.
 
Along with Dr. Hwang, other keynote speakers include Gregory D. Wasson, former president and CEO of Walgreen Co., and Dr. Robert Conway, Medical Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, with Donna E. Shalala, president of the University of Miami and former U.S. Secretary, Health and Human Services, taking on an active role in the conference. Response panels with nationally recognized experts on technology, as well as the investment world as it relates to disruptive health care technology, will also be showcased.
 
He concluded, "This conference series draws interested parties, and people keep coming back and we get very positive input. That gives us a lot of satisfaction that we seem to be doing something that is wanted and needed. And that’s good."
 
Yes it is.