+ Doctors and patients collaborate to improve their health
+ Doctors and doctors collaborate to improve their field
+ Doctors and drug/health companies collaborate to improve their offerings
What happens when you add technology to the point where virtual clinics are the norm. Cisco and United Health announced Connected Care today which will "build the first national telehealth network, which will give patients access to physicians and specialists when in-person visits are not possible. The new "Connected Care" program combines audio and video technology and health resources to greatly expand physicians' reach into rural, urban and other under served areas. United Health Group has committed tens of millions of dollars toward the new initiative."
Cisco has some crazy technologies out there for the collaborative workspace. They might just be defining it. There is:
- Eos which provides the ability to create community-driven entertainment, enable interaction with content and fans, blend professional and user-generated content and personalize content to match users' interests.
- Webex which combines real-time desktop sharing with phone conferencing so everyone sees the same thing while you talk.
- And of course, TelePresence which is the closest in person technology experience created to date.
I am all for advancing technology and health care and obviously collaboration. But I can't help thinking of those chewing gum commercials:
We work more and more in a 'virtually collaborated' world and now our health care is going to be through a video screen. Emergencies, great. But surely there is a collaboration line we shouldn't cross.