The healthcare of tomorrow starts now

We all play the game of “what if,” healthcare leaders included. If healthcare organizations had the right technology, they could make things smarter, not harder. If providers were equipped with enough resources, they could revolutionize the way they save lives. If patients had better access to services, they could get more proactive about their well-being.

But we don’t have to wonder what if. We can start creating better outcomes right now. That’s what Zoomtopia is all about — exploring the art of the possible — and our healthcare sessions did exactly just that. Our experts gathered together Nov. 8-9 to discuss how providers can evolve care, streamline operations, elevate patient experiences, and bring their organization into the future, right now. 

“People want healthcare to come to them, not the other way around,” said Heidi West, Head of Healthcare at Zoom, during our healthcare keynote. “As we look at access to care and supporting patients, it’s important to look at how you can expand connectivity,” she added. 

Patient access and provider agility were top of mind for all our speakers during the session, as Heidi was joined by Ron Emerson, Global Healthcare Lead at Zoom, and Michael Lam, Group Product Manager, who walked attendees through how our team is creating solutions that empower better care for patients to ultimately transform how people can access and engage in healthcare.

They were also joined by members from the Mount Sinai Health System, the largest health system in New York City, which serves 4 million patients a year. And Joseph Gimigliano, Mount Sinai’s Chief Technology Officer, emphasized the importance of flexibility. He noted, “Our North Star is to improve patient care and medical research… to empower and enable a simpler experience so that patients, doctors, and research staff need one click or swipe on a screen to get what they need to help others.”

Joseph was also joined by Paul Francaviglia and Rudra Hiralall, both senior IT directors, who relayed how Sinai applies Zoom across workflows to create that seamless experience. Rudra added, “While Zoom is known as a meeting tool, we’ve expanded how we use the platform. There are telehealth use cases, Zoom Phone for communications between clinicians, support for medical education, Zoom Rooms used in the surgical simulation center. Bringing these together allows us to create positive change.”

There’s strength in numbers — in both healthcare and technology — as Cindy Esser, Business Development Manager, explained during her session focused on integrations that help reimagine the patient and provider experience over Zoom. She spoke with Ram Fish, Founder and CEO of 19Labs; D Sharma, Co-Founder and CEO of Wellness Coach; and Anuj Vohra, Technical Director at Baptist Health South Florida, on how integrations improve end user experiences, operationalize next-generation telehealth, and more. A few highlights from each: 

• 19Labs: Ram demonstrated how the 19Labs integration can be used right within Zoom to create a seamless clinician experience. It overlays EMR data and patient information onto a single Zoom video call screen. 

• Baptist Health South Florida: Anuj explained how Baptist Health uses an electronic health record (EHR) integration with Zoom to make it easier to schedule, join, and document telehealth visits directly in a patient’s EHR platform.

• Wellness Coach: D’s Wellness Coach was built with our Meeting SDK and is a Zoom App. He explained how you can use it to find little ways to take care of yourself throughout the work day — whether it’s through a virtual book club on mental health or reminders to get your steps in.

Clinical trials traditionally involve a certain geographical area, but that’s no longer a requirement — or realistic — in the era of flexible work. I chatted with Jennifer Herber and Stephen Sherwin from Ashvattha Therapeutics and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, respectively, to hear their perspective on how life sciences can embrace hybrid work and the role of Zoom in operational transformation. 

A virtual component helps make studies a lot more palatable, as Jennifer mentioned, “[Using Zoom] to recruit for clinical trials expands the net, since it's not as taxing on patients’ time and schedule. Patients want to help, so taking the travel burden off their shoulders is essential.”

Sami Ahmed, Ron Emerson, Arif Islam, Michael Lam, Mark Barragan, and Felipe Henao — a collection of Zoom healthcare and product managers and leaders — put their heads together to put on an interactive view into the future — the patient room of the future, that is.

The group walked us through a custom patient experience room at Zoom HQ in San Jose, taking the audience through the following in the process: 

• The application of Zoom throughout the patient experience flow, starting with booking appointments via chat bot, checking in with a virtual assistant, and consulting with a doctor over our meetings solution
• Essential applications and hardware offerings, such as video-enabled flat screen devices that help doctors do rounds in a pinch or cameras throughout the room that can be used for remote surgery assessment or medical simulations
• A rolling telehealth cart — powered via the Poly Telehealth Station — that can be brought to a patient’s bedside

We hope Zoomtopia can serve as a resource to help you learn something new, discover what’s possible, and grow your organization. Whether you’re hoping to pick up a new tip, or unlock better outcomes through new technology, be sure to check out these Zoomtopia 2022 sessions in our on-demand library, and subscribe to our blog to stay up-to-date on all the latest Zoom healthcare news.