A Canadian view of ‘Healthcare Systems of the Future’

Do we wait for the interconnected, seamless future of consumer-driven healthcare, or work with what we have now? Michael Smit of Canadian virtual consult provider Medeo argues for the latter: “The component pieces for a connected healthcare system exist today. We simply haven’t connected them yet.” He argues that Medeo’s Equinoxe platform, because it uses simple PC equipment, retains patient records securely and creates a health record, is a step more advanced than what Canada has seen in fixed telemedicine settings. Mr Smit also draws a picture of health management, the “3 D’s”–Data, Device, and Decision, integration with telehealth and the increasingly mobile-driven patient group, advocating that the health record should not have to be actively managed by the patient, but be a byproduct of cumulative patient interactions with the healthcare system. The Catalysts Of Virtual Care