On Tuesday December 1, 2009, Microsoft Canada played host to healthcare industry professionals at Connected Health: The Future of Healthcare Delivery at Novotel North York, Toronto. An esteemed group of presenters from both the Mayo Clinic and Microsoft delivered talks on trends shaping the healthcare industry, the 'connected' healthcare organization and technology’s role in improving primary care.

Dr. Bill Crounse,  Senior Director, Worldwide Health, Microsoft Corp. has travelled extensively to discover how information technology can improve healthcare delivery and services. He determined that all healthworkers, regardless of where they practice, have common needs when it comes to improving healthcare delivery. These needs include better worker tools, improved data input options, more intuitive user interfaces, healthcare solutions for mobile devices and the importance for all systems to be interconnected and interoperable.

Thanks to the internet, the system of healthcare delivery has become more democratic as patients are empowered with access to more information than ever before. In order to match patient expectations and improve one-on-one time spent with patients, health centres are moving towards a consumer-centric model of healthcare. This also applies to primary care and private practices who can now utilize practice platforms such as HelloHealth.

One major healthcare provider leading the charge in healthcare information technology is the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Rajeev Chaudhry heads Health Information Management System for the clinc and utilizes Microsoft Healthvault to power the Mayo Clinic Health Manager, for patients and Amalga, for practioners, to improve the quality and delivery of care to patients. While wait times are shortened and redundant appointments eliminated, perhpas the most important improvement is the ability to practice preventative care thanks to a system that identifies when a patient is due for updated testing.

Dr. Todd Taylor is the Physician Executive for Microsoft Corporation and has studied the Amalga Unified Intillegence System in depth. Dr. Taylor highlighted the importance of integrating technology worldwide, espcially wireless technology for countries high in mobile device users. Amalga and Health Vault allow patients and practioners to navigate complex helath ecosystems, the first step in the future of healthcare delivery.

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