Advice for CEOs

Newport Board Group partner Bob Hickey was recently quoted on a key healthcare industry web site, Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry, in an article about the purchase of a wearables technology firm, Zephyr Technology, by Covidien, a global medical devices company.

In a previous article, I described an example of changes in healthcare delivery that can help get America past the stale debate over Obamacare toward innovation to improve healthcare while reducing its cost. What is being called “telemedicine” or “telehealth” is a potentially radical shift in how healthcare is delivered. It combines remote monitoring of patient health, remote access to doctors to overcome the barrier of distance and portable medical records and profiles.

The debate over the future of healthcare in America often seems locked in a tired zero sum game. Either you are in favor of Obamacare or against it. Either we improve the quality of care or reduce its cost. My colleagues in the Healthcare practice of Newport Board Group think otherwise. We advise healthcare innovators and the private equity firms that invest in healthcare businesses. We believe that technology and new business models can transform how healthcare is thought of and delivered, improving quality and reducing cost.