Fourth Annual Partners HealthCare Symposium on the Connected Health Economy Explores Opportunities in Telemedicine, Telementoring

Business Wire, Oct 17, 2007

Co-chaired by John Cullinane of LiveData, Conference to Consider Economic, Technology Issues for Global Healthcare Providers

BOSTON -- Healthcare payers, providers and vendors will gather in Boston Oct. 22-23 for the fourth annual conference on the Connected Health Economy, hosted by the Center for Connected Health, a division of Partners HealthCare. Co-chaired by John J. Cullinane, chairman of LiveData, Inc., the symposium takes place at the Conference Center at Harvard Medical, Boston Longwood Medical Area.

A major theme for this year's discussion is practical economics -- revenue generation and business viability. In particular, the conference explores the issues and opportunities in telemedicine and telementoring.

"Massachusetts is the natural leader in the movement towards connected health. The healthcare world is not immune to the pressures of world economics, and telemedicine will be a big play in the future," said Cullinane. "With its high concentration of medical schools and information technology leaders, the greater Boston area is the hub of both research and application of medical information technology advances."

Cullinane will also moderate an interactive panel discussion on "Shifts in the mix of public and private payers, the quest for funding, and other challenges in store for U.S. health insurance." The panelists comprises a wide range of experts, and includes Pamela Reeve, Director, American Tower Corporation, who is spearheading Mayor Thomas Menino's Wi-Fi initiative; James O'Connell, MD, President, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program; William A. Sahlman, Professor of Business Administration and Senior Associate Dean for External Relations, Harvard Business School; the Hon. Richard T. Moore, Senate Chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Health Care Financing, Massachusetts General Court; and Brian O'Connor, Connected Health, Northern Ireland

"My 15-year association with LiveData is based on one the few certainties in business today: healthcare represents both the fastest-changing and most economically promising area for information technology," said Cullinane. "Healthcare is a global issue, and through partnerships with Northern Ireland, we are able to take a global perspective. The country is small enough to be agile, and avoid the trappings of large bureaucracies, and technically advanced enough to make an ideal partner with the technology community in Massachusetts."

The term "connected health" reflects the range of opportunities for technology-enabled care programs and the potential for new strategies in healthcare delivery.

The Center for Connected Health is a leader in the use of technology to deliver quality care outside of the hospital or doctor's office. They are developing initiatives in telehealth, remote care and disease and lifestyle management programs, to better manage and monitor patient health, offer expert second opinions and provide convenient, personalized medical care. Information on the conference can be found at www.connected-health.org.

Established in 1995, the Center for Connected Health (formerly Partners Telemedicine) is linked to physicians at Harvard Medical School-affiliated teaching hospitals throughout the Partners HealthCare network, including Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital.

About LiveData

Specializing in real-time data integration and display, LiveData builds state-of-the-art systems for healthcare, utility, manufacturing, and government organizations. LiveData technology brings together data from any number of sources and presents it as meaningful information on easy-to-read graphic displays. Leading medical institutions, including Massachusetts General Hospital, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, have selected LiveData OR-Dashboard to enhance patient safety, improve team communication and streamline perioperative workflow. Founded in 1991, LiveData is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.livedata.com.