“The patient is in the centre, and all the services relevant to wellness, prevention and treatment are connected around them.” – Dr. Rob Williams, chief medical officer, Ontario Telemedicine Network and 2019 CMA Health Summit panelist
That’s how Dr. Rob Williams describes what this year’s theme − “Connected in Care” − means to him. He’ll be sharing his experiences using virtual care to achieve that connection during one of the many discussions at the 2019 CMA Health Summit.
Building on the success of last year’s inaugural Summit and its focus on health innovation, the August event in Toronto will expand the discussion to tackle the issue of fragmentation in the health care system.
Over two days, physicians, patients, policy-makers and innovators will lead conversations on how to drive better connections between data, innovation and technology, and share their own experiences about what’s worked for them. Session leaders will also discuss how better connections could improve the health care system, and what it will take to get there.
Here’s a sample of this year’s sessions:
- Connected physicians, connected patients will look at how physicians and patients can use technology to disrupt traditional health care models and improve connectivity.
“When we talk about meeting the patient where they are, this is what virtual care can do.” – Dr. Mark Dermer, panelist
- Doctors and patients as information specialists will explore why good communication is key to the patient-physician relationship, and how the information exchange can be improved.
“No one deserves to be the only holder of information.” – Julie Drury, patient advocate and panelist
- Connecting care when facing medical complexity and social vulnerability will offer insights into what’s needed to better integrate care for the elderly, youth with mental health needs, and the homeless into the community.
“The promise of integration is both real and enormous.” – Dr. Andrew Bond, panelist
- Political connections, Election 2019 will ask participants to consider what health issues should be debated in the upcoming federal election and how physicians, patients and health care providers can affect change.
“Speaking out about the weakening of public health is imperative when it affects the health of my patients.” – Dr. Ak’ingabe Guyon, panelist
- Health innovators such as Dr. Alexandra Greenhill, Dr. Alex Jadad and Salim Ismail will contribute to the discussion with keynotes sessions on AI in medicine, health in a digital age and scaling up technology to drive change.
Participation is also key to this year’s Summit:
- Through extended Q and A sessions, participant polling and a policy session on virtual care, the CMA is building an event where the medical community can have meaningful conversations that lead to change.
- Patients are an important part of these conversations. This year, the CMA is helping 50 patients attend, and a patient or patient advocate is included on every panel.
- Throughout the Summit, Grand Central will also provide an informal space to chat one-on-one with presenters and panelists, meet the leaders of the CMA’s Communities of Interest and learn about health care innovations from across the country.
- This commitment to connection also extends to the CMA’s Annual General Meeting, on August 11, where CMA President Dr. Gigi Osler will be on-hand to take questions directly from members.