The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) are collaborating to improve how device manufacturers in the cardiovascular space communicate with physicians about the potential benefits of their solutions.
When introducing new solutions to the market, companies often struggle to explain key details related to use and workflow implementation. This new collaboration was established as a way to combat that issue and, hopefully, lead to improvements in both physician satisfaction and patient care.
Mike McConnell, MD, senior clinical lead at Google Health and a professor at Stanford School of Medicine, and Ritu Thamman, MD, a member of the ACC Innovation Work Group, are the collaboration’s two co-chairs. Representatives from Philips, Samsung, Abbott and Omron have also been invited to contribute.
“Health tech devices are an extension of clinicians’ practice, so when you’re unable to see a doctor or experience symptoms the device can step in and report the information to your provider,” Rene Quashie, vice president of digital health for CTA, said in a prepared statement. “Frameworks like ours will help clinicians make an informed recommendation to their patients with the goal of providing holistic care and, ultimately, better outcomes for patients.”
“The digital transformation of health care delivery is a priority for the ACC, and we are committed to leading the way in finding and implementing innovative ways to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health,” added John Rumsfeld, MD, PhD, the ACC’s chief innovation officer and chief science officer. “Through this collaborative effort we’re spanning health care and tech to give both clinicians and patients confidence when using health care devices to monitor and treat cardiovascular disease.”
The new working group plans to meet throughout 2021. By the end of the year, it expects to publish its final recommendations.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.