While nothing about 2020 has seemed “normal,” VM soldiered on with a virtual version of its Global Leadership Summit. I’m sure the lessons learned will help our industry endure and eventually prosper. Here are a few of my favorite pearls of wisdom from the event.
On Fighting COVID-19
“It is critically important that we have transparency around innovation. Now is not the time to be secretive.”
WebMD’s CMO, Dr. John Whyte
A Broken System
“Let’s face it, the healthcare system as we’ve come to know it is broken. We have a system built for caring for people once they’re sick, but hasn’t historically looked at what we’re facing now which is the rise of chronic conditions, most of which can be addressed in new ways.”
David Holmberg, president and CEO, Highmark, Inc.
Pandemic Lessons Learned
“The pandemic has humbled us and changed the way we think about life. We have been through a war, but I think we’re better off having gone through this because it demonstrated what we can do.”
Michael Dowling, president and CEO, Northwell Health
Healthcare’s Ecosystem
“A real thing that has happened during the pandemic is that so many millennials are displaying their sourdough bread on Instagram. This was just a signal to me that more people are doing more at home.”
Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, health care economist, influencer, author
The Digital Health Frontier
“We’re moving from an ‘I’m sick, take care of me intermittently’ to a world of continuous monitoring. In the world of digital therapeutics—where an iPhone is your aspirin—we are transforming the patient experience with healthcare.” Robin Raskin, founder, The Digital Health Summit
Molding the Patient Experience
“The healthcare message must be the foundation of everything we do and everything the patient hears and sees, with emphasis on the importance of eye health and quality optical products. It’s going to take the entire industry working together to achieve this.”
Sue Downes, CEO, MyEyeDr.
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