Anthony Mercando, MD, FACC, FAHA serves as Clinical Professor of Medicine for Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine for Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Physician-Clinical Cardiologist for New York Presbyterian Medical Group/Westchester.
On April 12th, Dr. Anthony Mercando will speak on a panel at Becker's Hospital Review 9th Annual Meeting. As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the conference, which will take place April 11-14, 2018 in Chicago.
To learn more about the conference and Dr. Mercando's session, click here.
Question: Who or what are the disruptors that have your attention? Why?
Dr. Anthony Mercando: The most important disruptor — in a good way — is the use of artificial intelligence, big data and machine learning in medicine. The large amount of research data and clinical data generated daily in the healthcare system makes it very difficult for the average clinician to keep pace. Artificial intelligence can be used to scan notes in EMRs and suggest diagnostic or therapeutic changes on an individual patient level. Big data and predictive/prescriptive analytics can be used to forecast onset or worsening of chronic diseases like heart failure, and suggest possible remedies before the patient is sick enough to go to the hospital. Artificial intelligence can also help to deal with the large amounts of data that are and will be generated by wearables and implantables, especially in the management of chronic diseases. As I commented at last year's meeting, these evolving technologies could be the savior of the American healthcare system, and I am even more convinced of that now.
Q: All healthcare is local. What about your market influences your organization's business or operations most?
AM: In the suburban New York City market, there have been multiple attempts by outside institutions — most of them quartered in New York City itself — to expand through satellite offices and satellite hospitals. Many of these attempts have been unsuccessful. The successful ones seem to leverage the local administrative talent who know the hyper-local market, especially patients, best, rather than dictate and apply strategies that may have worked in their home market.
Q: How do you define patient engagement?
AM: As a practicing clinician, I am constantly trying to get my patients to become interested in and involved in their own healthcare. To me, this is the essence of patient engagement, and a factor that promises to produce the biggest gains in health improvement. A patient's engagement in his or her own healthcare will certainly help to align better health outcomes with lower costs. Some organizations prefer to think of engagement as getting patients to embrace the vision and strategies of that organization. My definition is more patient-centric, and I feel that increasing the patient's involvement in his or her own healthcare will naturally align that patient with the vision of a good healthcare system.