Latest news with #TheSmartPatientCareSummit
Time of India
4 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Smart Diagnosis, Safer Outcomes: Experts Discuss the Next Frontier in Precision Medicine
By Rashmi Mabiyan and Vishal Kumar Singh New Delhi: Imagine a future where diagnostics are not only fast and accurate but also mobile, patient-friendly, and deeply integrated with artificial intelligence. At the inaugural edition of Future MedX, The Smart Patient Care Summit, a panel of leading experts came together to explore exactly that possibility in the session titled " Smart Diagnosis : The Next Frontier in Medical Accuracy & Patient Safety." The discussion, moderated by Dr. Shweta Prabhakar, Medical Superintendent, Paras Health brought together perspectives from laboratory science, public health, microbiology, and hospital administration to examine how technology can be harnessed without compromising safety, equity, or trust. The panel consisted of Dr. Raj Shankar Ghosh, Senior Advisor-Environmental Health, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI); Dr. Bhupendra Kumar Rana, Chief Executive Officer, Quality & Accreditation Institute; Arpan Malhotra, Director & Chief Operating Officer, Max Lab Limited; Dr. Sonal Saxena, Director, Professor & Head, Dept. of Microbiology, Maulana Azad Medical College. Rethinking the Meaning of 'SMART' The session opened with a foundational question: What exactly makes a diagnosis "smart"? Dr. Sonal Saxena began the discussion by setting the tone. 'SMART, we are interpreting here as something which is specific, measurable, accurate, reliable, and time-bound and traceable,' she said. She noted that smart diagnostics must be 'patient-centric' and emphasized the importance of information systems. 'Lab information systems go a very long way in making a smart diagnosis.' Arpan Malhotra offered a broader take. He said, 'A diagnosis or diagnostics is SMART if it enables the objectives of diagnosis to be done better. It's an acronym, but it is also anything which is relatively better than what it was before.' Meanwhile, Dr. Raj Shankar Ghosh introduced an alternative definition tailored for public health delivery: 'We look at SMART as something which is safe, mobile, affordable, rapid, and transparent.' He added, 'The patient does not have to travel a long distance in order to access that technology.' Smart Diagnosis Begins Before the Lab A recurring theme throughout the panel was the importance of pre-analytical quality. According to Arpan Malhotra, 'The most important piece is the pre-analytics, which accounts for maybe two-third of all the problems that occur.' He discussed innovations like geotagging, barcoding, and sample temperature monitoring, and emphasized that patient feedback must be integrated into the diagnostic process. Dr. Bhupendra Rana echoed this, stressing the need for individualized care. 'Patient safety is the right results at the right time to the right patient.' He warned against a one-size-fits-all approach: 'One single diagnostic test should not be applied to all.' He also highlighted how fragile and complex newer diagnostic tools can be. 'They need more than what traditional equipment needed because they are very fragile.' Maintenance and calibration are no longer optional; they are essential. 'Even software is a medical device,' he reminded the audience. AI: The Double-Edged Sword of Diagnosis Artificial Intelligence took center stage as a key enabler—and challenge—in modern diagnostics. Dr. Raj Shankar Ghosh called AI 'inevitable' in healthcare , adding that it improves 'efficiency,' 'evidence quality,' and 'equity,' while also empowering both patients and providers. However, he issued a caution: 'We need to do a lot more work around the ethics of technology.' Arpan Malhotra shared how AI tools are already improving decision-making in labs. 'The algorithms and the decision algorithms—whether it is moving averages or delta checks—are telling us that something is wrong even before we've actually entered the result.' These systems, he said, can catch errors early and make diagnostics safer. But AI comes with its own risks. Malhotra warned about over-reliance: 'We just have to be very careful that we don't become lazy. MIT did a study, and they said that AI is making us dumb.' He emphasized that tools like ChatGPT should be 'a second brain, not the only brain.' Dr. Sonal Saxena shared her early experience with AI in microbiology, particularly during COVID-19. 'I wished I had this kind of technology when I was a student. It really changed the way I looked at things.' She expressed concern that over-reliance on AI in medical education may be eroding students' conceptual understanding, turning learning into blind instruction-following rather than critical thinking. Dr. Raj brought the discussion back to patient safety, noting a critical issue in India: 'Interpretation is the biggest roadblock today,' especially in cases like antimicrobial resistance (AMR), where accurate decisions are crucial. Operational Realities and Ground-Level Solutions The panelists didn't shy away from highlighting operational gaps. Arpan Malhotra spoke about fragmentation across diagnostic chains: 'The biggest problem is that all the equipment companies have proprietary systems, so they do not talk to each other.' Dr. Bhupendra Rana emphasized the need for nationwide minimum standards in diagnostics, suggesting that their implementation would significantly enhance patient safety across the country. This need for simplicity was echoed in a powerful story shared by Dr. Sonal Saxena. A woman whose child had dengue got confused amid multiple conflicting reports. 'In the whole process, she lost the idea whether her child's NS1 is positive or negative.' Dr. Raj also emphasized that the end goal of diagnostics must remain focused on the patient: 'If the diagnostic system is not able to translate into good decision-making for the community or the health system, then it is of no value.' A Path Forward In the closing phase of the discussion, Dr. Shweta Prabhakar, summarized the solution ahead: 'The solution approach is that we need to be simple.' The panel agreed the importance of integrating technologies, ensuring standards, and keeping the patient at the center of every innovation. As the diagnostic ecosystem in India grows increasingly digital, mobile, and AI-integrated, the conversation reminded us that smart diagnosis is not just about speed or accuracy—it's about trust, transparency, and thoughtful application.
Time of India
26-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
FutureMed X: Experts Lay Out the Blueprint for Intelligent, Inclusive, and Data-Driven Healthcare
New Delhi : From telemedicine , AI-driven diagnostics to de novo drug design, the realm of healthcare is standing at a critical juncture marked by the rapid expansion of technology, transforming the fundamental approach to curing patients and expanding access at an unprecedented pace. Boosted by several other cross-sector reforms in India, this paradigm shift is enabling real-time patient monitoring, predictive analytics for early disease detection, personalized medicine tailored to genetic profiles, and seamless access to healthcare in remote and underserved regions. However, standing on a fragile base of literacy, digital divide and policy void, the system remains volatile with several fault lines in the data domain – integrity issues, privacy risks, and cybersecurity challenges. Reflecting on such critical issues, ETHealthworld hosted FutureMed X - The Smart Patient Care Summit, designed to discuss and understand the dynamics of AI-driven diagnostics, IoT-enabled healthcare, telemedicine, and data-driven decision-making for a more intelligent, connected, and patient-centric healthcare ecosystem. The summit brought together key policymakers, healthcare leaders, innovators, and patient advocates exploring the transformative impact of smart technologies on patient care, clinical practice, and business prospects. The annual summit was supported by Universal NutriScience as gold partner; eClinicalWorks, as associate partners; and Nephroplus, Marengo Asia Hospitals, and Easy Solution Infosystems Private Limited as supporting partners. Delivering the chief guest address, the Minister of State for Communications & Ministry of Rural Development, Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar stressed that, 'The country has the potential to serve as a 'living laboratory' for the world. And building on the existing evidence, India can develop its own high-quality scalable solutions and drive healthcare digital transformation.' 'With collaboration between entrepreneurs and the government, we can make this process successful and ensure that our citizens receive healthcare services that meet global quality standards,' the minister added. Speaking further, the Union Minister emphasized, 'Entrepreneurs in the country can explore innovative business models to address healthcare challenges, such as drone-based delivery of essential medicines and mobile vans equipped with trained MBBS doctors and physicians.' At the inaugural panel discussion themed on 'Reengineering Patient Care: A Changemaker's Perspective,' Prof. Anurag Agrawal, Head - Koita Center for Digital Health & Dean - Biosciences and Health Research, Ashoka University, noted that while clinicians have increasingly adopted advanced technologies like artificial intelligence—especially in radiology—these tools are not yet advanced enough to be fully relied upon for clinical decision-making, and the coming age of medical professionals is entering a field where technological integration presents both promise and pressure. On the part of environmental health, Dr. Raj Shankar Ghosh, Senior Advisor, Environmental Health, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), emphasized that technology has to fill three gaps – predict, prevent, and protect – with the right interventions and correct data sets. Speaking at the panel discussion on 'Revolutionizing Emergency Care : Patient-Centric Approaches in Trauma & Critical Care,' Dr. Deepak Agrawal, Professor, Neurosurgery, AIIMS New Delhi, voiced that, 'Over the last decade the emergency care system in India has undergone several notable changes where the focus on specialised trained professionals has brought a marked shift.' Talking over the role of technology, Dr. Agrawal underlined that inclusion of cameras is enabling real-time monitoring and is automatically structured to identify how long it will take for every step to happen.' Adding to this, Dr. Sushant Chhabra, Cluster Head, Emergency Medicine, Manipal Hospitals North-West Region, said that, 'In a closed ER (emergency care) setting, a patient is handled by a trained emergency medicine professional that leads to a quick diagnosis, targeted therapy and eventually improvement in outcome.' According to experts, a wider adoption of triage in practice can play a critical role during the golden hours and may eventually lead to reduced mortality rates and improved outcomes. Notably, in emergency care, 'triage' is the process of quickly assessing and categorizing patients based on the severity of their condition. Dissecting the dynamics of Smart Hospitals, Rajiv Sikka, Group CIO, Medanta Hospitals, shared the group's approach of collecting 20,000 data points from one patient to improve data-driven decision-making, and the stored database can further be used to tr ai n AI and ML-based software. Viji Varghese, Hospital Director, Manipal Hospital Delhi, added that, 'The introduction of digital tools has overturned the traditional delivery model and the flow of information and service providers stands more as collaborators.' Besides improving outcomes, Kunal Aggarwal, Founder & MD, Easy Solution Infosystems, underlined that innovations like AI are also helping to break access barriers where service providers can expand their reach to remote settings and patients can receive quality care. For incorporating the newer advancements, Miraj Shah, Manager, eClinicalWorks India, stressed that partnership with solution providers is fundamental for hospitals aiming to join this holistic healthcare fabric. 'Moving forward, standardisation of processes and accreditation rules is also an important factor,' he added. Dr. Buddhadeb Chatterjee, Sr. Consultant - Orthopaedics, Apollo Hospital, voiced that with limited movement, arthritis is emerging as a major challenge among the urban population and avoiding physical activity will exacerbate this trend. However, Dr. Rajesh Bawari, Principal Consultant - Orthopaedics & Head - Complex Trauma & Orthopaedics Units, Max Hospital, noted that keeping a balanced approach is key considering that over-exercising may develop complications. For shifting to robot-assisted surgery methods, Dr. Bawari said that expertise and experience of the professional needs to be taken into consideration. Secondly, the industry is yet to address the cost challenge, which may hamper their widespread adoption. Talking over issues related to the backbone, Dr. Shubh Mehrotra, Director - Joint Replacement and Robotic Surgery, Lovee Shubh Hospital, shared that against the conventional trend where people in their 30s used to report issues with spine owing to several lifestyle habits, people in their early 20s have started reporting such issues. Underlining key gaps in microbiology, Dr. Sonal Saxena, Director Professor and Head of the Department of Microbiology at Maulana Azad Medical College, noted that the pace of bacterial growth research has remained largely unchanged, presenting an opportunity for innovators to explore the field and drive potential breakthroughs. Among the elderly population, one of the key metrics constantly monitored by clinicians is heart rate and sleep quality. But looking at the size of the elderly population against the total number of geriatricians, Dr. Prasun Chatterjee, Chief - Geriatric Medicine and Longevity Science, Artemis Hospital, suggests that integrating AI and other technologies is going to be an inevitable shift in the country.
Time of India
20-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
India can step up as Living Laboratory for the world, says Union Minister Chandra Shekhar
New Delhi: Reflecting over India's large population base and its diversity, Union Minister Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, voiced that the country can step up as a"living laboratory" for the world, and offer scalable models for digital transformation of healthcare. Speaking at the inaugural edition of ETHealthworld FutureMed X - The Smart Patient Care Summit, the Minister of State for Communications & Ministry of Rural Development, said the country has the potential to serve as a "living laboratory" for the world. and building on the existing evidence India can develop its own high-quality scalable solutions and drive healthcare digital transformation.' With collaboration between entrepreneurs and the government, we can make this process successful and ensure that our citizens receive healthcare services that meet global quality standards, the minister added. Delivering the Chief Guest address, Dr Chandra Sekhar noted, with record investment in medical education, the country is nearing to achieve the World Health Organisation (WHO) optimal number of doctors and integration of telemedicine has further boosted access to services. Speaking further, the Union Minister stressed that entrepreneurs in the country can explore innovative business models to address healthcare challenges, such as drone-based delivery of essential medicines and mobile vans equipped with trained MBBS doctors and physicians. Advocating for self-reliance, Dr Chandra Sekhar said that India needs to develop its own system and needs to focus on investing in primary and preventive care. By leveraging digital infrastructure and implementing price controls, along with effective workforce planning, the country can overcome existing healthcare challenges, he added. The inaugural edition FutureMed X - The Smart Patient Care Summit designed to discuss and understand the dynamics of AI-driven diagnostics , IoT-enabled healthcare , telemedicine, and data-driven decision-making—paving the way for a more intelligent, connected, and patient-first healthcare ecosystem.
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
FutureMed X: Decoding the Digital Pulse of Indian Healthcare
New Delhi: Being home to the world's largest population with skewed distribution of resources, the quest of ensuring equitable access to quality healthcare at an affordable cost stands as a herculean challenge in India. Compounding to this, is the burgeoning demographic cohort, moving closer towards a chronic ailment behemoth tied with the concern of elderly and infant care. Staying on the conventional path no longer appears a viable solution. However, the advent of digital disruptors ai ded with the AI wave are ushering a data-driven phase marked with patient centricity, economic feasibility are reshaping healthcare delivery, amplifying access, and challenging traditional beliefs. Against this backdrop, ETHealthworld is set to host its inaugural edition of FutureMed X - The Smart Patient Care Summit designed to discuss and understand the dynamics of AI-driven diagnostics, IoT-enabled healthcare, telemedicine , and data-driven decision-making—paving the way for a more intelligent, connected, and patient-first healthcare ecosystem. Bringing together healthcare leaders, innovators, tech geeks with patient advocates, the platform aims to explore the transformative impact of smart technologies on patient care by uncovering best practices, applied solutions and emerging innovations along with highlighting the faultlines of data domain–integrity issues, privacy risk and cybersecurity challenges. The summit is supported by Universal NutriScience as gold partner; eClinicalWorks, as associate partners and Nephroplus; Marengo Asia Hospitals; and Easy Solution Infosystems Private Limited as supporting partners. The conference will commence with the opening by Vikas Dandekar, Editor (Pharma & Healthcare), The Economic Times. After the editor's opening remarks, the Chief Guest, Dr Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, MoS-Ministry of Communications & Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India will grace the event with his remarks on 'One Network, One Nation, One Health: Enabling a Health-First India through Telecom and Technology.' Following the address, the Chief Guest will anchor a Q&A session with the conference audience. Upon completion of the Q&A session, the summit will move towards its inaugural panel discussion themed on 'Reengineering Patient Care : A Changemaker's perspective.' The expert panel will feature Dr Jitendra Sharma, MD & Founder CEO- AMTZ, Executive Director- Kalam Institute of Health Technology, Govt of India; Prof Anurag Agrawal, Head-Koita Center for Digital Health & Dean - BioSciences and Health Research, Ashoka University; Leena Menghaney, Lawyer/Consultant, Public Health, Pharmaceuticals & Access ad the discussion will me moderated by Vikas Dandekar, Editor (Pharma & Healthcare), The Economic Times. Following the Inaugural panel discussion Vikram Vuppala, Founder Chairman & Managing Director, NephroPlus will make a presentation on 'Reimagining Dialysis: Why Standalone Clinics are the Future?' After the partner presentation , at a FireSide Chat Dr Raajiv Singhal, Founding Member, Managing Director and Group CEO, Marengo Asia Hospitals will delve in the importance of Patient Safety and Centricity as Pillars of Clinical Excellence.' and the chat will be moderated by Prathiba Raju, Senior Assistant Editor, ETHealthworld. Following the discussion over the role of patient centricity in clinical excellence the summit will proceed towards another panel discussion on 'Revolutionizing Emergency Care: Patient-Centric Approaches in Trauma & Critical Care.' The panelist for the session will include Dr Deepak Agrawal, Professor, Neurosurgery, AIIMS New Delhi; Dr. (Prof) Ajay Bahl, Chairperson and HOD Emergency Medicine, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital; Dr. Sushant Chhabra, Cluster Head, Emergency Medicine, Manipal Hospitals North-West Region and the discussion will be moderated by Vikas Dandekar, Editor (Pharma & Healthcare), The Economic Times. After the panel discussion on Emergency Care, the summit will proceed further to uncover 'The Rise of Smart Hospitals: Creating a Digital Health Ecosystem.' The expert panel for the session will include Viji Varghese, Hospital Director, Manipal Hospital Delhi Rajiv Sikka, Group CIO, Medanta Hospitals; Susil Kumar Meher, Head Health IT & CISO, AIIMS New Delhi; Dr. Narin Sehgal, Finance Secretary - CAHO, Secretary AHPI, Delhi State, Medical Director, Sehgal Neo Hospital; Kunal Aggarwal, Founder & MD, Easy Solution Infosystems Private Limited; Miraj Shah, Manager, eClinicalWorks India and the discussion will be moderated by Prathiba Raju, Senior Assistant Editor, ETHealthworld. After the panel discussion on smart hospitals Pratin Vete, CEO, Universal NutriScience, will make a presentation on 'Integrating Nutraceuticals with Lifestyle and Diet: A Holistic Path to Wellness.' The partner presentation will be followed by a panel discussion on 'India's Silent Ache: How Aging and Urban Lifestyles Are Impacting Musculoskeletal Health?' The expert panel will feature Dr. Pranay Bhushan Pandey, Joint Replacement Surgeon, Dr Pranay Pandey Advanced Ortho Care; Dr. Buddhadeb Chatterjee, Sr. Consultant - Orthopaedics, Apollo Hospital; Dr. Jayant Arora, Senior Director and Unit Head - Orthopaedics, Fortis Healthcare; Dr Shubh Mehrotra, Director - Joint Replacement and Robotic Surgery, Lovee Shubh Hospital; Dr. Firoz Ahmed, Director and HOD, Dept of Orthopaedics, Joint Replacement and Sports Medicine, ARHI Hospital; Dr. Rajesh Bawari, Principal Consultant - Orthopaedics & Head - Complex Trauma & Orthopaedics Units, Max Hospital; and Prathiba Raju, Senior Assistant Editor, ETHealthworld will moderate the discussion. The panel discussion will be followed by a partner presentation on 'Reimagining Clinical Documentation through Sunoh AI- A Patient-Doctor Conversational AI' by Aakash Shah, Director, eClinicalworks India. Following the panel discussion the summit will proceed with another discussion on 'Smart Diagnosis : The Next Frontier in Medical Accuracy & Patient Safety.' The speakers for the session will include Arpan Malhotra, Director and COO, Max Labs Dr. Bhupendra Kumar Rana, CEO, Quality & Accreditation Institute; Dr. Sonal Saxena, Director Professor & HOD, Dept of Microbiology, Maulana Azad Medical College; Dr. Raj Shankar Ghosh, Senior Advisor, Environmental Health, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI); and the discussion will be moderated by Dr Shweta Prabhakar, Medical Superintendent, Paras Health. The panel discussion will be followed by the summit last session on 'Elderly Care: Leveraging Technology for Geriatric Well-Being.' The trilogue will feature Capt. Neelam Deshwal, Chief Nursing Officer, Fortis Healthcare; Dr. Prasun Chatterjee, Chief - Geriatric Medicine and Longevity Science, Artemis Hospital; Col. Binu Sharma, Senior Director, Nursing, Max Healthcare and the discussion will be moderated by Rashmi Mabiyan Kaur, Principal Correspondent, ETHealthworld.
