04.04.22
Prospeak: The Growing Hub of Digital Health
Rhonda Ladig, The NIIC Program Manager, published on BusinessPeople.com
Long before the pandemic, connectivity was evolving. Health-related market clusters – including health care services and delivery, medical devices and insurance – are the bedrock of Indiana’s economy. This underscores the importance of initiatives supporting health-related technologies.
Health Care Services and Delivery
Health care is the “number one employer in Allen County and the second largest employing sector in the 11-county region,” according to Northeast Indiana Target Report, commissioned by Greater Fort Wayne Inc. and completed by the Community Research Institute.
Parkview Mirro Center for Research and Innovation has many digital health projects for physical and mental health needs. One project in the works is Care PLUS, a mobile app to connect peer recovery coaches and individuals with substance use disorder to recovery support and resources.
Digitizing in the Medical Device Cluster
Warsaw, in Kosciusko County, is known as the “Orthopedic Capital of the World®,” originating with the formation of DePuy over 100 years ago. Industry innovation and growth led to an ecosystem to support this economic cluster, extending throughout northeast Indiana.
Artificial intelligence (AI), robotic surgery, virtual monitoring of patient stats for care, etc. – move science fiction to reality. Increased data drives the health care experience for providers and patients.
InsurTech
Big Data, AI, Internet of Things (IoT), cybersecurity, virtual reality and drone technologies are all components of InsurTech – the intersection of insurance and technology. Insurance companies collect and analyze data to improve services. For example, the trucking industry tests smart socks for drivers. The socks record how much rest a driver is getting, blood sugar levels and oxygen intake.
To help bridge the gap between technology, risk management and cyber liability, Indiana Tech offers the InsurTech Certificate.
Technology and health care change more rapidly than we can imagine. Northeast Indiana is in a good place to be part of the innovation that will help people around the globe.
