The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ IDEA Lab (HHS IDEA Lab) welcomed Verizon executives to speak with their members last week (Feb. 25) at a morning boot camp on healthcare innovation.
HHS Idea Lab was created in 2013 with a simple but powerful objective – improving how the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services delivers on its healthcare mission.
To put this objective into perspective, consider the following:
- Annual healthcare-related spending is projected to surpass $4 trillion by 2019.
- More than 75 percent of healthcare costs are due to chronic conditions.
- 48 million people are living without healthcare insurance.
- Estimated costs wasted on unnecessary care, inefficient systems, administration, and fraud total $750 billion annually.
The far-ranging conversation with Verizon touched on a variety topics related to how technology can be leveraged to improve healthcare delivery, control costs and expand access to care. The Verizon and HHS teams also discussed best practices for organizational structure and alignment, effective partnering models, and how to drive innovation internally and across the burgeoning U.S. healthcare industry with its various stakeholders and constituencies.
The Verizon presenters were: Mike Maiorana, senior vice president of public sector markets; Dr. Peter Tippett, vice president and chief medical officer; Craig Jackowski , Principal Member of Technical Staff; and Maurice Thompson, director of public sector marketing.
The HHS IDEA Lab is an important example of the department’s commitment to innovation and improving the quality and delivery of healthcare in the U.S. By fostering a collaborative environment for government and industry to come together and share ideas, the HHS IDEA Lab serves as an important catalyst in harnessing the power of technology to drive sustainable and tangible results.
For more information on Verizon’s vision for the interconnected healthcare ecosystem, visit the Verizon Enterprise Solutions’ healthcare solutions website.
