Conference examines role of technology in the economics of U.S. health care

The role of biotechnology in managing the escalating costs of health care in the United States will be the topic of an all-day conference on Sept. 25, in Gaithersburg, Md.

"Economic Strategy for Healthcare Through Bio and Information Standards and Technologies" will examine progress in the development of bioinformatics and other advanced diagnostic tools and the potential of these technologies to detect and prevent disease — in the process, bringing down the high costs associated with health care treatment.

The conference will be held at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which is a sponsor along with the Biotechnology Council and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

The meeting will bring government and academia together with members of the biotechnology community who are researching and developing the technologies, particularly diagnostic systems, which show the potential to advance health care and manage costs.

The goal of "Economic Strategy for Healthcare through Bio and Information Standards," according to organizers, is to emphasize the need to develop a long-term economic strategy for implementing biotechnology-based devices and methodologies into America's health care system.

Participants in the conference include some of the leading thinkers and foremost authorities on the topic of health care. The honorary chair is Jerry Grossman, senior fellow and director of the Harvard/Kennedy School Healthcare Delivery Policy Program and chairman emeritus of the New England Medical Center.

ASME is a member of the Biotechnology Council and an active technical publisher and meetings organizer in the bioengineering and bioprocess engineering fields. Through the resources of ASME Solutions, the Society can offer the bioengineering and pharmaceutical industry sectors streamlined, knowledge-based programs designed to meet specific organizational needs and technical concerns.

To find out more about the conference, visit http://ewh.ieee.org/tc/biotech.

 

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