Special Discussion - Thinking Session:
Integrated Diagnostics - Integrated Care: Issues, Challenges, Future

Sponsored by Orion Health

Thursday, April 26, 2012  10:30 AM – 12:00 Noon

Discussion Leaders:

Dr. Sylvia Asa, Medical Director, Toronto Medical Laboratories, Pathologist-in-Chief, University Health Network

Dr. Bruce Friedman, Professor Emeritus, University of Michigan Medical School

Dr. Ulysses Balis, Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Informatics, University of Michigan Medical School

Moderated by:
Professor Dominic Covvey, President, National Institutes of Health Informatics

Integrated diagnostics can be defined as the close collaboration, or even merger, of the various diagnostic specialties in order to promote more efficient and effective healthcare delivery. The two largest diagnostic specialties today are Anatomic/Clinical Pathology and Diagnostic Imaging. Digital Pathology provides an interesting and unique model for demonstrating the intrinsic value of integrated diagnostics. With whole slide imaging, an entire surgical pathology case becomes portable. It can be transferred to a pathologist for interpretation anywhere within the health system (or the world for that matter), and it moves pathology services out of the lab and into clinical services. Integrated into the electronic medical record, the digital images and associated records can be readily accessed by clinicians. Fortunately, the field of Diagnostic Imaging has evolved into nearly 100% digital (PACS), so that the technological path for Digital Pathology to evolve can be modeled on DI. Integrated care, on the other hand,  describes a care process wherein care providers are members of a collaborating team, all members with access to Integrated Diagnostics and functioning as a syncytium. This session will address conceptual, governance, policy, technological, operational and human resources innovation to realize the potential of Integrated Care based on Integrated Diagnostics. It is the keystone session of AHIC 2012.