Medtech companies are beginning to address the technological challenges involved in developing devices that make intense use of information technologies (IT), but a great deal more effort will be required to prepare healthcare settings for the adoption of such products.

In a special roundtable conducted to conclude the MX series on IT in Healthcare, a panel of experts reviews the current shape of the field, challenges related to the adoption of healthcare IT systems, and how medical device manufacturers should be planning to do business in the emerging IT-rich healthcare environment. The wide-ranging discussion, which appears in the November/December issue of MX magazine, highlights financial and policy obstacles that are slowing the adoption of healthcare IT systems and reviews the role that various stakeholders—including medtech companies—can play in overcoming those obstacles.

Markle's Lansky: An IT paradox.

Panelists agree that shaping the future of healthcare IT will involve a lot more than mere technology. “A paradox that the field hasn't dealt with sufficiently yet is the fact that healthcare IT initiatives are not primarily about technology at all,” says David Lansky, PhD, health program senior director and executive director of the personal health technology initiative at the Markle Foundation (New York City). “Success is not going to be achieved by merely buying high-end hardware and software and plugging it all in. It's essential that we look at the issues of work flow, system redesign, and interoperability—but as part of a larger strategy of changing the healthcare system and not only as a basis for adopting raw technology.”