Marketing
What if Dr. House Used Twitter? A talk with Dr. Bertalan Mesco, the Medical Futurist Bertalan Mesco is an MD and PhD who has established a global reputation as a medical futurist. His mission is to fill the gap between healthcare and digital technologies. He is also very much a proponent of treating the patient as a customer. We were intrigued by his focus and the things he expects for healthcare, and asked him some questions about—what else?—the near future. He made some anticipated points—the effects of which we are already seeing—and some surprising predictions as well. HS&M: What medications—or treatment areas—would have advanced the most, and why (current areas of discovery, profit potential, etc.) BERTALAN MESCO: It seems that those medication areas that are supported by highly engaged, empowered patients could advance the most as patients can significantly contribute to that. Examples include diabetes management with continuous glucose monitoring systems or spotting atrial fibrillation as a risk for stroke with smartphone-connected ECG devices.
57 | HS&M AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018
HS&M: What will a patient’s—sorry, customer’s—life be like: what will wearables measure, how much will we depend on telemedicine, how much will we monitor our own health?
I, as a patient, want to be the point-ofcare. Wherever I am or whenever I need them, I want diagnostic and treatment options.
