How do you change the world?
That’s the central question behind The Disruptors, a new web video series co-produced by MassDevice and HB, which focuses on the minds behind some of medical technology’s most disruptive innovations.
For the next several months we’ll be interviewing a select group of visionaries who we believe have changed or are going to change the world through disruptive medical technologies and processes.
In our inaugural episode, we introduce a true Disruptor: Abraham Gutman, CEO, AG Mednet.
Following a career in telecommunications, in which he founded Waltham, Mass.-based network access provider Emperative, Gutman took a flyer on changing the way drug and device companies share medical images during clinical trials.
MassDevice: How did AG Mednet come about?
Abraham Gutman: It was like most things in life, very serendipitous, I heard there’s a problem in radiology around moving images. There is another problem that there weren’t enough radiologists in the US. Why does the problem exists? Those machine must produce images in digital form and you just send them electronically, I’m a telecom guy, right?
The answer I was given was that there are many problems and complexities; compressions, different pax systems, HIPAA etc. And you know a few days later, in the middle of the night, I came to the conclusion that I can solve this problem.
MassDevice: How is technology received in healthcare?
AG: In healthcare, I think it’s the opposite. Nobody is willing to give technology a try. So there is plenty out there, but everyone seems to have reasons why we will not do; this but in telecom, the question is why we shouldn’t do this. In healthcare, no one can give me the reason why we should. They hide behind regulations and, in my opinion, they are guidance, not a mandate to not innovate.
MassDevice: What do you think is the future of healthcare technology?
AG: What I see as the barrier or unwillingness to accept innovations is going to begin to tumble because a big wave is coming. Just like in our case, we are in so many hospitals in the world. Our product does not require any IT intervention at a hospital. If I need to negotiate with 4,000 hospitals individually, we’ll never succeed because the barrier will be too high.
We built something that enables the user, just like they use google, yahoo or an EDC system, to built these submissions and enhanced quality images and move them. Well, we obviously are not the only ones who are doing this, but I know more and more innovation is occurring for iPad-based platforms and the canopy of platforms out there is increasing and development is becoming easier and everybody is attacking small problems not big ones.
That is one way which barriers are going to come down. Slowly but surely. It’s death by a thousand cuts.
Are you a Disruptor? Let us know how and maybe you’ll end up on one of these videos. Contact us at [email protected]
