When Deep Tech Meets Healthcare — An Interview with Medicover
More and more healthcare startups are making great use of technology to disrupt today’s medical practices. Exoskeletons, 3D bioprinting, brain implants, all the most exciting breakthroughs that promise to change our lives for the better. But there’s also the current and near-future challenges that could use technology; we find various applications of deep technologies — big data, computer vision and others — that can have a profound impact on what we know, how we ensure knowledge transfer, and how we apply that into preventive care and treatment.
A medical company that integrates technology at the core of its activity is definitely a visionary company. One such company is Medicover, also one of our Gold partners for Codiax 2019.
In the following lines, you will find out more about the possible implications of technology in the Healthcare sector from Delia Iliasa, Commercial Director & National Director Medical Centers at Medicover.
It’s quite uncommon for a medical company to embrace technology the way Medicover does. Can you tell us more about the tech work behind your platform? How do your patients respond to this tech-first approach?
It is starting to be crowded in this area too, as most of the Healthcare operators are starting to look at digitalization and technology. Traditionally, the idea of technology in healthcare was applied to the latest trends in medical equipment, but in recent years we are talking more and more about Patient Journey and Experience. This is actually a trendy name for the digitalization of flows, mainly non-medical, but not necessarily. In Romania, I believe we are setting a trend, but we are not alone. This is, of course, in the main interest and benefit of all the users of private healthcare and, since we are barely at the start of this, it will be interesting to watch in the next years.
Your app is trying to change the way people access medical services. How does that influence the doctor-patient relationship and the healing process, in general?
We are always mindful of the way things have happened until now, but we also explore and try to understand what people do today, how do they act naturally. The simple reason that things have happened in a way in the past does not mean we need to continue doing it. Imagine that in the ’90s the trend was to speak on the phone, today it is mainly texting, so evolution is taking place. We need to adapt, having in mind and respecting the prerequisites for a truly valuable medical act. So, want it or not, evolution touches all aspects of our lives, healthcare included.
The local tech community is growing at a fast pace; what are you hoping to see in the near future? How are you getting ready for that?
If the question is what are we hoping to see related to healthcare, then it must be telemedicine. True and by-the-law telemedicine, enabling us to deliver the right type of services to the right patient in less time and bringing more value. The tech world is today able to bring that, the question is when will this be acceptable in Romania too.
