Making the US a Telehealth Ready Nation

Efficiency is widely recognized as one of the most important concepts in economics and business, a generic definition from Knapp (1984) coins it as 'the allocation of scarce resources that maximizes the achievement of aims'. Organizations, hospitals, and health systems across the world have been implementing telehealth for their patients and employees with efficiency in mind. A variety of benefits and motivations for telehealth exist, this session explores the efficiencies realized (financial, clinical, operational, technical). Leading experts and senior leaders from UnitedHealth Group, Kaiser Permanente, and Cloudbreak Health join this exciting panel to discuss how telehealth has become a strategic asset and made breakthrough efficiency impacts and results in their own and partner/client organizations.

David Gruber (Moderator), Alvarez & Marsal Healthcare Industry Group (HIG), Managing Director and Director of Research

David Gruber, MBA is a Managing Director and Director of Research with Alvarez & Marsal Healthcare Industry Group (HIG) in New York, specializing in strategy, business development, consumer engagement, innovation, new ventures, technology, analytics and health benefits.

He is currently responsible for thought leadership and model development within HIG, co-leads A&M health benefit activities and is involved in a wide range of consulting projects.

Dr. Gruber brings 30 years of diversified healthcare experience as a consultant, corporate executive, Wall Street analyst and physician.

Before A&M, he spent three years as the Founder of Healthcare Convergence Associates, a consulting firm focused on the convergence of healthcare, technology and the consumer. Assignments included working with a multinational to explore tele-health opportunities; a medical device maker to assess the feasibility of a proposed asthma and COPD technology; a pharmacy benefit manager to define innovative approaches to medication adherence in diabetes; a national retailer exploring health and wellness; a Canadian company interested in preventing nosocomial infections; and a major Wireless Health Institute to develop its strategic plan. He was also involved in three healthcare-related IT start-ups.

Iris Berman, Northwell Health, VP and AVP, Telehealth Services and Member, NYS Regulatory Modernizatioin Workgroup for Telehealth

Iris Berman, RN, MSN, CCRN-K, is the VP of telehealth services at Northwell Health. Having been a nurse for more than 30 years, she has experience in a variety of care settings that has given her a unique understanding of the needs of at-risk patient populations and the critical nature of patient access. She started her career as a per diem nurse, which gave her the opportunity to work in a variety of environments, but it was Critical Care that called to her. After moving into a position in critical care, she became interested in at risk populations and volunteered to work on joint programs with her hospital and the American Heart Association. The health system supported her interest and the program continued to grow. She and her team developed a support program for patients with a variety of cardiac diseases. While attending school for her MSN in nursing administration, she became the critical care educator for Glen Cove hospital, now a part of Northwell Health.

Andrew B. Wilson, Morris James LLP, Attorney and Legislative Specialist

Drew Wilson is an attorney at Morris James LLP, a full service law firm offering everything from estate planning to personal injury with offices around the state. He specializes in healthcare law and policy, working with practitioners and the changing landscape they face in the modern era of care delivery. He sits on Delaware's Telehealth Coalition Steering Committee and was instrumental in the drafting and passing of Delaware's telemedicine statute.