AMCHAM’s 12th Healthcare Conference: Shaping the Future of Healthcare was held at the Hyatt Gachibowli, Hyderabad on September 20th. In the inaugural session, Mr. Divya Prakash Joshi, Co-Chairman – Hyderabad Chapter, AMCHAM and Site Leader & VP, Medtronic Engineering & Innovation Center (MEIC) welcomed the gathering and guest of honor, Consul General Jennifer Larson.  He spoke on the groundbreaking emergence of AI in healthcare which was reshaping the way patients are diagnosed, treated and monitored. AI in healthcare is expected to play a major role in redefining the way healthcare data is processed, diagnosing diseases, developing treatments and even preventing them. Ms. Jennifer Larson, Consul General, U.S. Consulate General Hyderabad appreciated what AMCHAM and American healthcare companies were doing in healthcare and highlighted how the healthcare landscape, especially in Telangana, has evolved with lots of new technologies as well as shifting patient expectations. She spoke of the strength of U.S.-India healthcare collaboration and mutual commitment to deliver affordable and cutting-edge solutions.  When it comes to pharmaceuticals in the U.S. 60% of generics come from India. She shared about how the healthcare industry in India was undergoing a rapid transformation, with AI at the forefront. Mr. Karthik Padmanabhan, Managing Partner GCC, Zinnov spoke on the evolving healthcare landscape.  He shared about the innovation of various products like pacemakers, solutions for snoring and sleep apnea, etc. for which all those companies have their GCCs in India today. The impact of technology has been profound and personal on the healthcare front. He shared technology trends happening in healthcare GCCs and an overview of GCC presence in India over the last 30 years with around 1,700 centers. Companies have multiple centers in India with ample talent, transformation and technology aiding growth. In terms of technology, 86% of centers in India are having or delivering AI/ML work. He touched on blockchain in healthcare, R&D and how centers in India are transforming global operations.

Panel I: Healthcare Technology was led by Mr. Manoj Kapoor, Vice President Growth & Transformation, Providence with panelists Ms. Suma N., Director Software Engineering, Medtronic and Mr. Ritesh Dogra, AVP Tech Commercialization, Indegene. With technology playing a major role as the patient is looking at personalization, the panel discussed using technology to transform healthcare. They delved into how much AI actually makes it to production and specific challenges with adoption and scalability of particular solutions for consumers and other enterprises being served.

Panel II: Preventive Healthcare and Well-Being was led by Mr. Ratan Jalan, MD and Founder, Medium Consulting with speakers Mr. Arun Sathiamoorthy, Research Fellow, Medtronic, Mr. Ashok Venkatachalam, Site Leader and Head, Evernorth Health Services and Mr. Naresh P., Founder, nSure Healthy Spine. Traditionally healthcare has been more of sick care but there is a shift to prevention with something as simple as a health check making a difference. The panel discussed reasons why companies may not be doing enough prevention and cited the example that smokers have to pay a higher premium for insurance in the U.S. so adherence to a good lifestyle plays an important role in preventive care. The discussion centered around how technology and wearables play an important role in prevention and early diagnosis. Technology, early diagnosis, bio markers, vaccinations, the roles corporates could play, non-surgical treatments and integrated medicine were discussed.

Panel III: Future Proofing Healthcare: Equity & Sustainability was led by Mr. Sumeet Chandna, Partner, Strategy & Transformation, EY Parthenon – Health Sciences with speakers Ms. Vasudha Bommireddy, VP Engineering, Providence and Mr. Venugopal Reddy – GM & Country Head, Zelis Healthcare India. The session explored whether technology innovation in healthcare was sustainable, the relationship between innovation and cost efficiency, how to scale payer model and healthcare delivery and underscored the difficulty of being frugal in Indian healthcare.

Panel IV: Start-Ups & Healthcare was led by Mr. Kishore Pendyala, CEO, KPi Technologies with panelists Mr. Vikram Kumar, CEO, Multiplier AI, Mr. Ravi Bhogu, Founder, Monitra Healthcare and Dr. Radhakrishna S., Chief Orthopedician & CEO, Renova Hospitals. They spoke on the complex healthcare ecosystem and how a start-up can create and bring a disruptive idea into the fabric of healthcare. They also touched on how start-ups and investors can bring meaningful transformative change in the healthcare industry. They discussed ways start-ups can remain aligned to the ecosystem and encouraged healthcare start-ups to think about one niche area, establish themselves extremely well and focus on that issue.