Some of the brightest minds in healthcare and technology will gather in Cleveland Oct. 24 to 26 to examine the potential of innovation to reshape modern medicine.

The theme of the 2016 Medical Innovation Summit – “Innovating for Healthcare’s Transformation” – reflects the sense of urgency in an industry in the midst of historic change. Hospitals and medical centers are under pressure to improve the quality of care and to make it more accessible, while at the same time reducing costs. Brian Donley, M.D., the Chief of Staff at Cleveland Clinic, says those challenges can only be met by embracing new practices and inventions.

“Innovation is an essential part of this transformation,” he said. “Only through innovation can we successfully turn the challenges we face into better healthcare for our patients and our communities.”

History proves that innovation leads to better quality and greater efficiency over time, he added.

“In every industry, as you improve the quality of your product, you reduce costs,” Dr. Donley observed. “Improving quality while reducing cost is something that innovation allows us to do in healthcare.”

The summit will showcase some of the emerging medical technologies, including virtual reality tools being tested by Navy Seals and surgeons for use in high pressure medical environments. Summit participants will also learn about the power of Microsoft’s HoloLens to transform medical education with its life-like holograms of human anatomy, the medical computing power of IBM’s Watson supercomputer, and some of the lifesaving innovations made possible by telemedicine.

The 14th edition of the summit – the oldest and largest gathering of its kind in healthcare – begins Monday, Oct. 24, in the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland and the adjacent Global Center for Health Innovation. It’s expected to draw more than 1,700 industry leaders, investors, inventors, entrepreneurs, providers and payers. They will hear from top executives and innovation officers from some of the most innovative companies in healthcare. Topics of discussion include drug pricing, artificial intelligence, the wearables revolution and the impact of the presidential election.

Featured speakers include:

Ian Read, Chairman & CEO of Pfizer
Omar Ishrak, Chairman & CEO of Medtronic
Bernd Montag, CEO of Siemens Healthineers
Laura Wallace, vice president, U.S. Health & Life Sciences at Microsoft
Delos Cosgrove, MD, CEO & President of Cleveland Clinic
Jonathan Bush, CEO & President, athenahealth
Roy Beveridge, MD. Chief Medical Officer at Humana
Deborah DiSanzo, General Manager, IBM Watson Health
Kevin Lalande, Managing Director, Sante Ventures
Leslie Bottorf, Managing Director, GE Healthcare
The summit is organized by Cleveland Clinic Innovations, the corporate venturing arm of Cleveland Clinic, which has more than 40 active spinoff companies in its portfolio. It is made possible by the support of its sponsors, including Siemens, the 2016 Title Sponsor, and Pfizer, the 2016 Transformer Sponsor.

This year’s summit will share proximity with the 2nd Annual Cleveland Medical Hackathon, a coding and problem-solving competition that climaxes at the convention center Sunday, Oct. 23. Hackathon winners will be invited to the summit and many summit participants are expected to attend the youthful hackathon, an illustration of the kind of synergy the summit encourages.

“This is how innovation is achieved,” Dr. Donley said. “Healthcare’s challenges are not going to be solved by doctors or by entrepreneurs or by venture capitalists working alone. They’re going to be solved by all of us coming together, and sharing our expertise, with a relentless focus on how we best serve our patients and our communities.”

For more information and to register, please visit www.ClevelandClinic.org/Summit

Programs of special interest
Healthcare Transformer Showcase – Monday morning, Stephen Krein, the CEO and co-founder of New York-based StartUp Health, will moderate this presentation of innovative companies that may transform the healthcare industry.
The Challenge – Also Monday morning, a panel of experts will hear from health IT companies positioned to solve some of healthcare’s greatest challenges. Participants are invited to join the experts in voting for the winner of The Challenge.
Opening of HIMSS Cybersecurity Hub – On Tuesday evening, the new HIMSS Cybersecurity Hub opens at the HIMSS Innovation Center on the 4th floor of the Global Center for Health Innovation. From 5:30 to 7 p.m., visitors can step inside this interactive space and witness the latest technology in the continuously changing cybersecurity landscape.
Rock Hall reception, Cavs watch party – Also Tuesday night, summit participants will mix and mingle in Cleveland style at a reception at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. The evening includes a watch party for the season opener of the 2016 NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cleveland Medical Hackathon – Innovation springs from collaboration and a diversity of ideas. That’s the philosophy behind the Cleveland Medical Hackathon, which returns to Cleveland’s Global Center for Health Innovation October 22 to 24. In a prelude to the Medical Innovation Summit, coders and doctors from near and far will apply technology to solving problems in healthcare. Learn more at http://clevelandmedicalhackathon.com/
Top 10 Medical Innovations of 2017 – The most anticipated moment at the Medical Innovation Summit is one that predicts the future. On Wednesday, Michael Roizen, M.D., and a team of leading physicians will announce the 10 medical innovations expected to have the greatest impact in the coming year. The Top 10 list, which represents the judgment of nearly 100 doctors and researchers, has successfully predicted the importance of gene editing, big data, new cancer treatments and the bionic eye.