There are many reasons to fear that the healthcare crisis in this country is going to get worse—a lot worse—before it gets better. More than two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, with costly knock-on effects from heart disease to diabetes. The overall cost of care seems to be spiraling upward unstoppably. The FDA is so weighed down by bureaucratic caution that it’s slowing drug and medical-device innovation to a standstill. The Supreme Court might be on the verge of striking down the only real attempt to fix healthcare delivery in decades.
And yet—when you look around places like San Francisco and Silicon Valley, you see so many passionate young entrepreneurs with ideas for improving the system that you can’t help feeling a little better about the future. Last night I went to the 2012 demo day for Rock Health, the San Francisco- and Boston-based startup accelerator focused on the healthcare industry. In a two-hour session held at Practice Fusion’s new downtown headquarters, 13 companies (pictured above right) shared their ideas for helping consumers lead healthier lives and making care delivery easier for healthcare professionals. Maybe it’s just a case of infectious enthusiasm, but I came away feeling that if even half of these ideas take hold, the U.S. will be a healthier, happier place.
To read the full, original article click on this link: 13 Reasons to Be Optimistic About Healthcare, Courtesy of Rock Health | Xconomy
