TED Talks consistently produce some of the most innovative thinking across industries, bringing thought leaders to the stage to push boundaries and discuss revolutionary ideas. Over the years, TED has hosted speakers from the healthcare space that have changed the way we think about the provision and utilization of care. Some of the talks are about technology, some about integration, some about philosophy. Healthcare Dive took a look at the five best TED Talks over the last few years that echo the ideas leading executives are talking about.
1. "Why don't patients behave like consumers?"
In the midst of the ongoing transformation of how we refer to patients — now as "consumers" and "customers" — Jon Cohen, senior vice president at Quest Diagnostics, explains why patients themselves don't live up to that moniker.
2. "What if our healthcare system kept us healthy?"
Health advocate Rebecca Onie co-founded Health Leads, a company that uses college student labor to help connect low-income patients to basic resources they need to prevent health problems before they start. Here, she talks about the Health Leads model, and how healthcare can use it to prevent, not just treat, disease.
3. "Health care should be a team sport"
Eric Dishman does healthcare research for Intel, looking at how technology can be applied to improve outcomes. In this talk, Dishman demonstrates through the narrative of his own health story how telehealth and care coordination can improve the delivery and cost of care.
4. "How do we heal medicine?"
One of TIME's 100 Most Influential Thinkers, Atul Gawande is an author and surgeon. In this influential talk, Gawande calls for fewer "cowboys" and more "pit crews" in medicine. He suggests that by using tools as simple as a checklist, physicians can refocus on the most important part of their job: treating patients.
5. "Your health depends on where you live"
Bill Davenhall, who is a health and human services expert, believes that providing physicians with accurate geographic and environmental data on patients can significantly improve outcomes. His talk is particularly apropos given the recent Medicare data payment release that gives geographic location, and the ongoing conversations about the value of leveraging nontraditional data in creating risk profiles for accountable care organizations.