JACKSON, Mississippi (WLBT) – Ole Miss Business School and the University of Mississippi Medical Center partnered on Tuesday’s Conference on Innovation in Healthcare. They say finding new ideas to improve patient outcomes and the economic opportunity is a win-win for the state.

The conference served as a forum for brainstorming new ways to improve the way care is received and drive new healthcare-related businesses.

“As physicians, we look outside our box and maybe people in civil engineering, like one of the presenters here today, or someone who has real experience in the field as a parent. Maybe your mom or dad came up with a great idea,” explains Dr. Khristinn Kellie Leitch.

Former State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs was a panelist for a discussion titled “The Future of Technology in Healthcare Delivery: Do We Need Doctors?”

“Who has an Apple Watch? Or even your Apple Phone? So there are things you can do to personalize your health.” So it’s also a real danger.”

Data right at your fingertips or wrist is what you expect documents to be, it just magnifies.

“It’s also important to communicate with medical professionals who know how to interpret it, because a lot of the information you get can be confusing, scary, and irrelevant. Not only is it really, really, really very important,” Dobbs added. “So it’s going to be really important to use it as an adjunct, not as a replacement for your healthcare provider, your doctor, your NP.”

This kind of innovation represents an opportunity on the business side.

Dr. Paul Johnson, Associate Dean of the University of Mississippi School of Business, said: “So, for example, the apps that people are using this wearable technology for.”

Other conversations included ways to improve the diversity of nursing staff in the state and how to create a better workforce pipeline.

Want more WLBT news in your inbox? click here To subscribe to our newsletter.

Copyright 2022 WLBT. All rights reserved.