By Joe Hogan, President and CEO, GE Healthcare

"Healthcare is a wonderful industry. The people who work in it are committed to helping others, and they are passionate about the discoveries and innovations that can save lives. Today's clinicians and technicians have access to technology we could only dream about as recently as 10 years ago.

But the industry faces mounting challenges, all of which are familiar: aging populations, the global obesity epidemic, the rising toll in premature death and disability from cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other chronic conditions.

Healthcare professionals are responding with courage and creativity, attacking the problems of quality, access, and cost. On a small scale we have seen successes, especially where hospitals have implemented digitized patient records and information-based clinical support tools. But there is so much more that could be done now. This is a pivotal moment in the evolution of healthcare. The convergence of life sciences, diagnostics and digitization offers the potential to transform healthcare - a transformation of the magnitude generated by Thomas Edison when he brought electricity to the world through a simple invention called the light bulb.

Over the years, many experts within and outside the healthcare industry have pointed to technologies on the horizon that will potentially “save healthcare”. However, I believe to take healthcare into the future, we don’t have to wait for technologies that will be available in 2025. We need only look at the technologies and contemporary management processes we have today, and act."

Five Initiatives with the Power to Reshape Healthcare

	Focus on early health, not late disease			Increase transparency of quality and cost
	Turn information into insight			Commit to equity in healthcare access
	Measure healthspan, not lifespan