Danaher Diagnostics Summit: Patient Access

On diagnostics as drivers of change in the healthcare system:

In short, we're really in a time of change... And one way to do this is to make the next 20 years a golden age for diagnostics as a critical catalyst, as an enabler for what can be a revolution in healthcare: more accessible, more effective and more equitable.

Rainer Blair, President and Chief Executive Officer, Danaher Corporation

Watch here

On the benefits of increased patient access to medical records:

We should all own our medical record and should encourage our patients to sign up for it, download it, but then become conversant in it and learn and become an informed consumer so to speak, because we need patients to be more engaged in... maybe not self-diagnosis but you can do screening tests, you can do all types of things, but you think about all the other industries that have disrupted like travel and banking and insurance brokers, all those things don't exist anymore, all those different professions. And is there a way, because we have a huge labor shortage now in healthcare, is there a way to empower the patients and the families to be more engaged?

T. Clifford Deveny, President and CEO, Summa Health

Watch here

On this importance of building community-level relationships:

I love the diagnostics and everything we're talking about but Latinos aren't going to the doctor. So if they're not going, we're going to have to come to them with the blood test and work on the trust, stay in the communities not just when you have the grants and then wipe your hands clean and leave. We have to go there and stay there and show a commitment to build that relationship.

Loriana Hernandez-Aldama, Patient/Survivor, Founder, ArmorUp for LIFE

Watch here

On the critical role of healthcare system infrastructure:

We're at the beginning of the end stage of the war on cancer ... We have the capacity, the science, to actually manage cancer and turn it into a chronic disease at worst. However, we do not have the infrastructure to actually take [this innovation] into communities. Because when I think about the cancer moonshot, I'm thinking about the question, "how do we get that into every American neighborhood?" And here's the challenge: our healthcare system as it currently is structured cannot do that.

Gary Puckrein, President and CEO, National Minority Quality Forum

Watch here

On why access to cancer screens matters:

When you talk about cancer screening, one of the most important things is access. A lot of people fell behind during COVID in cancer screening and those same people who fell behind are the people who present with advanced disease for the most part. We need to do better for those folks.

Stephen Hahn, CEO, Harbinger Health

Watch here

On valuing the post-diagnosis patient journey:

Sometimes we oversimplify - we think, "[we've got a] diagnosis, let's dust our hands, we're done." But that's just the beginning of your journey [as a patient]. Then you have this multi-modal, complex diagnostic situation going on, and how do you actually integrate that… so as to not disrupt your life?

Sarah Kehoe, Senior Director, Clinical Insights, Danaher

Watch here