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A round trip career journey from high tech to health care locale is rewarding and revealing.   The experienced in health care give the advice “if you have been to 10 hospitals, you have been to 10 hospitals”, meaning that generalization is not wise, nor should we expect standard best practice much among medical facilities.  With this wisdom, my brief trip to one position at one company in the health care locale lands me absolutely nowhere close to understanding the industry.   On the other hand, it is a poorly performed area against many other countries, in both the quality and the cost of the care.   The first time we run into a problem, it is someone else’s problem; the second time on the same problem, it is becoming our problem.   The challenging state of health care industry creates a harsh reality that the problem is for anyone and everyone to solve.

A few high-tech giants are getting into the challenges in an appropriate way, leveraging their strength.  “Search” company looks for correlation between longevity and people attributes, that is brilliant and disruptive in the sense that if we know how to live long and well, would we rather have that, than spending our late years relying on increasing level of medication; “smart device” companies are getting into Apps on biometric data, also great in the sense to create health awareness; “computer technology” companies are providing computer capacity to expedite genomes analysis.  Not to mention other big ideas.   Where there are opportunities, where the bright minds go.

Do we see that the existing health care challenges could be solved with existing knowledge, experience and relationship; or do we see the need of fundamentally different approach and mindset to address?  How could the high tech industry possibility help to improve the current state in health care?

• Engineers thrive in solving problems.
• High tech. industry generally relies on abilities, automation and skills more. Experience is where the wisdom, the knowledge and common sense are mingled with status-quo and inertia to change.  Experience alone may not create solution for an area that needs dramatic changes.
• They bring in fresher perspective.
• They are more adapt to dramatic evolution and constant changes, and generally excited about new ideas.

The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing may be sufficient to solve most problems.  It gives hope to see the crossover from high tech to tackle the big health (care) challenge.   Let’s hope for a sincere collaboration for the well being of tens of millions.

Posted in Career Management, Dear Diary