March 4, 2020 – Healthcare is a consistent source of discussion in the legal, political, and innovation worlds, and healthcare will be a centerpiece in the next presidential election cycle as candidates outline their visions for the future of healthcare in America.

David Cade, former deputy general counsel for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the current CEO of the nonpartisan American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA) in Washington D.C., recently discussed trends in healthcare at the State Bar of Wisconsin’s 2019 Health, Labor, and Employment Law Institute.

This year, Cade, a regular speaker at HLE, focused on data and technology in the healthcare world, and how they will impact the work of health care lawyers. He also provided an update on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), still the subject of litigation.

“One of the trends I highlighted was data and data breaches,” said Cade. “Data is here. We are collecting more, using it more, and there’s value in improving health care delivery through the proper use of data. Along with that benefit comes the curse of protecting it. As important it is to protect the data, we can’t lock it down.”

Cade says lawyers can assist health care clients through training and education, and implementing up-to-date systems and processes to mitigate data breaches that can cost millions of dollars to fix. Cade also discussed technology in health care today.

“It’s exploding,” he said. “We are moving farther and faster than I think anybody contemplated 10, 20, and 30 years ago in the area of technology. He said technology is allowing clinicians to reach remote areas, which provides expanded and faster care.

“Artificial intelligence is the next technology wave,” said Cade, who noted the artificial intelligence (AI) won’t replace health care providers or lawyers. It will just allow them to be more efficient in what they do, and to create more opportunities upstream.

Seminar: 2019 Health Law Update OnDemand

American Health Lawyers Association CEO David Cade teamed up with Tom Shorter, a healthcare attorney at Husch Blackwell, Madison, to deliver the annual 2019 Health Law Update at the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Health, Labor, and Employment Law Institute.

The seminar update, which covers trends in healthcare law, was recorded and is available OnDemand (1.5 CLE). Register and watch now!