BioSignia COO urges leaders attending Business Leader’s Breakfast to “ponder the possibilities”
Timothy Smith PhD, COO and President of BioSignia, challenged those attending the Business Leaders Breakfast to heed his grandfather’s advice: “You need a lot of pondering to succeed.” He then asked each person to think about what he calls the nation’s biggest challenge: transforming the health care system from “sick care” to health care by preventing chronic disease.
“Everyone has a stake and everyone must take charge of their own health because prevention is the only way to address chronic diseases and the costs associated with them,” Smith warned the audience before reciting startling statistics. “GM spends $2000 per car for health care, $800 on steel. BioSignia projects over the next five years among North Carolina’s state employees, 26,000 people will be diagnosed heart disease, stroke and diabetes and approximately 20,000 of those cases are preventable. This is constantly flowing into the system. Health care costs will bankrupt the state and our county if we don’t make changes.”
Smith told the gathering he believes BioSignia’s breakthrough product, Know Your Number, can help people take charge of their health. The risk assessment tool uses medical information, lifestyle and family history to predict an individual’s chances of developing nine chronic, preventable diseases such as diabetes. stroke and heart disease. Smith hopes KYN helps Americans understand reducing the risk of chronic disease must become a personal issue.
“My grandfather told me leaders are keen observers who are thinking about what they leave behind,” Smith said. “It’s clear chronic disease is killing our country, both the people and the cost of care. We can prevent chronic disease but our health care system has to be designed to support it. That’s change, that’s a good legacy.”
About BioSignia, Inc.
BioSignia is a leading technology company focused on bringing innovative, predictive modeling solutions to the preventive health and life insurance markets. At the center of BioSignia’s groundbreaking approach is the company’s proprietary synthesis modeling technology, which allows physicians and patients to understand risk and measure it. BioSignia received the Disease Management Association of America’s prestigious award for Best Enabling Tool for Disease Management in 2004. Since then, the company’s talented R & D team has continued to advance synthesis modeling, updating the system to reflect the ever expanding need for effective chronic disease prevention, management and treatment.
