Love it or hate it, social media has become ingrained in most of our lives both personally and professionally. LinkedIn has made it easier than ever for professionals across business sectors to connect with one another and forge potential working relationships. And for those of us in the news business—especially those of us covering the ever volatile healthcare industry —the rise of Twitter has both enabled and demanded the delivery of real-time news in 140 characters or less.

The influence that social media, Twitter in particular, has on our professional lives was blatantly apparent in Cleveland last week where nearly 1,600 industry stakeholders gathered for the Cleveland Clinic’s 11^th annual Medical Innovation Summit. This year’s meeting also served as the inaugural event at the Global Center for Health Innovation in Cleveland’s downtown.

This year, conference organizers went out of their way to encourage participants to “join the conversation” by displaying a scrolling Twitter feed on the screens behind the panel speakers. They also ran a friendly competition for Tweeting the best picture from the Tuesday night reception, which Medical Device Daily’s Executive Director Don Johnston proudly won, taking home an iPad Mini for his efforts. MDD also ranked fourth on a list of Top 10 Twitter mentions (the top three on that list

were all affiliated with the Cleveland Clinic and involved with the organization of the event).

Of course not everyone is a fan of social media. In fact, one over-served attendee at the networking reception Tuesday night was quick to express—using no uncertain terms—his dislike for the prominent display of Tweets running throughout the sessions. While it might have been seen as a distraction to some, the fact remains that Twitter, much like LinkedIn, has a legitimate place in the business world.

And in case you missed the conversation last week, here are some highlights from MDD’s Twitter coverage of the Medical Innovation Summit:

• “We’re thinking of the post-EMR era of healthcare” – IBM Global Healthcare’s Sean Hogan on health IT panel.
• Covidien CEO Almeida, native of Brazil, says obesity has become global challenge & “not just a developed country issue anymore.”
• Transparency about cost is new for all in healthcare, representing significant challenge in changing environment. – Dr. [Toby] Cosgrove.
• Obesity leads to orthopedic & other complications, says Cleveland Clinic’s Steve Niessen. “Every system in the body is affected.”
• How will obesity market evolve? We don’t know. Lots of resistance (at FDA) to call it a disease. – Brian Dovey, Domain Associates.
• Dr. [Michael] Roizen’s vision of a good solution to metabolic crises: prevention. Can we intervene earlier and save the whole system money?
• Michael Roizen, MD, on investing in metabolic disorders: So much unmet need in the U.S. that there will be a lot of winners.
• J&J’s Brad Vale says metabolic disorders is a great area to invest in, but regulatory hurdles makes the decision tough.
• Corp. America should remove small impediments, says Citibank’s [Peter] Orszag. Put fruits/veggies at front of cafeteria line; offer onsite gyms.
• “We’ve never needed innovation in this country more than we do now.” – Former Sen. [Tom] Daschle on challenges facing U.S. healthcare.