Technology that protects patient privacy and security
With technology virtualizing healthcare delivery, the risk of data breaches is increasing. Particularly as healthcare begins to rely on mobile technology, having a sound infrastructure that preserves privacy and security in virtual settings will be important. Adopting sophisticated privacy and security solutions will also help organizations support operational excellence and remain compliant with ever-increasing regulation around safeguarding protected health information.
Analytical tools that help ACO and population health models work
As healthcare moves from fee-for-service to value-based care, there is a need for robust technology to support emerging value-based models, such as accountable care organizations and patient-centered medical homes. Fann says solutions that offer strong data analytics that effectively distinguish between causation and correlation will allow ACOs and organizations pursuing population health models to better understand the reasons behind clinical variation and put systems in place to proactively limit that variation, improving care quality while decreasing costs.
Advanced and user-friendly electronic health records
MU dramatically stimulated the EHR vendor market—more than 550 companies have at least one MU attestation, according to Fann. However, not all these companies have best of breed systems or even especially well-designed ones. Dr. David Kibbe, president and CEO of DirectTrust says that since many healthcare providers won’t have the bandwidth to rip out their ineffective systems and put in better ones, solutions that refactor existing EHR applications will be in high demand. Even best of breed systems will undergo a facelift in the future, moving to the cloud, streamlining data capture, facilitating more seamless information exchange and delivering more intelligent data mining and reporting.
Fasten Your Seat Belts
Embracing technology innovation is a smart idea. When organizations remain open to change and seek out new technologies, they put themselves in a stronger position to elevate clinical care, business performance and patient engagement. The technology will be available. Organizations just need to buckle up and prepare for the ride.
