Top 10 Healthcare IT News stories of 2015

An eventful year for EHRs, ICD-10, meaningful use, population health and beyond
By Mike Miliard
11:05 AM

In 2015, heath IT got BIG.

Big data. Big breaches. Big EHR contracts. Big M&A deals. Big anticipation about ICD-10. Big plans for (and frustrations with) meaningful use. Big fears about cybersecurity. Big hopes for the future of connected care and population health. (You can read about those stories and more in the December edition of Healthcare IT News.)

Here, meanwhile, are the top 10 most-read stories of the past year on HealthcareITNews.com.

  1. Entering a new era of population health. We finally seem to be settling on a definition of just what it is. Now it's time to make it happen. This story was far and away the biggest click-getter of the year.
  2. What to look for in population health at HIMSS15. The 2015 HIMSS Annual Conference and Exhibition showcased all manner of patient engagement, analytics and mobile health tools in Chicago this past April. Expect even more buzz in Las Vegas at HIMSS16, starting February 29.
  3. 10 tech trends to watch for in 2015. Hospital disinfection robots, medical 3D printing and more. Did these predictions come true in 2015? And what will 2016 have in store?
  4. DoD awards Cerner, Leidos, Accenture EHR contract. The biggest and most buzzed-about electronic health record contract in history was awarded in July. Some were surprised at the winner. Everyone expects the deal to have ripples throughout healthcare in the year ahead.
  5. 10 nurse execs at the top of their game. Key players on the front lines of care delivery, RNs are increasingly making their voices heard when it comes to how IT is used in hospital settings. These nursing leaders are helping shape the agenda.
  6. ICD-10: CMS won't deny claims for first year. There was a lot of nervousness in 2015 as the Oct. 1 ICD-10 deadline loomed. This news, offering a bit of a grace period once the training wheels were off, was well-received across the industry.
  7. 15 interoperability geeks to watch. It's something we all know needs to happen. But just how and when it does will require changing some ingrained attitudes and removing some behavioral and technological barriers. It will also require technical chops, and and these "geeks" are showing how it's done.
  8. Mayo Clinic moves to Epic. When one of the largest and most-respected health systems inks a many-million-dollar implementation deal with the largest and (mostly) respected EHR vendor, it's unsurprising that it will spark widespread interest. (Almost as popular: Mayo Clinic CIO explains switch from Cerner to Epic.
  9. How satisfied are you with your EHR? 2015 Satisfaction Survey results. Our inaugural satisfaction survey polled those in charge of managing EHR systems and those who use them every day. The results were varied, but one common complaint stood out: "too many clicks!"
  10. CMS lays out vision for Stage 3 meaningful use. Widespread trepidation – if not outright opposition – notwithstanding, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has grand plans to charge ahead with Stage 3 meaningful use. At HIMSS15 this past spring, officials offered their thoughts on "the 'meaningful use for everyone' regulation."
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