It’s an understatement to say that the healthcare industry is in the midst of massive change at every level. From HITECH to Obamacare at the high level, to patient-generated health data and FHIR on the ground floor, changes are happening in all sectors, both within each sector and across them, as well:
- Hospitals are acquiring not only other hospitals but also physician practices
- Medical providers are opening accountable care practices that may function alongside still-operating, traditional fee-for-service models
- Electronic health record vendors are consolidating as the industry matures and successful vendors seek to increase their market share through acquisition
- Insurers continue to grow (or at least try to grow) to negotiate with larger health systems
These moves, naturally, pose significant challenges for health IT. How are IT departments supposed to keep up with the changes? …especially when innovation and IT gambles have traditionally been frowned upon by industry leaders who, for good reason, have been programmed to avoid risks at all costs.
Agility is not a term frequently associated with healthcare IT, but that is what is needed to keep up – and perhaps stay ahead – of the changing industry. One area healthcare organizations can find stability is by creating an interoperable data foundation.
While much attention has been placed on the EHR system, the integration layer serves as the catalyst for all health data activities and allows IT departments to break free from EHR “data siloes” and gain full control of their patients’ health data. Because integrating systems is no longer an obstacle, a hospital can become nimble and responsive, with their IT systems offering a distinct competitive advantage.
To read in-depth analysis on how an interoperable health data layer can offer strategic advantages and innovative solutions, download our latest White Paper, titled “Healthcare searches for IT stability to manage and implement change.”With an “of course we can do that” attitude, health IT leaders can offer true answers to the challenges posed in our changing industry.
Healthcare searches for IT stability to manage and implement change
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The paper covers:
- Meaningful Use uncertainty
- Hospital consolidation
- Health IT vendor consolidation
- Interoperability
- Strategic data frameworks
