Health information technology use is expanding at an incredible speed. The development of artificial intelligence and telemedicine, for example, means patients will have increased access to care, or at least access to care delivered differently. This expansion will bring plenty of challenges for healthcare IT professionals to overcome.
Integrating artificial intelligence
Efficiency may be the essential element of a successful IT department and can be applied in a variety of ways. For example, you can use the power of AI to automate rote administrative tasks. As such, it’s easy to see why healthcare administrators are drawn to AI. It can:
- Ensure that all middlemen in your institution are worth the costs
- Use real-world evidence in place of costly clinical development
- Restructure supply chains to become more cost-effective in the face of new healthcare laws.
Implementing AI into an extensive healthcare system is not a simple task. Health IT professionals will need special tools to do so without violating patient protections in the HITECH Act, for example.
HITECH has caused plenty of change in the industry since its passage in 2009. It’s important that healthcare providers build their IT infrastructure from the ground up – beginning with the integration layer – to more easily and effectively incorporate new AI workflows.
Implementing telemedicine
As the aging population continues to grow, the healthcare industry is experiencing a growth in telehealth. An IHS Technology Report estimates that seven million patients will use telemedicine in 2018. This number is staggering compared to just 350,000 users in 2013.
IT teams must ensure that the telemedicine infrastructure is secure. If physicians are afraid that a breach will lead to a lawsuit, they will be less inclined to utilize the technology.
An intuitive platform and reliable internet connection will be just as important.
As healthcare becomes more patient-centered, the patient experience is crucial. If a doctor gets bad reviews because the connection was poor, this could negatively impact their practice and cause them to abandon telemedicine.
Interoperable health data is the solution
While artificial intelligence, HITECH, and telemedicine continue to change the face of healthcare, IT professionals need the right tools to keep up. Interoperability will be the solution for incorporating these technologies and the accompanying workflows. The success of new technologies is directly related to how it can be integrated into the current IT environment.
Shifts in the healthcare culture make data more valuable than ever before. As there are now more needs for data, it is vital for facilities to share health data.
Corepoint Health is proud to understand the upcoming challenges and help find ways to support your organization through them proactively. Learn how Corepoint Integration Engine can help your organization stay prepared to meet all future needs and challenges
