What’s in Store for Health IT in 2014?
By Ronald Razmi, Founder and CEO of Acupera
EHRs Will Go Under the Microscope
In 2014, many large health systems will continue to re-evaluate their enterprise Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems. They will also be increasingly willing to scrap those investments and start over with EHRs that better support population health management, can integrate with practice management and billing, and offer more integration of outpatient with inpatient systems.
Health systems will also need guidance on how to use the data they have to improve their business and comply with increasingly punitive federal reporting requirements. Since many health systems organizations don’t have these capabilities in-house, they will look to technology companies that offer effective solutions without being too disruptive to their current IT architecture.
The Affordable Care Act Effect
Under the Affordable Care Act, the number of Americans who enroll in healthcare plans will continue to increase. The influx of previously uninsured Americans into the healthcare system presents a unique opportunity for health IT companies to help providers become more efficient.
The prospect of increased revenues will force health systems to look for ways to increase their capacity. This might mean the acquisition of additional physician practices, increased use of physician extenders (such as Nurse Practitioners), and the use of more digital health tools.
Organizations Will Continue their Slow Shift to Value-Based Care
Healthcare providers will continue to adopt value-based contracts, but at a slower pace than predicted. The delays will be caused by the need to create an IT infrastructure that supports value-based care, and the need to alter workflows that embrace this new model.
At the same time, providers will continue to resist drastic changes to their clinical workflows and will only take incremental steps towards new practice models. This, coupled with shortage of healthcare IT specialists, will mean that health systems will need to undertake additional work and Fee-for- Service will continue to be the dominant payment model for years to come.
Healthcare Providers Will Move Ever Closer to Adopt a Community Approach to Care
Successful, innovative health systems will realize that keeping a population healthy is a community-wide effort. Frontrunners will launch initiatives that involve coordination of clinical, social, behavioral and family resources to identify and minimize risk, while increasing patient engagement.
To be successful, health systems must view their EHRs as a building block for population health management, not as the sole solution. More healthcare organizations will begin to understand that a single technology will not support all of their needs, and they may need to integrate multiple technologies to meet the new demand for their services. It’s critical to have systems in place that can integrate data from multiple sources, such as remote monitoring devices, or help make that information actionable.
About the Author: Dr. Ronald Razmi is Founder and CEO of Acupera. He is responsible for Acupera’s strategic direction, company operations, and product portfolio. Dr. Razmi’s background as a cardiologist and healthcare consultant and investor gives him unique insights into the challenges facing medical professionals. This article was originally published on Acupera and is republished here with permission.
HIMSS Info: Acupera will be participating in the HIMSS Intelligent Medical Home @ The Intelligent Hospital Pavilion (Hall E, Booth 8265). The IM Pavilion will showcase diverse technologies geared towards enhancing patient care, optimizing workflow and managing healthcare resources across a broad spectrum of healthcare settings.