New year, new trend reports. HIMSS just released one – 7 trends Healthcare Experts Anticipate in 2014. But all seven really boil down to just one – integration.
For 2014, HIMSS predicts:
#7: Better quality through transparency.
In a value-based payment model, quality is currency, and patients and payers are saying, “Show me the money.” In most healthcare enterprises, some hospitals have some metrics in some HISs. However, true transparency means all the hospitals getting all the data out of all the HISs. That takes integration.
#6: Patient engagement, the continuing story.
Engagement is not a one-to-one relationship between a provider and patient. From providers and HIT vendors to associations and government agencies, it takes a village to engage a patient – an integrated village.
#5: HIT, meet consumerization and aging.
Reaching consumers means connecting and communicating on their terms. Caring for the elderly — effectively — means collaborative care. Both mean HIT integration.
#4: Better broadband, more mobility.
Mobility drives productivity. Broadband drives mobility. Integration enables the former via the latter.
#3: Business continuity – it’s an IT thing.
Hospitals and HIPAA know – downtime in a hospital is a life/death issue. The best HISs can fail, but access to critical patient data is critical to safe patient care. When the system goes down, integration is key to ensuring data access and accuracy.
#2: Interoperability: Not just for departments anymore.
With population care and value-based payment, the healthcare world gets flatter every day. Clinical integration is the new healthcare world order, and it runs on integrated HIT.
And the #1 trend in for 2014…?
INTEGRATION!
Interfaces and best-of-breed are out, integration and best-of-suite are in. In the land of connected systems, the integrated system is king.
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