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Customer Experience and Design

Top 5 Technology Trends in Healthcare – March 2013

The healthcare IT field is rapidly developing and changing. Emerging technology and updated regulations put pressure on healthcare providers and health plans to stay ahead of the curve. Perficient creates a monthly list that explores some of the current topics and issues in health IT. This list examines the most talked about issues and technologies that are currently affecting the industry.

HCBlog Top5

HIMSS 2013 Conference

Earlier this month the HIMSS 2013 Conference took place in New Orleans. Nearly 35,000 individuals attended the healthcare technology conference over the six days of sessions and exhibition. Highlights included a keynote address from former President Bill Clinton, an Interoperability Showcase, several Meaningful Use workshops, and a general theme of patient engagement.

Patient Engagement under Meaningful Use

A key theme of Stage 2 meaningful use is engaging patients in their own care. Building on the Stage 1 requirement that 50% of patients be able to view their documents electronically, Stage 2 mandates that 10% of those patients actually do so. Clinical summaries must be provided following each office visit and select patients will receive notifications and reminders for additional care. Secure messaging to patients, another Stage 2 requirement, can connect them with helpful care information.

Population Health Management and ACOs

PHM is a concept that includes the healthiest and the sickest individuals by improving the overall health of high- and low risk patients by addressing personal health behaviors that may contribute to health through care, communication and education. PHM places an emphasis on primary care to provide preventative, acute and chronic illness care, which is coupled with efforts to educate patients and encourage behavior and lifestyle changes.

Interoperability

Interoperability plays a key role in ensuring systems can communicate with each other to share information. It helps to reduce redundant data entry, speed access to information and create a real-time flow of information through an enterprise IT system. The key benefit of creating interoperability is to improve the visibility, sharing and re-use of data collection between disparate healthcare applications and devices.

Health Information Exchange

Healthcare systems and state and local government agencies must exchange health information to those who can impact the delivery of care while empowering those who receive that care in order to meet regulatory standards and maintain business viability in the future. Interoperability plays a key role in ensuring systems can communicate with each other to share information.

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